TONY STEWART
SNATCHES VICTORY
Charlotte, NC: In a spectacular finish with 7 laps left, Tony Stewart ran down Ryan Newman to win the UAW-GM Quality 500 at Lowes Motor Speedway. Once again the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet was the best car in the field. This time everything worked right for the defending Winston Cup Champion as he battled back to the front after his final pit stop.
Tony took the lead on lap 129 and stretched the distance to the 2nd place car of Bobby Labonte by nearly 6 seconds. It wasn't until Bill Elliott beat him off of pit road on lap 214 that Tony lost the lead. However, he resumed that position on lap 239.
Then, it appeared the Ryan Newman saga would carry on. The #12 Alltel Dodge developed a rattle that caused Ryan to pit earlier than planned. He took the lead with 36 laps remaining while the rest of the lead lap cars took their final scheduled pit stops. Tony was approximately 8 seconds behind Ryan with fresh tires and the determination to take the victory. He soon closed the gap and proceeded to electrify the fans with his typical aggressive moves to get past Ryan. After getting by, there was no looking back. Tony celebrated his second win of the season, his first at Lowes Motor Speedway.
Although Jimmy Johnson led 104 laps in the #48 Lowes Chevrolet, he was unable to sweep up his 3rd win of the season at this track. He did have a fast car and even when he missed his pit stall on lap 168; he was able to make it back up to the top 5. He just didn’t have what it took to catch Tony. He ended the race in 3rd place.
Bill Elliott also led several laps again tonight. But the #9 Dodge Dealers UAW Dodge was not as strong as the #20 Home Depot Chevrolet. He finished 4th.
Jeff Gordon had started the race on the outside pole. But the only lap the #24 DuPont Chevrolet led was on the parade lap during the tribute to Dale Earnhardt. Jeff fought a loose condition for most of the race. He would move up, then fade back. Adjustments that were made to the car helped him finish in the 5th spot.
The remaining top 10 included Bobby Labonte in the #18 Interstate Batteries Chevrolet at 6th. Jamie McMurray, the defending race winner from last year finished 7th in the #42 Havoline Dodge. After tangling with Kevin Harvick, current points leader Matt Kenseth ended the race 8th in the #17 DeWalt Ford. Just past the halfway point in the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr announced on his radio that he couldn’t keep his mind on the race and asked for some radio chatter. He brought the #8 Budweiser Chevrolet in 9th. Johnny Benson had a slight run in with Rusty Wallace during the race but was able to finish 10th in the #10 Valvoline Pontiac.
For the 3rd week in a row, the “black cloud” hovered over Elliott Sadler and the #38 M&M’s Ford. He bumped the rear of the #54 National Guard Ford of Todd Bodine. Elliott collided with the outside wall and came back across the track narrowly missing several vehicles coming from behind. Fortunately, he was able to get out of the car safely.
This week, none of the drivers given the “Lucky Dog” pass were able to finish in the top 10.
Article by S. Kipple
10/11/03
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