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Auto Club 500 - California Speedway
Busch is First Repeat Winner of 2003
Park Takes Pole Position in Cali
Kurt Busch became the first repeat winner of the 2003 season, winning the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. After a string of nine different winners in the first nine races, Busch took the lead for the final time with 12 laps to go and pulled away to score his second victory of the season. Dating back to last season, Busch now has finished first or second in eight of the last 15 races and has six career wins. Busch’s margin of victory was 2.294 seconds. Tony Stewart led the most laps on the day, staying out front for 100 of the first 128 laps but a broken rod in his engine ended his day. Bobby Labonte and Rusty Wallace battled side-by-side for second, with Labonte edging out Wallace at the finish line. Bill Elliott notched his best finish of the season, finishing in the fourth position. Rookie Jamie McMurray came home fifth giving Dodge three of the top-five positions.
Steve Park will lead the field to the green flag on Sunday, after capturing the pole position for the Auto Club 500 at California Speedway. Park toured the two-mile oval in 38.536 seconds, at an average speed of 186.838 mph, to win the third pole of his career. Park becomes the eighth different driver to sit on a pole in the 2003 season. Bill Elliott will join Park on the front row, starting second, after just missing the pole by .003 seconds. Defending Winston Cup champion Tony Stewart will start third, while Ryan Newman and Elliott Sadler make out the top five on the starting grid.
