|| *Comments on the 2003 Sharpie 500:* View the most recent comment <#49> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Fish posted: 07.27.2004 - 1:00 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Kurt Busch wins for his 3rd time at Bristol... Though, it looked like Sterling Marlin might make it into victory lane, he and Kurt Busch made contact while battling for the lead, and Marlin went into the wall hard, but still finshed on the lead lap. After that, the only person who could touch Busch was Gordon, but he would be involved in a wreck in the latter stages of the race. 2. Anonymous posted: 03.25.2005 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (4) (0) probably the worst reception i've ever seen the winning driver get 3. Jason posted: 12.29.2005 - 5:10 am Rate this comment: (3) (0) It was and still is the loudest ovation I've heard live at a racetrack. And it was all boo's toward Kurt Busch steming from the incident with Jimmy Spencer the week before. Also Busch didn't endear himself to the fans when he punted Tennessee native Sterling Marlin out of the lead with about 120 to go. 4. SPENCER posted: 03.20.2006 - 3:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (8) Jim would have have 3 victorys to the date but ASSCAR had to suspend him for only a stupid little slap! Give me a break 5. mk17ce99 posted: 04.18.2006 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (1) (4) I was there. It was my first Bristol night race and I was one of the 160,000 fans that booed Kurt Busch! 6. DaleJrfan14 posted: 06.01.2006 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BUSCH! 7. dalejrfan15 posted: 06.19.2006 - 11:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) i can still hear them 3 years from it 8. dalejrfan15 posted: 06.19.2006 - 11:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (3) also who the hells billy bigley? 9. Steve posted: 06.28.2006 - 8:05 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This began Jamie McMurray's hot streak of 8 Top 10s in the final 13 races, ultimately beating Rookie-of-the-Year favorite Greg Biffle. I was certian that Jamie would be ROY, not just becauseof his win at Charlotte, but his other performances in the 40 car in 2002. Dalejr fan 15, Billy Bigley Jr drove for Wayne Spears in 2001 in the Truck Series. 10. Steve posted: 06.28.2006 - 8:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What a tard! There should be a space between "because" and "of". I should have seen that! 11. Miller4Prez64 posted: 07.15.2006 - 2:43 pm Rate this comment: (2) (4) One of my favorite races. :) Kurt wins after that moron Spencer gets suspended, go kurt! 12. Brock posted: 01.18.2007 - 6:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (1) Not happy. Very not happy. 13. biffle16 posted: 03.11.2007 - 5:48 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Most likely the final Cup start for Ted Musgrave. :( 14. biffle16 posted: 03.11.2007 - 5:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, it sucked that Rusty Wallace crashed in his retro paint scheme. :( 15. Mr. Big posted: 08.12.2007 - 3:30 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Busch sucks. Spinning out the hometown driver AND the week before wrecking a fan favorite doesn't get you fans, you moron. Busch is an idiot. Sterling just had terrible luck that year. 16. Douche Bagolow posted: 11.15.2007 - 12:10 am Rate this comment: (8) (6) Kurt is better than Jimmy and Sterling combined into one. 17. Chris posted: 11.29.2007 - 4:22 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the race where we learned that being on "probation" means absolutely nothing. Busch was on "probation" after the incident with Spencer the week before, but after he wrecked Marlin, Nascar did nothing to penalize him for his rough driving while on "probation". 18. Darrell posted: 04.14.2008 - 1:40 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) biffle/Douche Bag/#26 Oreo Stuffed Cookie Ford, that is one of the dumbest comments I've ever read. 19. Mr. Big posted: 05.04.2008 - 9:20 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) "Kurt is better than Jimmy and Sterling combined into one." Name one time Sterling ever did something as stupid as when Busch ran up beside Tony Stewart's car on pit road at Dover in 2007 and nearly hit a crew member. 20. Rad83 posted: 08.31.2008 - 4:22 pm Rate this comment: (7) (0) Mr.Big, you didn't watch the 2002 Daytona 500 did you? What Sterling did was stupid in a comical way. But it wasn't as bad as busch. In fact, Busch's sponsor was the sponsor of the race, and they were so unhappy with Busch's reception, that they began phasing themselves off the 97 car. I mean look at his sponorships for 04 and 05. You see alot more Irwin and Crown Royal then you do Sharpie. And it was all because of this race. And the weekend before. 21. Evan posted: 12.04.2008 - 10:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I read somewhere where his sponsors were happy until they started hearing the boos and then they went to frowns. 22. Rad83 posted: 12.25.2008 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I'm guessing the 2006 Athlon NASCAR issue. That's where I got that from actually. 23. hyltonfan08 posted: 01.06.2009 - 3:27 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Before the race, Ted Musgrave (in his last Cup start) stood up and reminded everyone that he was in the 7 car and not Jimmy Spencer. 24. Steve posted: 10.22.2009 - 2:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jimmy and Ted are probably the most extreme opposites behind the wheel! Ted is like his former Roush teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Burton; they want no part of any dirty racing. Jimmy just doesn't care; an inch is as good as a mile, and he'll stick his nose in the gap and try to make it work! 8 tires are better than 4! Man, this was a crazy race now that I think about it. After last year's (2002) hate-fest I chose to write down all of the wrecks, as far as who hit who and who may be mad at who. However, in that respect, the race was calm. Just a lot of carnage. This began Mikey's descent through the standings. He drove so well in the first 23 races; the best he'd ever been. 25. Josh posted: 06.11.2010 - 9:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) kurt has become one of my favorite drivers now but I didnt like him then. I even felt bad at how much he was getting booed. I don't think Kyle gets that many booes but it is close. 26. Talon64 posted: 12.03.2010 - 6:26 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I bet this is the record for loudest ovations of boos towards a race winner in NASCAR history; 160,000 fans in a big bowl! If Kyle Busch had won the Richmond race where he wrecked Dale Jr., it could've given this a run for it money though. 27. pit crewman posted: 07.26.2011 - 7:50 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) nnaaww... loudest ovation with BOOS was when Dale Sr turned Terry Labonte on the last lap to win. Those were some serious boos. 28. Evan posted: 08.26.2011 - 12:42 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) To Rad83, exactly where I got it from, i knew I was not losing my mind the next year! 29. RaceFanX posted: 04.13.2012 - 6:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #97 Kurt Busch- Metalic Silver Sharpie / Rubbermaid (They wanted to make a big deal of that pen at the time, it was the first-ever Sharpie designed to write on black surfaces) #2 Rusty Wallace- Miller Lite / Winston Cup Victory Lap #1 Jeff Green- Pennzoil Synthetic 2003 was the final year for Winston as the Cup series' title sponsor. Starting with this race the company unveiled its final goodbye to the fans with a special 'Victory Lap' program. The Victory Lap program was intended to honor each of the drivers who had won the Winston Cup title with a special paint scheme featuring their normal colors modified with a silver top and at each race both an active champion and a retired champion would be honored with the active driver running the race with a special scheme and the retired driver taking a lap in a modern stock car in thier title colors around during the parade laps. In the case of the deceased Alan Kulwicki and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. friends did their laps. Drivers were choosen for their week in the program based on their performance at the various tracks. For the first week at Bristol the drivers honored were Rusty Wallace and Alan Kulwicki. Kulwicki's #7 Ford was driven around the track before most of the fans arrived by his friend Jimmy Hensley, Winston was criticized if I recall for doing that so early, or this one was always planned to be an exception, and from then on the rest of the retired champions did their laps during the actual pace laps. 30. RaceFanX posted: 04.13.2012 - 9:39 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) I was wrong about the 'at each race' part, the Victory Lap program varied from race to race over the remainder of 2003. 31. Daniel posted: 05.24.2012 - 10:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) In using fastest 43: #02 Hermie Sadler & #79 Billy Bigley Out using fastest 43: #45 Kyle Petty & #54 Todd Bodine 32. CBASS posted: 01.17.2013 - 7:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor updates #15 NAPA Auto Parts #97 Sharpie Metallic Silver #27 YJ Stinger Extreme Energy Drink #49 SEM Color Horizons #77 First Tennessee #89 Racing with Jesus #30 AOL #4 Kodak Perfect Touch Professional #9/19 Dodge Summer Sales Drive #45 Brawny http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/photos/main-gallery/?y=2003&s=5&dl=a&r=900 http://archives.ciastockphoto.com/cgi/images.php?group=w0325 33. Anonymous posted: 07.03.2013 - 9:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I honestly thought 1999 had more boos than 2003. There were some serious boos when Earnhardt spun him out. 34. SpiderTre posted: 01.28.2014 - 6:04 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) this race started a run of bad finishes that cost Mikey a top 10 (maybe even a top 5) points finish 35. Chives5150 posted: 06.30.2015 - 2:38 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) "Johnny Sauter... he lost it. He's a weapon out there all night, I couldn't believe it." - Mark Martin 36. Braindead Zombie posted: 03.27.2016 - 6:38 pm Rate this comment: (3) (0) Kurt Busch wins while Jimmy Spencer gets to watch from his couch. 37. Jimmie Jameson posted: 06.15.2016 - 2:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Anybody know why Scott Wimmer was in a Chevy even though Bill Davis was listed as owner? Was it not a team car? 38. StenhouseFan17 posted: 06.15.2016 - 3:54 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The only connection I can make is that Wimmer was also running Chevrolets for BDR in the Busch Series that season (after running Pontiacs in 2002), and BDR continued to field Chevrolets in the Busch Series for Kenny Wallace in 2004. 39. Windows Millennium Edition posted: 07.11.2016 - 11:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) "Though, it looked like Sterling Marlin might make it into victory lane, he and Kurt Busch made contact while battling for the lead" They were battling for second place. 40. 4mw posted: 03.12.2019 - 10:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of my all time favourite races. Kurt Busch won, giving a figurative middle finger to his detractors. Great racing all night long. 41. Wil posted: 03.12.2019 - 11:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) This was Bristol at its absolute finest. 42. Maverick19 posted: 04.04.2020 - 7:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race tied-the then all time record for cautions with 20. It would be broken by the 22 in the 2005 Coke 600. 43. Jason24 posted: 07.18.2020 - 6:54 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Lost in everything that surrounded this race was the fact that DEI driver Michael Waltrip was 5th in points going into this event. Yes, Michael Waltrip was 5th in points entering the 24th race of the season. A crash and 42nd place finish at Bristol started a disastrous stretch to end his season that included 6 DNF's in the final 13 races, 3 of them being engine failures. He would end the season 15th in points with 2 wins. 44. Foote posted: 07.18.2020 - 10:38 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) 43 Thanks for pointing that out, I've pointed it out on Mikes page before. Peoples opinions of him would be drastically different if he merely had a below average last third of the season and finished top 10 in 2003 points with multiple wins. Instead he had a nightmare last third and plummeted from 5th to 15th in points. 45. JSPorts posted: 07.18.2020 - 10:53 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) In the final 13 races of 2003, Waltrip's average finish was 29.2. In the first 23, it was 13.3. 46. SweetRich posted: 07.18.2020 - 11:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators were Allen Bestwick, Benny Parsons and Wally Dallenbach. The pit road reporters were Bill Weber, Matt Yocum, Marty Snider and Dave Burns. 47. Mile501 posted: 10.22.2020 - 11:45 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) No one finished between 1 and 5 laps down in this race. 22 cars finished on the lead lap; everyone else encountered trouble and finished 6 or more laps down. Ken Schrader had a great top 5 run going but started slipping back around lap 400 and then got some damage in the 19th caution, but still rebounded to finish 12th. 48. Rich posted: 11.27.2020 - 10:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Talk about a tough season. After winning at Rockingham and being #2 in points after that win, Dale Jarrett's 2003 season went off the track in many ways afterward. This 7th place finish would be Dale's final top ten finish of the year with his best finish afterwards being an 11th at Martinsville in mid October. He did recover for two straight solid years in '04 and '05, but '03 was beyond miserable post Rockingham. 49. Rich posted: 11.27.2020 - 2:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Pontiac's last full-time race at Bristol as one of the main manufacturers and it was hot and cold as Craven, Benson and Skinner survived the night and all three finished between 8th and 18th. Sauter and Leffler, however, had rough nights with Sauter being apart of the crash that ended Mark Martin's what could have been night on lap 348 with a crash and the quote from Mark after going behind the wall following a bad pit stop after having one of the nest cars during the race along with Kurt, Harvick, Newman, Sterling and Jeff. Eight times Pontiac went to victory lane at Bristol, two of those wins came in the night race in '61 with Joe Weatherly and a mere two years before this race with Tony Stewart. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: