The 2003 Dodge/Save Mart 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 15th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 22, 2003, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Infineon Raceway, a 1.99 miles (3.20 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 110 laps to complete. At race's end, Robby Gordon of Richard Childress Racing would win under caution, but not before making a controversial pass racing back to the line against eventual third-place finisher, teammate Kevin Harvick on lap 71 that sealed Gordon's victory.[1][2] The win was Gordon's second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports would finish second.
That was first race when NEXTEL became the new title sponsor starting in next season.
Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[5]
The first practice would occur on Friday, June 20, at 11:20 AM PST, and would last for two hours.[6]Boris Said of MB2 Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.264 and an average speed of 92.721 miles per hour (149.220 km/h).[7]
The second practice would occur on Saturday, June 21, at 9:30 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[6]Kurt Busch of Roush Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.622 and an average speed of 92.293 miles per hour (148.531 km/h).[8]
The third and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, would occur on Saturday, June 21, at 11:10 AM PST and would last for 45 minutes.[6]Boris Said of MB2 Motorsports would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:17.265 and an average speed of 92.720 miles per hour (149.218 km/h).[9]
Qualifying was held on Friday, June 20, at 3:05 PM PST. Drivers would each have one lap to set a lap time.[6] Positions 1-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champ needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[10]
Boris Said of MB2 Motorsports would win the pole, setting a time of 1:16.522 and an average speed of 93.620 miles per hour (150.667 km/h).[11]
Two incidents would occur during the session. First, Jimmie Johnson would spin in Turn 10, forcing him to use a provisional. Then, Ricky Craven would blow an engine, also forcing him to use a provisional.[12]
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