***NASCAR Winston Cup Racing ToNite on FX at 4pm PT / 7pm ET"""

NASCAR.com and Yahoo! Sports ^ | 5/17/03

[NormsRevenge]

Elliott on pole for the Winston
Bill Elliott put his fear of speeding down pit road aside Friday night and earned the pole for NASCAR's all-star race a record fifth time. Under the unique qualifying format for The Winston, drivers race two laps around Lowe's Motor Speedway then pit to change four tires before running a third and final lap. The speed limit coming on to pit road is 45 mph, but there is no limit exiting.

[NormsRevenge]

The Winston Cup
Lowe's Motor Speedway
Saturday, May 17, 2003

Lowe's Motor Speedway is a beehive of racing activities during the whole year. With the longest Winston Cup race on the NASCAR circuit -- the Coca-Cola 600, the only All-Star event in racing -- The Winston, the fall Homecoming classic -- The UAW-GM 500, and many other racing events, Lowe's Motor Speedway is the premier facility in racing, the Mecca of Motor Sports.

Format for the Winston

Race 1 Lineup

Pos.
1	#9	Bill Elliott	Dodge	Dodge Dealers	43.834	123.192	Leader
2	#20	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet	Home Depot	43.631	123.764	-0.572
3	#29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	GM Goodwrench Service	43.261	124.825	-1.633
4	#8	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	Chevrolet	Budweiser	43.195	125.014	-1.822
5	#40	Sterling Marlin	Dodge	Coors Light	43.187	125.038	-1.846
6	#25	Joe Nemechek	Chevrolet	UAW/Delphi	43.184	125.047	-1.855
7	#32	Ricky Craven	Pontiac	Tide	43.183	125.049	-1.857
8	#5	Terry Labonte	Chevrolet	Kellogg's/got milk?	43.164	125.103	-1.911
9	#15	Michael Waltrip	Chevrolet	NAPA Auto Parts	43.164	125.105	-1.913
10	#24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	DuPont	43.077	125.358	-2.166
11	#97	Kurt Busch	Ford	Rubbermaid	43.056	125.417	-2.225
12	#12	Ryan Newman	Dodge	ALLTEL	42.970	125.668	-2.476
13	#22	Ward Burton	Dodge	Caterpillar	42.969	125.671	-2.479
14	#6	Mark Martin	Ford	Viagra	42.875	125.949	-2.757
15	#10	Johnny Benson	Pontiac	Valvoline	42.853	126.012	-2.820
16	#48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	Lowe's	42.853	126.013	-2.821
17	#17	Matt Kenseth	Ford	DeWalt Power Tools	42.723	126.396	-3.204
18	#2	Rusty Wallace	Dodge	Miller Lite	41.601	129.805	-6.613
19	#38	Elliott Sadler	Ford	M&M's	41.552	129.959	-6.767
20	#21	Ricky Rudd	Ford	Motorcraft Quality Parts	41.461	130.242	-7.050
21	#18	Bobby Labonte	Chevrolet	Interstate Batteries	37.673	143.340	-20.148
22	#88	Dale Jarrett	Ford	UPS	37.598	143.623	-20.431

Race 2 Lineup

Pos.
1	#30	Steve Park	Chevrolet	America Online	184.244	29.309	Leader
2	#154	Todd Bodine	Ford	Army National Guard	183.667	29.401	-0.092
3	#7	Jimmy Spencer	Dodge	Sirius Satellite Radio	183.368	29.449	-0.140
4	#01	Mike Wallace	Pontiac	U.S. Army	183.206	29.475	-0.166
5	#23	Kenny Wallace	Dodge	Stacker 2	182.970	29.513	-0.204
6	#49	Ken Schrader	Dodge	BAM Racing	182.914	29.522	-0.213
7	#4	Mike Skinner	Pontiac	Kodak EasyShare	182.914	29.522	-0.213
8	#11	Brett Bodine	Ford	Hooters Restaurants	182.859	29.531	-0.222
9	#74	Tony Raines*	Chevrolet	Staff America	182.679	29.560	-0.251
10	#77	Dave Blaney	Ford	Jasper Engines & Transmissions	182.593	29.574	-0.265
11	#1	Jeff Green	Chevrolet	Pennzoil	182.365	29.611	-0.302
12	#19	Jeremy Mayfield	Dodge	Dodge Dealers	181.971	29.675	-0.366
13	#0	Jack Sprague*	Pontiac	NetZero	181.892	29.688	-0.379
14	#31	Robby Gordon	Chevrolet	Cingular Wireless	181.781	29.706	-0.397
15	#45	Kyle Petty	Dodge	Georgia Pacific	181.598	29.736	-0.427
16	#43	John Andretti	Dodge	Cheerios	181.494	29.753	-0.444
17	#14	Larry Foyt*	Dodge	Harrah's	181.299	29.785	-0.476
18	#99	Jeff Burton	Ford	CITGO	180.917	29.848	-0.539
19	#41	Casey Mears*	Dodge	Target	180.596	29.901	-0.592
20	#172	Kirk Shelmerdine	Ford	Freddie B's	178.749	30.210	-0.901
21	#37	Derrike Cope	Chevrolet	Great Barrier Reef Online	178.371	30.274	-0.965
22	#02	Hermie Sadler	Pontiac	GoTeamVa.com	178.236	30.297	-0.988
23	#171	Kevin Lepage	Ford	TBA	177.492	30.424	-1.115
24	#146	Carl Long	Dodge	TBA	176.638	30.571	-1.262
25	#90	Jason Hedlesky	Ford	Superior Logistics Services	171.909	31.412	-2.103
26	#189	Morgan Shepherd	Ford	Racing With Jesus/Red Line Oil	158.539	34.061	-4.752

* Denotes Rookie

[NormsRevenge]

6 hour Pre-Winston Ping

[Dog Gone]

I love this race. It's all for fun, and it's always exciting.

But what's with Morgan Shepherd Racing with Jesus??

[NormsRevenge]

shepherd .. Jesus .. seems like a logical combo to me 8-P

[Uncle George]

Tony Stewart is due for a win----GO TONY.

[Dog Gone]

I dunno. I think having Jesus as a sponsor could be an unfair advantage.

[NormsRevenge]

I hear ya. What a mechanic and crew chief tho'! ;-)

[SevenofNine]

HEY Guys I just hear something on FR

According to long time Freeper Miss Marple there is report that Dubya dad George Bush Sr going be Indy 500 and guess who always going show up

Clinton OH YUK I doubt that dude is race car fan OH PLEASEEEE

[NormsRevenge]

Penalties hurt several in Winston qualifying - May 17, 2003

CONCORD, N.C. -- The top seven in qualifying for The Winston would've looked a lot different if it weren't for penalties handed down to four drivers Friday night.

Bobby Labonte, the first car to qualify at Lowe's Motor Speedway, would've had the second-fastest time, but was penalized 20 seconds for speeding entering the pits. He'll start 21st.

Dale Jarrett faced a similar penalty. Instead of starting third, Jarrett's 20-second penalty put him back to 22nd, next to last.

"Not to criticize the format, but that's what it opens it up to," Jarrett said. "It's the same for everybody, but it's a judgment call. Why put one more thing in (NASCAR's) hands when it should be in the driver's and the crew's hands.

"We either need to go back to the way we did it from the standing deal, where we just go right to the pits, or let us haul ass in here like we used to do and have a little fun."

Rusty Wallace and Elliott Sadler were hit with five-second penalties for loose lugnuts. Wallace, who went from fifth to 18th, said his lug nut was a "16th of an inch loose."

"This is like the Union 76 pit stop contest," Wallace said. "If you make one mistake, they look bad. But we know we've got great guys."

Sadler would've been seventh. Instead, he'll line up 19th.

"We had a great pit stop - just one lugnut loose, so we've got to start in the back," Sadler said. "We've got to have a fast race car because we've got to make up some time tomorrow night."

[NormsRevenge]

Open pole highlights thrilling week for Park - May 16, 2003

CONCORD, N.C. -- Steve Park sat on a canvas director's chair in the Lowe's Motor Speedway media center Friday evening, blue eyes gleaming, confident grin screaming, "new beginning."

Getting fired never felt so good.

Park won The Winston Open pole Friday evening, culminating what he considers his best week in recent memory. During the past 10 days, Park was fired from the only Winston Cup ride he'd ever known and hired by his mentor's mentor.

"I think everyone knows I'm just elated," Park said. "The last seven days have been unbelievable. Losing one job, then landing at RCR -- just a whole bunch of mixed emotions. When I lost my job and signed up with Richard, it was a big weight lifted off my shoulders.

"Richard said, 'Know what? We've got to have fun. This team is struggling. They're not having fun going to the races.'

"I said, 'I'm not having fun, either.' These last few months were miserable, and it showed on the racetrack. To have the supposed confidence in you from your team and two weeks later you're fired."

Park was the driver Dale Earnhardt chose to build his Winston Cup program around, and feels that were Earnhardt still alive, he wouldn't have been taken by surprise.

"Do I think it would have been different? I know it would have been different," Park said. "He'd have had me out in a field bailing hay, working, telling me to pick it up. He wouldn't be out there patting me on the back, then two days later fire me."

When Park was fired in favor of Jeff Green, Richard Childress saw an opportunity. He called Park and told him to come to dinner. Didn't ask. Told.

Fourteen hours later, Park was unemployed no longer.

"He reminded me of Dale -- Dale never asked you to do something, he told you (to do it)," Park said. "He called me and said 'Come up here and have dinner.' I said, 'Yes sir.'

"It didn't take me half an hour to sit down with him and hear the forward thinking he had with the AOL team and what he wanted to do, where he wanted to be. I said, 'sign me up, man.'"

Childress did just that. In the brief time since, a solace has engulfed Park. He's happy. Change is good.

"You feel good, like you're capable of running up front and you're not (running up front)," Park said. "You ask yourself 'Why not?' You don't question yourself, you question your race team. They're questioning you, too, so suddenly everybody's pointing fingers.

"We had a huge loyalty to each other (at DEI) and that may have gotten in the way. Change was in order for them. I agreed. We just were not getting it done together as a team. Maybe change is good. I think I was out of work for about 14 hours."

After Park won his first career Winston Open pole Friday, he jumped from the America Online Chevrolet and slapped high-fives all around. He didn't quite know how to thank his team. He didn't even know some of their names.

"I wish I knew everybody's name on the team, but only been there seven days," Park said with a chuckle. "I can't remember everybody's name ... but (they told me) 'If you run like that, you don't need to know our names.' That's what I was shooting for.

"I'm not a very smart person -- I just know I got fired from my last job. I'm real happy to be integrated at RCR. That main thing, for us, we need to run good, but have fun doing it. The most fun I've had in a long time is past seven days, even before we came to Charlotte.

"(Getting fired) caught me off guard, but things happen for a reason. If they'd waited a month, this opportunity with RCR wouldn't be available. Time is everything. I'm a true believer in that. We're one qualifying lap old."

Not a bad start. Or new beginning, as it were.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

clinton heard Indy was fast.
He thinks indy is a woman.

[NormsRevenge]

Link correction

The correct URL for the Show Our Support page is http://www.nascar.com/promos/2003/troops/index.html

[jrawk]

I apologize for this in advance.

But I think Billbo is just there because of his intereste in Pole positions.

sorry ;)

-- lates
-- jrawk

[A-teamMom]

Thanks for the line-ups. I've been looking forward to the race for two weeks. I've been cooped up inside as the chicken pox cycles its way through our four boys. A little Nascar will make things seem brighter.

[#3Fan]

The Winston day has always been my favorite race day of the year. Of course it helps that the first Winston that I ever saw was the "Pass in the Grass" Winston.

Real glad to see Park won the pole for the Open. I hope he can continue to improve in the #30 car.

[blastdad51]

The Winston is always a good race........30 car grudge match for BIG bucks!!.

[Mo1]

The Winston is on tonight??

WOW, I need to pay more attention .. thanks for the heads up

[L_Von_Mises]

Thanks for the ping. I sure hope the weather holds up:

SHORT TERM FORECAST
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
153 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 2003

NCZ034>037-054>057-066>072-082-SCZ008-009-014-172000- ALEXANDER-BURKE NC-CABARRUS-CALDWELL-CATAWBA-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER- CLEVELAND-DAVIE-GASTON-IREDELL-LINCOLN NC-MCDOWELL-MECKLENBURG- POLK NC-ROWAN-RUTHERFORD-UNION NC-YORK- 153 PM EDT SAT MAY 17 2003

.NOW...
CLOUDS WILL BLANKET THE PIEDMONT AND FOOTHILLS OF THE CAROLINAS DURING THE AFTERNOON. FOG WILL REDUCE THE VISIBILITY TO ONE MILE OR LESS...ESPECIALLY IN THE FOOTHILLS AND ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS. PATCHES OF LIGHT RAIN AND DRIZZLE WILL CONTINUE.

Doesn't look too promising. Here is the link to the NWS forecast for Concord.

Any idea what the rules are for Winston regarding rain? It's not considered a points race so I know many of the rules are different.

[Pete-R-Bilt]

Here ya go, and as always, its self updating...

[SevenofNine]

OHHH TERRIBLE JOKE LOLOLOL!

Yeah maybe Bill intersted in POLE position LOLOL!

OHHH that very wrong INDEED