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Checker Auto Parts 500 - Phoenix International Raceway
Earnhardt Jr. Victorious in the Desert
Surprise, Another Pole for Newman
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, his first victory on a non-restrictor plate track since September 2001. Earnhardt took the lead for the final time with 51 laps to go and held on to win by .735 seconds over Jimmie Johnson. The win is the second of the 2003 season for Earnhardt and the ninth of his Winston Cup career. Kurt Busch led the most laps on the day, pacing the field for 98 laps, while Earnhardt led three times for a total of 87 laps. Johnson settled for second place in the finishing order, while pole sitter Ryan Newman crossed the stripe in third. Busch brought his Ford home in the fourth position and Michael Waltrip rounded out the top five. Matt Kenseth notched a solid sixth-place finish and carries a 228-point lead into the final two races of the season.
To no one’s surprise, Ryan Newman won yet another pole position on Friday afternoon. Newman captured the top starting spot for the Checker Auto Parts 500 at Phoenix International Raceway with a lap of 26.931 seconds, at an average speed of 133.675 mph. For Newman, the pole is his second consecutive start from the front of the field, the tenth of the 2003 season and the 17th of his brief career. Brian Vickers, in only his third Winston Cup start, will roll off from the outside pole position, while Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon start from row two.
