| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 36 in the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 Layout of North Carolina Speedway | |||
| Date | February 23, 2003 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
North Carolina Speedway 1.017 mi (1.637 km) | ||
| Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Average speed | 117.852 mph (189.664 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 40,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Jasper Motorsports | ||
| Time | 23.669[3] | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing | |
| Laps | 182 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
The 2003 Subway 400 was the second stock car race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. It was held on February 23, in Rockingham, North Carolina at North Carolina Speedway. 40,000 spectators attended the event. Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett won the 393-lap race starting from the ninth position. Roush Racing teammates Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth finished second and third, respectively.
Dave Blaney won the first pole position of his career by posting the fastest lap in qualifying. He led the first eight laps before Mark Martin passed him on lap nine. Ricky Craven took the lead eight laps later, which he lost to Rusty Wallace on lap 27. Wallace led four times for a total of 182 laps, more than any other driver. On lap 220, Busch became the leader, holding the position for a total of four times over 149 laps. He was passed by Jarrett on the 384th lap. Busch retook the position five laps later before Jarrett reclaimed first place on lap 390. He maintained it for the rest of the race to win. There were seven yellow caution flags and twenty lead changes among eleven different drivers.
It was Jarrett's second victory at North Carolina Speedway, and the 31st of his career. The result advanced him from tenth to second in the Drivers' Championship, 31 points behind Busch. The latter took the points lead after Michael Waltrip finished in 19th place; this dropped Waltrip to fifth, 15 points behind Martin. The lead of the Manufacturers' Championship changed from Chevrolet to Ford. Pontiac passed Dodge for third with 34 races left in the season.
- ^ "2003 Subway 400". Racing-Reference. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ^ "The Race: Subway 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 4, 2005. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
SpeedQualiwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 7, 2005. Retrieved December 22, 2014.