Dušan Marković (footballer, born 1906)

# Dušan Marković (footballer, born 1906)

## Abstract

Dušan "Luks" Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан "Лукс" Mapкoвић; 9 March 1906 – 29 November 1974) was a Serbian football player and football manager.

He was described by local press as a great, cleaver and effective striker. Anecdotally, his killer instinct was specially awake every time he played against BSK Belgrade, the best pre-war Serbian club, having scored at least once in every match he played against them. He was especially dangerous because he had the ability to shoot and surprise the goalkeepers from any angle.

He spent most of his career with FK Vojvodina where he played for 14 years, between 1921 until 1935 being one of their most influential players of the pre-war period. Afterward, he had short spells with BSK Belgrade and French club Grenoble.

He was part of the Yugoslavia national football team for some period, but he only played one match, as a substitute of the famous striker Blagoje Marjanović in a friendly match played on October 9, 1932, in Prague, against Czechoslovakia, a 2–1 win. He was part of the Yugoslav team at the 1930 FIFA World Cup, but didn't play any match.

After retiring, he remained linked to football as a manager, having coached some clubs in Yugoslavia. He coached Gragjanski Skopje in the 1938–39 Yugoslav Football Championship and Željezničar between 1939 and 1941.

He died in 1974, in the aftermath of a prostate surgery.


Jamia Masjid, Shopian

# Jamia Masjid, Shopian

## Abstract

Jama Masjid is a mosque in Shopian is a historic mosque located in the district of Shopian, in the Indian-administered union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. This mosque is said to have been built during the Mughal period and is very beautiful from both inside and outside. It's considered one of the best mosques in the Shopian district.

## In history

The mosque was an important stop on the Mughal road through Pir Panjal, where the Mughals used to stop and rest. The mosque was built by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir, making it a significant historical site.

## Architecture

The Jamia Masjid in Shopian, Jammu and Kashmir, is a historic mosque with a notable architectural heritage. Although the specific architectural details of the mosque are not outlined in the data provided, it is mentioned that the mosque was built during the Mughal period and later reconstructed in the 1940s. Mughal architecture has been noted for its designs, domes, and minarets, which could be features of this mosque as well.

The mosque's construction was supervised by Ustab Habib Ullah Mast, a carpenter from Srinagar, and it was built using local stones. The foundation stone of the modern Jamia Masjid at Shopian was laid in 1944, and the construction was completed over a few years. It's also mentioned that the mosque underwent renovation, indicating that efforts have been made to preserve its historical and architectural value.


Don Rickles

# Don Rickles

## Abstract

Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known primarily for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Enter Laughing (1967), Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Casino (1995). From 1976 to 1978, Rickles had a two-season starring role in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Sharkey, having previously starred in two eponymous half-hour programs, an ABC variety show titled The Don Rickles Show (1968) and a CBS sitcom identically titled The Don Rickles Show (1972).

A veteran headline performer at Las Vegas hotel-casinos and peripheral member of the Rat Pack via friendship with Frank Sinatra, Rickles received widespread exposure as a frequent guest on talk and variety shows, including The Dean Martin Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and The Late Show with David Letterman, and voiced Mr. Potato Head in the first three films of the Toy Story franchise (1995–2010). He won a Primetime Emmy Award for the 2006 documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. In 2014, he was honored by fellow comedians at the Apollo Theater, which was taped and released on Spike TV, entitled Don Rickles: One Night Only.

## Career

### Early life

Rickles was born in Queens, New York City, United States, on May 8, 1926. He was Jewish. His father, Max Rickles (1896–1952), emigrated in 1903 with his Lithuanian parents from Kaunas. His mother, Etta Rickles (née Feldman; 1898–1984), was born in New York City to Austrian immigrant parents. Rickles grew up in Jackson Heights.

After graduating from Newtown High School in 1944, Rickles enlisted in the United States Navy and served during World War II on the motor torpedo boat tender USS Cyrene as a seaman first class. He was honorably discharged in 1946. Two years later, intending to be a dramatic actor, he studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and then played bit parts on television. Frustrated by a lack of acting work, Rickles began performing comedy in clubs in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. He became known as an insult comedian when he responded to his hecklers. The audience enjoyed these insults more than his prepared material, so he incorporated them into his act.

When Rickles started his career in the early 1950s, he started to call ill-mannered members of the audience " hockey pucks ". His style was similar to that of an older insult comic Jack E. Leonard, though Rickles denied Leonard influenced his style. During an interview on Larry King Live, Rickles credited Milton Berle 's comedy style for inspiring him to enter show business.

### 1930–1969

While working in the "Murray Franklin's" nightclub in Miami Beach, Florida, early during his career, Rickles spotted Frank Sinatra and remarked to him, "I just saw your movie The Pride and the Passion and I want to tell you, the cannon's acting was great." He added, "Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody!" Sinatra, whose pet name for Rickles was "bullet-head", enjoyed him so much that he encouraged other celebrities to see Rickles's act and be insulted by him. Sinatra's support helped Rickles become a popular headline performer in Las Vegas. During a Dean Martin Celebrity Roast special, Rickles was among those who took part in roasting Sinatra, and Rickles himself was also roasted during another show in the series.

Rickles earned the nicknames "The Merchant of Venom" and "Mr. Warmth" for his poking fun at people of all ethnicities and all walks of life. When he was introduced to an audience or on a television talk show, Spanish matador music, "La Virgen de la Macarena", would usually be played, subtly foreshadowing someone was about to be metaphorically gored. As Rickles observed, "I always pictured myself facing the audience as the matador."

In 1958, Rickles made his film debut in a serious part in Run Silent, Run Deep with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. Throughout the 1960s, he often appeared on television in sitcoms and dramatic series. Rickles guest-starred in Get Smart as Sid, an old war buddy of Max's, who comes to stay with him. In an episode of Run for Your Life, Rickles portrayed a distressed comedian whose act culminates in him strangling a patron while imploring the patron to "Laugh!" Rickles took a dramatic turn in the low-budget Roger Corman science-fiction/horror film X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes as a carnival barker out to exploit the title character (portrayed by Ray Milland).

Rickles appeared in the Beach Party film series. He recalled in his 2007 memoir that at a White House dinner, Barbara Bush teased him about his decision to appear in those films. Rickles's agent Jack Gilardi was married to Annette Funicello when Rickles was cast in the Beach Party films. He subsequently began to appear more frequently on television talk shows, first appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in 1965.

Rickles became a frequent guest and guest host, appearing more than 100 times on The Tonight Show during Carson's era. An early Carson–Rickles Tonight highlight occurred in 1968 when, while two Japanese women treated Carson to a bath and foot massage, Rickles walked onto the set. Rickles also made frequent appearances on The Dean Martin Show and became a fixture on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast specials.

In 1968, Rickles released a live comedy album titled Hello, Dummy!, which reached number 54 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The same year, he starred in his own variety show on ABC, The Don Rickles Show, with comedy writer Pat McCormick as his sidekick; the show lasted only 17 episodes and was replaced by a prime time version of the game Let's Make a Deal. During the 1960s, Rickles made guest appearances on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Munsters, The Addams Family, The Mothers-in-Law, Gilligan's Island, Get Smart, The Twilight Zone episode " Mr. Dingle, the Strong ", The Andy Griffith Show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and I Dream of Jeannie.

### 1970–1999

In 1970, Rickles had a notable role as Crapgame in Kelly's Heroes, sharing the marquee poster with co-stars Clint Eastwood, Telly Savalas, Donald Sutherland, and Carroll O'Connor. In 1972, he starred in The Don Rickles Show (his second series with that title), which lasted for 13 episodes. He also starred in a series of television specials. In his memoirs, Rickles acknowledged a scripted sitcom was not well-suited to his ad lib style of performing, as he had earlier said that he never writes down his jokes.

Starting in 1973, he became a popular dais comedian appearing on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast specials. In 1976–1978, he starred in C.P.O. Sharkey, which lasted two seasons. The series is remembered for the cigarette box incident when Johnny Carson made an impromptu visit during a Tonight Show taping to the adjacent TV studio during an episode's taping, feigning "incensed" ire that Rickles, an ex-smoker, broke Johnny Carson's wooden box, from 1967, on the previous night, while a guest on The Tonight Show, on which Bob Newhart was the guest host. The incident was often replayed in Tonight Show retrospectives and was considered a highlight of the 1970s era of the series. Rickles retorted that he would replace the box with an X-ray of Johnny Carson's lungs.

Rickles occasionally appeared as a panelist on Hollywood Squares and was depicted in comic-book form by Jack Kirby during his work on the Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen series (part of Jack Kirby's Fourth World).

In the early 1980s, Rickles began to perform with Steve Lawrence in concerts in Las Vegas. In 1983, the duo co-hosted Foul-Ups, Bleeps & Blunders, an imitation of TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes. In 1982, he was in "Death of a Lodger", an episode of Archie Bunker's Place. In 1985, when Frank Sinatra was asked to organize and perform at Ronald Reagan 's second presidential inaugural celebration, he insisted Rickles be allowed to perform and do it unrehearsed. Rickles considered this performance the highpoint of his career.

In 1990, he appeared in the second-season episode of Tales from the Crypt titled "The Ventriloquist's Dummy". In 1992, he was cast in Innocent Blood, directed by John Landis. In his memoir, Rickles wrote that he recalled Landis was a "production assistant" to Brian G. Hutton during the filming of Kelly's Heroes. During the filming of Innocent Blood, Rickles would kid Landis by ordering him to get coffee or to run other errands befitting his one-time " gofer " status.

In 1993, Rickles starred in another short-lived sitcom titled Daddy Dearest, with Richard Lewis. In 1995, he played Billy Sherbert in the Universal Pictures film Casino and voiced Mr. Potato Head in the Disney and Pixar film Toy Story. He reprised his role as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 2 (1999). Rickles starred as George Wilson in 1998's Dennis the Menace Strikes Again; that same year, he portrayed a film theater manager in Dirty Work and voiced Cornwall, one of the heads of a two-headed dragon, in Quest for Camelot. In 1999, he would briefly appear in a fictionalized form in The Simpsons episode " Viva Ned Flanders ", being caught in a poorly-planned demolition of the Monty Burns Casino and being flung into the air, as he was still inside the building as it was demolished, and while he would be hit by Homer's car when he fell back down, he would ultimately survive.

### 2000–2017

Rickles made a cameo appearance as himself in a recurring dream sequence in " Sub Conscious ", an episode of The Unit, which aired in February 2007.

On May 8, 2006, on his 80th birthday, Simon & Schuster released his memoir entitled Rickles' Book. Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, a documentary about Rickles directed by John Landis, made its debut on HBO on December 2, 2007. Rickles won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, besting a number of notable comics, including David Letterman, Jon Stewart, and Stephen Colbert. Rickles remarked, "Stephen Colbert's a funny man, but he's too young. He has got plenty of time to win awards, but this may be my last year and I think that I made it count. On second thought, it was probably just a mercy award for an old man." In 2009, Rickles appeared on Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List and met Griffin's mother Maggie to fulfill one item on Maggie's "bucket list". In 2010, he appeared in a commercial during Super Bowl XLIV as a talking rose, and appeared on the 37th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards on CBS TV on June 27, 2010.

He reprised his role as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 3 (2010). In 2011, Rickles reunited with his Casino (1995) co-star Joe Pesci in a Snickers advertisement highlighting actors known for their "short fuses". Rickles also portrayed the late husband of Elka (Betty White) on Hot in Cleveland — a "surprise" because his character was believed dead.

On May 28, 2014, Rickles was honored by Spike TV 's "One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles". Recorded live at New York City's Apollo Theater, Jerry Seinfeld was the master of ceremonies for the two-hour special, with live monologs by Johnny Depp, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, Tracy Morgan, Brian Williams, Regis Philbin, Amy Poehler, and Tina Fey. Recorded segments included bits from Bob Newhart, Bill Cosby, Jimmy Kimmel, and Eddie Murphy.

"The camaraderie and the comedy made the show a cross between a traditional roast and a dignified lifetime achievement award, spanning emotions ranging from admiration and gratitude to, well, degradation. And as the evening reached its climax, when Rickles got his say after all that had said about him and his nearly 60-year-long career, fittingly, he had the last laugh." – TV Week

He was still a frequent guest on late night talk shows, including Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson among others, during the later months of his life. On May 11, 2015, Rickles appeared as a guest on one of the final episodes of The Late Show with David Letterman. He also made a cameo appearance in Grandfathered.

In an interview in 2014, he dismissed thoughts of retiring, stating:

"I'm in good health. I'm working better than I ever have. The audiences are great. Why should I retire? I'm like a fighter. The bell rings and you come out and fight. My energy comes alive. And I still enjoy it."

Up until his death on April 6, 2017, despite being impeded by multiple surgeries following a bout with necrotizing fasciitis in 2013, he continued touring across the United States.

He was reportedly slated to reprise his role as Mr. Potato Head in Toy Story 4 (2019), but he died without recording any of his lines of dialogue. With permission from his wife Barbara Rickles, Josh Cooley used unused archival audio from the previous three Toy Story films to honor him and dedicate to his memory.

### Personal life

On March 14, 1965, Rickles married Barbara Sklar of Philadelphia. He admitted to having a difficult time romantically in his 20s and 30s, meeting Sklar through his agent when he was 38 years old and falling for her when she failed to get his sense of humor. They had two children: Mindy, an actress, and Larry, a producer who died of pneumonia at the age of 41. According to Rickles's memoir, his grandchildren Ethan and Harrison Mann were much more impressed by his role as Mr. Potato Head than by any of his other achievements. Barbara died from non-Hodgkin lymphoma on March 14, 2021, exactly 56 years after the couple married. Rickles was an only child. Rickles befriended mobster "Crazy" Joe Gallo following a performance at the Copacabana in 1972. Gallo, whom Rickles had ribbed mercilessly during his set, despite being warned not to do so, accepted Rickles's ribbings in good humor and invited him to Umberto's Clam House after the show. Rickles declined the offer. That night, a gunfight erupted at Umberto's, killing Gallo. Rickles performed at the inaugurations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush with his friend Frank Sinatra, although Rickles himself was a "lifelong" Democrat. He considered Bob Newhart his best friend, and the two often vacationed together along with their wives, who were also close. Rickles and Newhart appeared together on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 24, 2005, the Monday following Johnny Carson 's death, reminiscing about their many guest appearances on Carson's show. The two also appeared together on the television sitcom Newhart and for previous episodes of The Tonight Show, where Newhart or Rickles were guest hosts. The friendship was memorialized in Bob & Don: A Love Story, a 2023 short documentary film by Judd Apatow featuring interviews with and home movies of both families..

### Death

On April 6, 2017, Rickles died of kidney failure at his home in Century City, California, 32 days before his 91st birthday. He was buried at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery.

### Tributes

In 2014, a number of stars helped celebrate Rickles's 88th birthday with a televised special titled One Night Only: An All Star Tribute to Don Rickles. Those giving tributes following his death included David Letterman, Kathy Griffin, Jon Stewart, Jerry Seinfeld, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, Nathan Lane, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Tracy Morgan, Johnny Depp, Brian Williams, and Regis Philbin. Also participating in taped appearances were Bob Newhart, Eddie Murphy, Jimmy Kimmel, and Bill Cosby. Seinfeld described him as a part of the "Mount Rushmore of Stand-up Comedy" with George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Cosby.

Upon hearing of Rickles's death, a number of television hosts paid tribute to his comedic talents, with Conan O'Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, and David Letterman among them. Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Mel Brooks, Toy Story (1995) filmmaker John Lasseter, Ron Howard, Chris Rock, Patton Oswalt, Jim Carrey, Ricky Gervais and even his Toy Story (1995) co-stars Tom Hanks (the voice of Woody), Tim Allen (the voice of Buzz Lightyear) and Whoopi Goldberg (the voice of Stretch in Toy Story 3) paid their respects on Twitter.

Bob Newhart said in a statement: "He was called 'The Merchant of Venom', but in truth, he was one of the kindest, caring, and most sensitive human beings we have ever known. We are devastated, and our world will never be the same. We were totally unprepared for this."

Martin Scorsese, who directed him in Casino in 1995, stated: "Don Rickles was a giant, a legend... and I can hear his voice now, skewering me for being so lofty. I had the honor of working with him on my picture Casino. He was a professional. He kept me doubled over with laughter every day on the set – yet he was a complete pro. We became friends over the years, and I had the honor of being roasted by him more than once – sometimes when I didn't expect it. He just started showing up at places and insulting me. Experiencing Don, and tuning into his mind, I witnessed the evolution of his comedy. It was like listening to a great jazz musician wail. Nobody else did what he did. He made comedy into an art form. And like all geniuses, comic or otherwise, he's irreplaceable. He was much loved. I'm really missing this man."

At the 90th Academy Awards, The Academy honored Rickles in its annual in Memoriam segment. The film Toy Story 4 was dedicated to his memory, as well as that of animator Adam Burke; while he would die before recording any dialogue, with the permission of Rickles's family he would still reprise his role as Mr. Potato Head posthumously with the use of unused archival footage.

### Discography

- Hello Dummy! (1968)

- Don Rickles Speaks! (1969)


Opium (record label)

# Opium (record label)

## Abstract

Opium is an American record label and rap collective that was founded in 2019 by American rapper Playboi Carti. The label, which is based in Atlanta, Georgia, currently holds four acts all of whom are natives to the city; rappers Ken Carson and Destroy Lonely, and the duo Homixide Gang. The label is also affiliated with a variety of producers including KP Beatz, F1lthy, and Art Dealer, who all worked extensively on Playboi Carti's second studio album, Whole Lotta Red.

Opium artists usually feature a dark rap sound and aesthetic that is built upon the Atlanta rage rap scene and is influenced by the 70s and 80s punk rock era. The niche style of its artists strays away from mainstream trap rappers and has garnered its own cultlike fanbase.

## History

In July 2022, Ken Carson, who signed to Opium in 2020, released his second studio album X, which debuted at number 115 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and number 50 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In August 2022, Destroy Lonely, who signed to Opium in 2021, released his fifth mixtape No Stylist, which debuted at number 91 on the US Billboard 200 and number 57 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. In October 2022, Ken Carson released deluxe edition to X, titled Xtended, containing 5 additional tracks. In November 2022, Destroy Lonely released a deluxe edition to No Stylist, titled NS+ (Ultra), containing several new tracks.

In May 2023, Destroy Lonely released his debut studio album If Looks Could Kill, which was supported by the lead single of the same name, released on March 3, 2023, after the unreleased snippet became viral on TikTok. The single debuted at number 30 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. If Looks Could Kill received mostly positive reviews from music critics. The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, earning 29,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, becoming Lonely's highest-charting album. In July 2023, Playboi Carti announced the dates for a global tour called "Antagonist Tour", alongside Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, and Homixide Gang. Later in September 2023, the U.S. leg of the tour was rescheduled to early 2024.

In September 2023, Destroy Lonely released the deluxe edition of If Looks Could Kill, subtitled Director's Cut, containing all tracks from every edition (including vinyl, CD and digital versions). In October 2023, Ken Carson released his third studio album A Great Chaos, which debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard 200, earning 49,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, and becoming Carson's first US top 20 album. The album was supported by the release of one single: " I Need U ", which released on Valentine's Day. On May 31, 2024, Homixide Gang released their third studio album I5u5we5, being the duo’s first release under Interscope Records. On July 5, 2024, Ken Carson released the deluxe version of A Great Chaos, containing 7 new additional tracks; one of the being the single, " Overseas ".

## Discography

Seven studio albums and two mixtapes have been released through the label.

### Albums


# Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference

## Abstract

The Metropolitan Collegiate Hockey Conference or MCHC is an ACHA Division 3 league made up of smaller colleges, universities, and community colleges in the Northeast United States. The league was originally formed in 1967-68 as the Metropolitan Intercollegiate Hockey League (MIHL). After a league name change to the BSMIHL (Bi-State Metropolitan Intercollegiate Hockey League) for the 1975-76 season, the league changed its name to its current moniker at the start of the 1976-77 season.

## Format

Teams play a 14-game league schedule with the top four teams advancing to the MCHC playoffs at the end of the regular season held during President's Day weekend in February.

## Conference Champions

- 2024 - Sacred Heart University

- 2023 - Sacred Heart University

- 2022 - Columbia University

- 2021 - Season Canceled Due to COVID-19

- 2020 - US Merchant Marine Academy

- 2019 - Fordham University

- 2018 - Fordham University

- 2017 - Ramapo College

- 2016 - Yale University

- 2015 - Stevens Institute of Technology

- 2014 - Fordham University

- 2013 - State University of New York Maritime College

- 2012 - County College of Morris

- 2011 - Wagner College

- 2010 - Fordham University

- 2009 - University of Albany

- 2008 - Farmingdale State College

- 2007 - University of Albany

- 2006 - Fordham University

- 2005 - University of Albany

- 2004 - Wagner College

- 2003 - County College of Morris

- 2002 - Wagner College

- 2001 - Wagner College

- 2000 - Stony Brook University

- 1999 - Wagner College

- 1998 - Wagner College

- 1997 - Wagner College

- 1996 - Marist College

- 1995 - Rutgers University

- 1994 - Rutgers University

- 1993 - Siena College

- 1992 - Marist College

- 1991 - Southern Connecticut State University

- 1990 - Rutgers University

- 1989 - Rutgers University / County College of Morris

- 1988 - Rutgers University

- 1987 - County College of Morris

- 1986 - Montclair State University

- 1985 - Manhattan College

- 1984 - Manhattan College / Southern Connecticut State University / Wagner College

- 1983 - Wagner College

- 1982 - Upsala College

- 1981 - Upsala College

- 1980 - Queens College

- 1979 - Queens College

- 1978 - Upsala College / Wagner College

- 1977 - Fairleigh Dickinson University / Iona College

- 1976 - Ramapo College / Rockland Community College

- 1975 - Fairfield University / Ramapo College

- 1974 - Fairfield University

- 1973 - Fairfield University

- 1972 - Nassau Community College

- 1971 - St. Francis College

- 1970 - St. Francis College

- 1969 - St. Francis College

- 1968 - Iona College


Amber Beacon Tower murder

# Amber Beacon Tower murder

## Abstract

The Amber Beacon Tower murder is an unsolved case where a woman was murdered by two unknown attackers, who ambushed her and her boyfriend during the couple's romantic night out at Amber Beacon Tower in East Coast Park. During the attack, the female victim, 21-year-old Kelly Tan Ah Hong (陈亚凤 Chén Yàfèng), was stabbed in the neck by one of the men while her 22-year-old boyfriend, James Soh Fook Leong (苏福良 Sū Fúliáng), was stabbed in the back by the man's accomplice. Although Soh managed to survive with timely medical intervention, Tan died as a result of massive bleeding from her wound. Despite the extensive police investigations of this case, the murderer(s) were never identified or caught.

## Background

Born sometime in late 1968, Kelly Tan Ah Hong was the second of seven children in an affluent family. Although Tan was a Singaporean by birth, her father, Tan Lam Lee, was a Chinese Indonesian immigrant who operated a vegetable wholesale business, while her mother, Ong Lye, was a housewife. Tan had one elder sister, three younger sisters and two younger brothers in her family, who resided at a bungalow house in Thomson Road.

After completing her primary school education, Tan enrolled at Yio Chu Kang Secondary School at Ang Mo Kio, where she became classmates with her future boyfriend, James Soh Fook Leong, who was the only child of his family. His father was the owner of an electronics business. Soh was said to be a studious student and enthusiastic about sports and games. Both he and Tan, who were of the same age, became prefects. Although Tan was the opposite of Soh in terms of their interests and personality, Soh was attracted to Tan, who had mutual feelings for him, and they became friends after they first met.

After both Soh and Tan graduated, Soh enrolled into an electronic engineering course at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, while Tan did not continue studying and instead joined her father's business and worked under him. In 1990, before Soh began his third year in polytechnic, he decided to ask Tan out, and on 13 May 1990, about a decade after they first met, Soh and Tan officially became a couple. According to Soh's parents, they didn't meet Tan until a few days before her death, when Soh invited her to their flat. Soh's parents remembered their son telling them that Tan was his former schoolmate, but they never knew the specific nature of the couple's relationship.

## Murder of Kelly Tan

On the night of 15 May 1990, two days after they first became a couple, James Soh and Kelly Tan went to have a date at East Coast Park. They headed to the Amber Beacon Tower, which was a popular spot for young couples to hang out.

When Soh and Tan were sitting on the tower's spiral staircase and chatting with each other, two men walked past them and went to the upper level of the tower. After about fifteen minutes, the two men ambushed the couple with knives. While Tan ran away to escape one of the attackers, the other man stayed at the tower to attack Soh, who defended himself against the assailant. Soh was stabbed in the back. The wound was so deep that it narrowly missed Soh's spinal cord, and would have been fatal if it had.

A short distance away, Tan was in a more dire situation when her attacker caught up with her. She sustained a deep neck wound on the left side of her neck, after her attacker stabbed her below her left ear. The knife wound caused massive bleeding. After the two men escaped the scene, Soh, who had barely retained his consciousness, staggered to help his girlfriend. He tried to bring her to the nearby Singa Inn Seafood Restaurant; one of their attackers was last seen running towards the restaurant, while the other was last seen running to the park's bird sanctuary.

Soh, who was drenched in blood, managed to reach the restaurant, and asked the employees to help his girlfriend and himself, before he fainted. The police and ambulance, as well as Soh's parents (who rushed to the scene) were contacted, and 22-year-old James Soh Fook Leong was rushed to Singapore General Hospital, where he survived with timely medical intervention. 21-year-old Kelly Tan Ah Hong was pronounced dead at the scene. Reportedly, Soh, who regained his consciousness in hospital and was in stable condition, was unaware of his girlfriend's death and kept asking his mother if she was all right. Soh was said to be devastated upon receiving news of Tan's death two days after she was killed. Soh's parents had kept the news from their son for fear it may affect his recovery progress, in accordance to the doctor's opinion. According to Soh's 47-year-old mother, whose surname was Tan, she and her husband were baffled over the horrific and senseless attack, and she knew that her son did not have any enemies since he was often well-behaved.

Tan's father, who was in Indonesia at the time, flew back to Singapore to attend his daughter's funeral.

## Investigations

The case of Kelly Tan Ah Hong's death was classified as murder. Under the laws of Singapore, the death penalty was the mandated sentence for any offenders found guilty of murder. In light of the violent killing of Tan, which shocked the nation, members of the public, especially young people and couples, were advised by the authorities to be vigilant when going out at night.

As part of their investigations, the police interviewed the survivor, James Soh, in the hospital. Soh was unable to recall the faces of their attackers, and could not hear their voices, since the two men never spoke a word during the attack. However, the police were able to gain a description that the men were dark-looking and that the person who attacked Soh had short hair and was about 173 cm tall. The second assailant, who went after Tan, was about 167 cm and had curly black hair. The assailants were speculated to be drug addicts. They were also speculated to be foreigners, as Soh remembered hearing the two killers speaking a foreign language while they were escaping from the tower. Although both Tan and Soh did not lose anything, robbery was theorized as a possible motive; this theory was corroborated by previous reports of people being robbed in East Coast Park during nights or late evenings. The police also did not rule out the possibility of a revenge killing, but both Soh and Tan were known to be good-mannered people who did not have any grudges or feuds with other people. Due to the lack of clues, the police were unable to make a breakthrough in their investigations. The murder weapons were never recovered.

In April 1992, two years after the incident, a coroner's court held an inquiry of Kelly Tan's death and issued a verdict of murder by a person or persons unknown. Professor Chao Tzee Cheng, the senior forensic pathologist, certified that the knife wound to Tan's neck had cut through an artery, which resulted in excessive blood loss, which caused her death. James Soh, who by then had begun to serve his National Service after completing his diploma, came to court to testify during the coroner's inquiry. After the coroner's verdict was meted out, Tan's bereaved family put up a reward of S$30,000 for any information leading to the arrest of Tan's murderer(s). According to Tan's 28-year-old cousin, Anthony Tan, who was also the manager of her father's company, the reward would be entrusted to the police and be indefinitely in effect until the arrest of Tan's killer(s).

In June 1992, Singaporean crime show Crimewatch re-enacted the Amber Beacon Tower murder. During the episode, both the police and Tan's family, including Tan's 42-year-old mother, Ong Lye, and 26-year-old older sister, Tan Kwee Mui, appealed for information from members of the public to assist in their investigations. Tan's mother and sisters were reportedly still haunted by nightmares and sadness about the murder, due to the uncertainty of when the case would be solved. Flyers were also published on newspapers to seek the public's help to solve the murder.

Despite the police's efforts to investigate Tan's murder, the Amber Beacon Tower murder case remains unsolved, and the police were unable to uncover the identities of the killer(s). The police investigations remain open in this case, as all criminal cases in Singapore, including murder, do not carry a statute of limitations. The police would regularly review these outstanding cases from time to time to yield any new clues to solve these cases.

## Aftermath

The murder of Kelly Tan Ah Hong remains as one of Singapore's infamous cases of unsolved murders, which also included the 1979 Geylang Bahru family murders, the 1985 Winnifred Teo murder case, the 1984 curry murder and several others.

After surviving the attack, Tan's former boyfriend James Soh Fook Leong would eventually work in sales after completing his education. He was later married with another woman and together, they had a son, who was reportedly 16 years old when his father was interviewed in 2015.

In July 2015, 25 years after his former girlfriend's murder, James Soh, then 47 years old, was approached for an interview, and he agreed to talk about his ordeal. Soh, who remained haunted with trauma over the attack, stated that even after many years, he was unable to understand why he and Tan were attacked, and he still could not recall the faces of their assailants. He also developed a fear of footstep sounds coming from behind him and avoided secluded places at all times. Soh stated that he regretted not knowing Tan better before she died, and he still tried to move on from the incident, something which he finally told his son in 2014. Soh added that due to the attack, he often remind his son to not go to secluded places and be vigilant at all times. Soh also held on to the hope that the killer(s) of Tan would be brought to justice, and asked that anyone with information about the killing can step forward to help crack the case.

The Amber Beacon Tower, where Kelly Tan was murdered, was rumoured to be haunted ever since her death, and there were reported sightings of a ghostly figure, described as the restless soul of Tan, roaming around the area at night, due to her unjust death and her murderer(s) not being arrested or punished. Wailing sounds and some fresh bloodstains at the tower were also included among the witness accounts regarding the tower's haunted presence. Lee Teng, a Taiwanese television host based in Singapore, revealed that when he and his friends camped nearby the tower at East Coast Park back in secondary school, his Buddha penchant mysteriously disappeared the next morning after the night camping trip, and Lee also claimed that inside one of the photographs taken by his friend at the tower that night itself, a shadowy figure was seen "hovering near another friend's head."


The Day the Earth Stopped

# The Day the Earth Stopped

## Abstract

The Day the Earth Stopped is a 2008 American direct-to-DVD science fiction action horror film produced by independent studio The Asylum, directed by and starring C. Thomas Howell. It is a mockbuster of the 2008 remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which was released three days later. Howell stars as the protagonist, soldier Josh Myron, who witnesses the arrival of giant alien robots that threaten to destroy the Earth unless they are shown the value of human existence.

## Plot

The film centers on soldier Josh Myron, as six hundred and sixty six gigantic extraterrestrial robots land on Earth.

As the robots are landing, two alien humanoids also arrive, one male and one female. Both are eventually captured by the military who try to communicate with them. Eventually, the female starts talking to Myron and reveals that she can read his mind along with others. Myron is told that the entire human race is a threat to the rest of the galaxy and unless she is shown the value of humanity by sunset, the planet will be destroyed.

Attempts to communicate with the robots fail as they vaporize anyone that tries to attack them or even fires a rifle to get their attention. An effort is made to destroy the robots using Sidewinder Missiles, delivered by YF-22s. The missiles are ineffective and the attacking planes are destroyed.

The woman, who reveals that her name in its closest English translation is Skye, also displays the ability to harness surrounding energy to protect herself. However, after using that, the military officer in charge of the "mission" starts to use a Taser on Skye, leading to Myron violently intervening and being thrown off the project. He goes AWOL but, as he is driving away, he is telepathically contacted by Skye and he returns to rescue her. The effort proves successful and starts a citywide search for him and Skye.

The male alien also manages to escape as the robots begin a systemic attack on the planet, first with an electromagnetic pulse (which aids in Josh rescuing Skye). It is also discovered that the robots are slowing down the Earth's core and stopping the planet's rotation.

An effort is made to destroy one of the robots with a nuclear explosion, sacrificing 9000 inhabitants of a small island. When the bomb goes off, the machine emerges unharmed and Skye feels the pain of the people dying and almost passes out. Josh takes the time to comfort Skye before the military finds them again. Myron and Skye come across a married couple and put the wife in the back of a 4x4, as she is in labour. The husband delivers the child but is unaware of a complication until he realizes that his wife has stopped breathing. Myron hands the infant to Skye and tells her that if she wants to know the value of humanity, "you're staring at it". Myron and the husband try to revive the wife but are unsuccessful. Myron realizes that the wife is dead and stops applying CPR. Skye, despite her earlier statement that she would not get involved, uses her powers to bring the wife back to life.

Skye, now convinced of the value of humanity, needs to get to the closest robot to return home and end the invasion, but, before they can get to the robot, Skye is shot by the military. Skye and Myron are taken back to the base where Skye is treated for the injury, as the planet's rotation stops and a major global earthquake hits.

The commander realizes that Myron was right and helps Myron move Skye to a vehicle. As they leave, they are chased by the psychologist, who is convinced that keeping Skye will prevent the robots from attacking further.

At the feet of the robot, Myron is shot by the psychologist; the robot vaporizes him. The alien male arrives, sees both Skye and Myron possibly dead and uses his own powers to revive both. Skye, in gratitude, hugs Myron before both of the aliens are beamed aboard. The invasion ends and the robots depart, leaving the planet intact but with major damage.

## Cast

- C. Thomas Howell as Josh Myron

- Judd Nelson as Charlie

- Darren Dalton as Prewitt

- Sinead McCafferty as Skye

- Bug Hall as Man

- Patrick Ian Moore as Guard

- Gary Daniels as Himself (uncredited)

## Production

Although its title and premise are similar to those of the 2008 remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still, the film's plot also incorporates elements from other science-fiction films involving aliens, such as Transformers, Independence Day and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers. It was Howell's second directing turn for Asylum, after War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave.

## Controversy

Due to its similarities with The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Asylum was threatened with legal action by 20th Century Fox over the release. However, no action was taken.

## Reception

Many critics considered The Day the Earth Stopped one of Asylum's best films, and in many ways superior to the original. However, Moira gave the movie one star, finding it so uninspired and generic that it was "hard to care what happens".

Screen Rant found it "a fun B-Movie" and "an improvement on the original", while Dread Central found it tedious.

## Release

It was released on DVD by The Asylum on December 9, 3 days before Fox's remake was released to theaters. Echo Bridge Entertainment re-released it on DVD and released it on Blu-Ray May 18, 2010. It was also included in a Blu-Ray double feature with War of the Worlds 2: The Next Wave and a DVD triple feature with Transmorphers: Fall of Man and Countdown: Armageddon.

In addition to its home video release, the movie can be streamed on many sites, including Plex, Tubi and YouTube, as of November 2022.


Dušan Marković (footballer, born 1998)

# Dušan Marković (footballer, born 1998)

## Abstract

Dušan Marković (Serbian Cyrillic: Душан Марковић; born 3 April 1998) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Lithuanian A Lyga club FK Žalgiris.

## Career

### Club

On 4 February 2021, Sheriff Tiraspol announced the signing of Marković.


2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

# 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

## Abstract

The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 55th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 32nd modern-era Cup Series season. The season began on February 8 at the Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout and ended on November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway with the Ford 400. Despite only winning one race throughout the whole season, Matt Kenseth, driving the No.17 Ford for Roush Racing, was strongly consistent following the lone win, and was crowned the Winston Cup champion. His only win came in the third race of the 36 race season. Chevrolet took home the NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship after capturing 19 wins and 264 points over second-place finisher Dodge, who had nine wins and 203 points. Ford finished the year third with seven wins and 200 points, and Pontiac finished fourth with one win and 125 points.

This was the final year for Winston being the title sponsor of the Cup Series. Winston had been the title sponsor for NASCAR since 1971. After 33 years, Winston decided not to renew its sponsorship. NASCAR went to work to find a sponsor immediately, and on June 19, 2003, NASCAR announced that the telecommunications firm Nextel would be the new title sponsor of the Cup Series starting in 2004. This was also the final season for Unocal 76 Brand as the official fuel for NASCAR. Unocal had been the official fuel since the sport's inception in 1948. Sunoco would replace Unocal 76 as the official fuel of NASCAR. This was also the last full-time season for Pontiac. Pontiac had been with NASCAR on 2 different occasions. The first was from 1949 to 1964, then they returned in 1981 and continued full-time until the end of 2003, though a few teams ran Pontiacs on a limited basis in 2004, and they continued running in the Busch Series through 2005 and ARCA as late as 2007. Pontiac folded entirely in 2009 when parent company General Motors shuttered it during their chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.

Also, 2003 marks the first Cup Series season without Bobby Hamilton since 1988 (but would return part-time in 2005). This was also the last season without Carl Edwards until 2017 and Kasey Kahne until 2019, and also was the last season before Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and J.J. Yeley join as NASCAR drivers, (They ran part time in 2004, before joining full-time in 2005 for Busch and 2006 for Truex and Yeley)

In addition, NASCAR instituted a new points system after this season entitled the Chase for the Cup, in which after 26 races, all the points standings in the top ten as well as any position within 400 points of the lead, would be reset, so the drivers in those positions would be eligible for the championship. This was done primarily because of the huge lead Kenseth accumulated during 2003 despite winning one race.

## Teams and drivers

## Races

### Budweiser Shootout

The Budweiser Shootout was held February 8 at Daytona International Speedway. It was won by No. 8 of Dale Earnhardt Jr. The race featured drivers who have won a pole in the previous season or have won the event before. 2003 marked changes to the race's format, for the first time the race ran at night. The 70-lap event was now split into two segments. After the first 20-lap segment a 10- minute intermission took place allowing drivers to make pit stops and repair their cars. The second segment featured a 50-lap race to the finish with cars restarting double file on all restarts. Drivers were also required to make at least one pit stop under the green flag.

Top ten results:

### Gatorade Twin 125s

The Gatorade 125s qualifying for the Daytona 500 were held on February 12 at Daytona International Speedway.

### 45th Daytona 500

Top ten results

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 6- Mark Martin

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 09- Mike Wallace

- 88- Dale Jarrett

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 14), Brett Bodine (No. 11), Hermie Sadler (No. 02), David Green (No. 60), Kirk Shelmerdine (No. 90), Derrike Cope (No. 37), Mike Harmon (No. 78)

- Michael Waltrip became a two-time winner of the "Great American Race", even though the race was rain-shortened.

- Michael Waltrip scored his third of four career wins. His first three career wins, however, were all scored consecutively at Daytona under the NASCAR on FOX team (Feb. 2001, July 2002, and Feb. 2003), which included the support of FOX analyst and older brother Darrell.

- Casey Mears made his Winston Cup Series debut and finished 27th.

- Ryan Newman had a crash in this race, in which his car got clipped by Ken Schrader coming off of turn 4 and slid down the front straightaway, flipping violently in the tri-oval and coming to a rest on its roof.

- At 109 laps and 272.5 miles (438.5 km), this was the shortest Daytona 500 ever recorded.

- After they agreed to be the title sponsor for NASCAR's top series in 1971, this marked the 1,000th race for RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company and Winston.

### Subway 400

The Subway 400 was held on February 23 at North Carolina Speedway. Dave Blaney was the pole winner.

- 88- Dale Jarrett

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 32- Ricky Craven

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 6- Mark Martin

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 77- Dave Blaney

Failed to qualify: none

- Only win of the season for Dale Jarrett. This would also be Jarrett's last win until Talladega in October 2005, 2 years, and 100 races later.

### UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400

The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 was held on March 2 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Bobby Labonte was the pole winner.

Top ten results

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 25- Joe Nemechek

- 1- Steve Park

Failed to qualify: Greg Biffle (No. 16), Brandon Ash (No. 02)

- Only win of the season for Matt Kenseth. His consistency throughout the rest of the year following this lone win would make him the Winston Cup Champion.

### Bass Pro Shops 500

The Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was held on March 9 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman sat on the pole.

Top ten results

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 7- Jimmy Spencer

- 77- Dave Blaney

- 25- Joe Nemechek

- 12- Ryan Newman 1 lap down

Failed to qualify: Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 35), Jeff Fultz (No. 57)

- After finishing in fourth place, Matt Kenseth took the points lead and never looked back. He led the standings for 33 consecutive weeks en route to his first and only championship. His 33 consecutive week point lead is a NASCAR record.

### Carolina Dodge Dealers 400

The Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 was held on March 16 at Darlington Raceway. Elliott Sadler sat on the pole.

Top ten results

- 32- Ricky Craven

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 77- Dave Blaney

- 6- Mark Martin

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 20- Tony Stewart

Failed to qualify: none

- Ricky Craven edged out Kurt Busch by.002 seconds, the closest finish in NASCAR history until the 2018 NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona when Tyler Reddick edged out Elliott Sadler by 0.0004 seconds.

- This was the 5th, and as of 2020, the last time in Darlington's history that a race was decided by a last-lap pass.

- This race was the place where Larry McReynolds said one of his famed phrases that have been repeated many times in commercials and in media "They touch! They touch!". He shouted that to Craven's contact with Busch down the front stretch on the last lap.

- This was Ricky Craven 's final win.

- This was also the 154th and final win for Pontiac in NASCAR.

- 1st career pole for Elliott Sadler.

### Food City 500

The Food City 500 was held on March 23 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman was the pole winner for this race.

Top ten results

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 21- Ricky Rudd

- 16- Greg Biffle

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 29- Kevin Harvick 1 lap down

- 48- Jimmie Johnson 1 lap down

- 24- Jeff Gordon 1 lap down

- 23- Kenny Wallace 1 lap down

Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Larry Foyt (No. 14)

- NASCAR considered postponing the race due to the start of the War in Iraq. The Government gave all professional sporting associations their consent to go on.

- This was NASCAR's 2000th race run in Cup Series history.

- Kurt Busch finally won a race in 2003 after finishing second in three of the first five races of the season. This was the sixth race of 2003.

- Kyle Petty got caught up in a wreck where the force of gravity was over 80g. This would be the largest crash until 2010.

- Last Top 10 finish for Kenny Wallace.

- First Top 5 finish for Greg Biffle.

### Samsung/Radio Shack 500

The Samsung/Radio Shack 500 was held at Texas Motor Speedway on March 30, 2003. Texas native Bobby Labonte was the pole sitter for this race.

Top ten results

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 01- Jerry Nadeau

- 6- Mark Martin

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 30- Jeff Green

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 42- Jamie McMurray

Failed to qualify: Kerry Earnhardt (No. 83), David Starr (No. 75)

- This race was the first of several this season to have controversy with racing back to the caution flag. On lap 169, Matt Kenseth was leading when the caution came out. Kenseth slowed to let his teammate, Jeff Burton, have a lap back. Jeff Gordon was in second, and didn't want a bunch of drivers getting laps back, so he maintained his speed and passed Kenseth just before the start finish line, seemingly trapping Kurt Busch and Ricky Rudd a lap down. NASCAR ruled that as the leader when the caution flew, it was up to Kenseth to decide whether drivers should get laps back or not, and as he had slowed, Gordon should have slowed as well. Kenseth was given the lead back while Busch and Rudd were given their laps back as they had beaten Kenseth back to the line, but not Gordon.

- Last top 5 finish for Jerry Nadeau

### Aaron's 499

The Aaron's 499 was held at Talladega Superspeedway on April 6, 2003. Jeremy Mayfield won the pole.

Top ten results

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 32- Ricky Craven

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 22- Ward Burton

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 31- Robby Gordon

Failed to qualify: Brett Bodine (No. 11), Larry Foyt (No. 14), David Green (No. 60) (Note: Phoenix Racing's Mike Wallace had originally failed to qualify, but Green's car was found too low and his time was disallowed.)

- Dale Earnhardt Jr. became the only driver in NASCAR history to win four consecutive races at Talladega, breaking him out of a tie with Buddy Baker. Dale Jr. would also become the second driver in NASCAR history to win four straight superspeedway races at one track, joining Bill Elliott. Elliott won four Michigan races in a row when he pulled off season sweeps in 1985 and 1986.

- The "Big One" did not take long and collected 27 cars on lap 4, making this the largest crash in a Cup race in the modern era. The crash barely included Earnhardt Jr., who started in the back of the field and managed to race his way to victory lane anyway.

- Earnhardt was involved in a controversial decision at the end of the race where it appeared he went below the yellow line in an attempt to improve position. NASCAR ruled Earnhardt was forced down making it a clean pass.

### Virginia 500

The Virginia 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 13, 2003. Jeff Gordon won the pole.

Top ten results

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 49- Ken Schrader

Failed to qualify: none

- This race ended under caution.

- Championship leader Matt Kenseth would end up finishing in 22nd place. This would be his 1st of only 4 finishes outside of the top 20 in the 36 race schedule. He would be strongly consistent after this event, and as points leader, this would be his worst finish until Talladega in September.

### Auto Club 500

The Auto Club 500 was held at California Speedway on April 27, 2003. Steve Park won the pole.

Top ten results

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 43- John Andretti

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 40- Sterling Marlin

Failed to qualify: Kerry Earnhardt (No. 83), Hideo Fukuyama (No. 66)

- This was Jerry Nadeau 's last race.

- John Andretti 's last career top 10.

### Pontiac Excitement 400

The Pontiac Excitement 400 was held at Richmond International Raceway on May 3, 2003. Terry Labonte won the pole. The race was shortened with only 7 laps to go, due to rain.

Top ten results

- 25- Joe Nemechek

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 6- Mark Martin

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 2- Rusty Wallace

Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Derrike Cope (No. 37), Hideo Fukuyama (No. 66)

- Jerry Nadeau, driver of the No. 01 Pontiac for MB2/MBV Motorsports, was critically injured in a practice session for this race. Jason Keller drove in his place. Nadeau never ran another Cup Series race.

- After this race, Jeff Green was fired for his remarks about Kevin Harvick and swapped rides with Steve Park in the 1 who was fired a day later than Green was. Steve would drive the 30 for the rest of the year while Green drove the 1 until Bristol.

- With Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing 3rd and collecting 5 bonus points, and Matt Kenseth finishing 7th with no bonus points, Kenseth lost 24 points to Dale Jr. in this race. Kenseth's point margin after Richmond was now only 20 points ahead of Earnhardt. This was the closest point margin all season for Matt Kenseth while he had the point lead.

- Last career pole for Terry Labonte.

### The Winston

Top ten results

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 25- Joe Nemechek

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 99- Jeff Burton *

- 32- Ricky Craven

- Burton entered via winning the Winston Open

### Coca-Cola 600

The Coca-Cola 600 was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 25, 2003. Ryan Newman won the pole. The race was shortened to 276 laps due to inclement weather.

Top ten results

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 7- Jimmy Spencer

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 88- Dale Jarrett 1 lap down

- 22- Ward Burton 1 lap down

Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Brett Bodine (No. 11), Derrike Cope (No. 37)

- With Kenseth finishing 2nd and collecting the 10 bonus points for leading the most laps, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finishing 41st with no bonus points, Kenseth gained 140 points on Dale Jr. in this race. Kenseth's point margin after Charlotte was now 160 points ahead of Earnhardt. This would make Kenseth's point lead safe and locked up for the rest of the season, as he would continue to have a 160+ point lead for the next 24 weeks, between this race and when he clinched the title at Rockingham in November, which is also a NASCAR record.

- This would be the only race of the season that Matt Kenseth would lead the most laps.

### MBNA Armed Forces Family 400

The MBNA Armed Forces Family 400 was held at Dover International Speedway on June 1, 2003. Ryan Newman won the pole.

Top ten results

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 10- Johnny Benson

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 32- Ricky Craven

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 5- Terry Labonte

Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 37), Hermie Sadler (No. 02)

- Ryan Newman completed the last half of this race without power steering.

- Brett Bodine 's last career start.

### Pocono 500

The Pocono 500 was held at Pocono Raceway on June 8, 2003. Jimmie Johnson won the pole. This broke a 27-race winless streak for Stewart.

Top ten results

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 6- Mark Martin

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 22- Ward Burton

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 32- Ricky Craven

Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 37), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89)

- This would be Tony Stewart's first win in a Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

- On lap 7 Ken Schrader gets loose and hits the wall and flips once before catching fire. He was uninjured.

- With 3 laps to go, Jeff Green hits the inside wall on the backstretch and smashes the front of the car. This would lead to Tony Stewart winning the race under caution. Terry Labonte and Greg Biffle were also shown to have damage afterward.

### Sirius 400

The Sirius 400 was held at Michigan International Speedway on June 15, 2003. Bobby Labonte was the pole sitter.

Top ten results

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 40- Sterling Marlin

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 6- Mark Martin

- 5- Terry Labonte

Failed to qualify: Mike Skinner (No. 4), Larry Foyt (No. 14)

### Dodge/Save Mart 350

The Dodge/Save Mart 350 was held at Infineon Raceway on June 22, 2003. Boris Said was the pole sitter.

Top ten results

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 01- Boris Said *

- 1- Ron Fellows *

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

Failed to qualify: P. J. Jones (No. 14), Brandon Ash (No. 02), Paul Menard (No. 33), Jim Inglebright (No. 00)

- Three days prior to this race, on Thursday, June 19, NASCAR officially announced that the telecommunications firm Nextel would replace RJ Reynolds brand Winston as NASCAR's title sponsor for the Cup Series at the start of the 2004 season, thus ending a 33-year relationship between NASCAR and Winston, which began back on January 10, 1971.

- Controversy erupted on lap 71. Kevin Harvick was leading race winner Robby Gordon when a caution came out for a crash at a different part of the track. Gordon kept charging, and passed Harvick in the keyhole turn, taking the lead before they crossed the start/finish line. Harvick called it a "chicken move" and Jeff Gordon said "I could not believe it when I saw it" and called his passing under the yellow "unheard of." The controversial pass, however, was entirely legal under NASCAR rules at the time, and Robby Gordon was assessed no penalty. The so-called "unethical breach of racing ethics" proved to be the winning edge, and Robby Gordon went on to win the race. He was subjected to considerable scrutiny and ridicule after the race. However, others considered the complaints to be hypocrisy or "sour grapes" by the losers.

- Boris Said won his first career NASCAR pole as a Road course ringer, also finishing his career-best Cup finish at the time.

- Ron Fellows came very close to winning his first Cup Series victory, leading over 21 laps late in the race after briefly taking the lead from Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Fellows lost his chance at the win after a yellow came out with less than 30 laps to go, forcing him to make a pit stop. He dropped from 1st to 31st and recovered to finish 7th.

### Pepsi 400

The Pepsi 400 was held at Daytona International Speedway on July 5, 2003. Steve Park won the pole.

- 16- Greg Biffle

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 21- Ricky Rudd

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 88- Dale Jarrett

Failed to qualify: Kerry Earnhardt (No. 83), Tony Raines (No. 74), Shane Hmiel (No. 43), Christian Fittipaldi (No. 44)

- This was Greg Biffle 's first career Winston Cup victory.

- Greg Biffle would become the first rookie to score his first career win in a restrictor-plate race (even though Davey Allison got his first career win at Talladega in 1987, there were no restrictor plates until the following year in 1988).

- This race marked the first time since 1993 that car number 43 did not race at Daytona or did not race in a NASCAR points race.

### Tropicana 400

The Tropicana 400 was held at Chicagoland Speedway on July 13, 2003. Tony Stewart sat on the pole.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

Failed to qualify: Jason Keller (No. 81)

### New England 300

The New England 300 was held at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 20, 2003. Matt Kenseth won the pole.

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 88- Dale Jarrett

- 30- Steve Park

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 16- Greg Biffle

Failed to qualify: Tim Sauter (No. 71), David Reutimann (No. 04), Carl Long (No. 46), Larry Foyt (No. 50)

### Pennsylvania 500

The Pennsylvania 500 was held at Pocono Raceway on July 27, 2003. Ryan Newman won the pole.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 25- Joe Nemechek

- 54- Todd Bodine

- 77- Dave Blaney

- 40- Sterling Marlin

Failed to qualify: Brett Bodine (No. 4)

### Brickyard 400

The Brickyard 400 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on August 3, 2003. Kevin Harvick won the pole and the race.

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 7- Jimmy Spencer

- 6- Mark Martin

- 2- Rusty Wallace

Failed to qualify: Brett Bodine (No. 11), Ken Schrader (No. 49), Billy Bigley (No. 79), Ted Musgrave (No. 07), Robert Pressley (No. 4), Jim Sauter (No. 71), Christian Fittipaldi (No. 43), David Reutimann (No. 04), Hermie Sadler (No. 02)

NOTE: This marked the first time that Ken Schrader failed to qualify for a race. Until this weekend, he had made 579 consecutive starts.

### Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen

The Sirius Satellite Radio at The Glen was held at Watkins Glen International on August 10, 2003. Jeff Gordon was the pole sitter.

- 31- Robby Gordon *

- 39- Scott Pruett *

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 22- Ward Burton

- 88- Dale Jarrett

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 6- Mark Martin

Failed to qualify: Ken Schrader (No. 49), Joe Varde (No. 35), Scott Maxwell (No. 43), Larry Foyt (No. 50)

- Paul Menard made his NASCAR debut, finishing 29th.

- This was Robby Gordon 's final Cup win. Gordon got a sweep of the road courses in 2003.

- Scott Pruett picked up his career-best finish in the Cup Series, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing's #39 Target Dodge.

### GFS Marketplace 400

The GFS Marketplace 400 was held at Michigan International Speedway on August 17, 2003. Bobby Labonte won the pole.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 16- Greg Biffle

- 30- Steve Park

- 31- Robby Gordon

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 49- Ken Schrader

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 10- Johnny Benson

Failed to qualify: Stacy Compton (No. 4)

- During the race, Todd Bodine bounced off Kurt Busch and then into Kenny Wallace, causing Bodine to get airborne and land on Wallace and erupt in flames. Fortunately, both drivers escaped.

- An altercation occurred between Kurt Busch and Jimmy Spencer after the race and punches were thrown. A police report was filed and Jimmy Spencer was suspended for the next week's race at Bristol. Kurt would be on probation after this race.

- Last career top 5 for Steve Park.

### Sharpie 500

The Sharpie 500 was held at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 23, 2003. Jeff Gordon sat on the pole.

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 88- Dale Jarrett

- 32- Ricky Craven

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Billy Bigley (No. 79), Derrike Cope (No. 37)

- This was the first race to include the "Victory Lap" tribute program to honor all the drivers who won a championship during the Winston Cup era, with several races for the rest of the season selecting a single active driver, and former driver, to perform a ceremonial lap around the track during the pace laps. The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Alan Kulwicki (former), and Rusty Wallace (active). Kulwicki's car was driven by Jimmy Hensley for the lap.

- The fans' disagreement over the suspension of Jimmy Spencer and only placing Kurt Busch on probation stemming from the incident the previous week prompted fans to boo Busch as he exited his car in victory lane. Busch's sponsor Sharpie was none too happy with the fans' response to their driver in victory lane, as Sharpie was the sponsor of the race. Soon after, Sharpie began phasing themselves off of the #97 car.

- This would be the final 43rd/last place finish for Rusty Wallace.

### Mountain Dew Southern 500

The Mountain Dew Southern 500 was held at Darlington Raceway on August 31, 2003. This would be the last time until 2015 that the race was held on this date (See notes below). Ryan Newman sat on the pole.

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 32- Ricky Craven

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 16- Greg Biffle

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50)

- The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was Cale Yarborough.

- This was the last Southern 500 to be held on its traditional Labor Day weekend date until 2015.

- This was Terry Labonte 's first win in 157 races, dating back to Texas Motor Speedway in March 1999. This race would also be Labonte's final career Winston Cup win.

- This race has been labeled by millions of fans as the most popular win of 2003.

- As of 2020, Terry Labonte is the only driver in NASCAR history to score his first and last career win in the same race. He is also the only driver in NASCAR history to make his debut (finishing 4th in 1978), score his first career win, and score his last career win, all in the same race.

### Chevy Rock and Roll 400

The Chevy Rock and Roll 400 was held at Richmond International Raceway on September 6, 2003. Mike Skinner sat on the pole.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 21- Ricky Rudd

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 10- Johnny Benson

- 24- Jeff Gordon

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50), Billy Bigley (No. 79)

- With 8 laps to go, Kevin Harvick got loose against Ricky Rudd and spun in the wall. After the race, both cars stopped on the pit road and both drivers began a scuffle between the No. 21 and No. 29 while the pit crew members yelled during the fight. Following an incident between Rudd and Harvick, Harvick was fined $35,000, and crew chief Todd Berrier was fined $10,000 for the incident. In addition, two other pit crew members were fined $2,500 each and both pit crew members were suspended for the next week's race.

### Sylvania 300

The Sylvania 300 was held at New Hampshire International Speedway on September 14, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. This was the final race for Bill France Jr. as the CEO of NASCAR.

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 21- Ricky Rudd

- 25- Joe Nemechek

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 38- Elliott Sadler

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 42- Jamie McMurray

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50), Derrike Cope (No. 37), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Carl Long (No. 46)

- This was the final Cup race in which drivers raced back to the start-finish line as soon as a caution flag came out. Dale Jarrett 's No. 88 Ford hit the wall exiting turn 4 and stopped in the middle of the track. Many cars entering the front straight swerved wildly trying to avoid Jarrett's car.

### MBNA America 400

The MBNA America 400 was held at Dover International Speedway on September 21, 2003. Qualifying was canceled due to Hurricane Isabel; as a result, Matt Kenseth sat on the pole on owner points. This was the first Cup race for Brian France as the new CEO of NASCAR, having taken over the role from his father Bill France Jr., who stepped down on September 16 due to his ailing health.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 16- Greg Biffle

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 21- Ricky Rudd

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 50), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89), Billy Bigley (No. 79), Scott Wimmer (No. 27), Christian Fittipaldi (No. 44), Tim Sauter (No. 71)

- This was the first race in which the field was frozen at the start of a caution period. Racing back to the caution was no longer allowed; NASCAR uses video replay and scoring loop data to determine the running order at the moment of caution. In conjunction with the change, NASCAR introduced the free pass, or Lucky Dog, in which the highest-placed driver who is one or more laps behind the leader gets a lap back when the caution period begins.

- After finishing 9th, Matt Kenseth left Dover with a 436-point lead over Kevin Harvick, the largest point lead to be recorded for the 2003 season. This was the largest point lead for a driver to not clinch the championship in this points system since Richard Petty, and the points system's inception, in 1975. In that season, Petty left Charlotte, the 25th race of the 30 race season, with an 878-point lead, and with 5 races to go, the number of points for him to win the championship was not enough, because in the Bob Latford points system, with 5 races to go, a driver would need a 925+ point lead between 1st and 2nd to clinch the title. The following weekend, however, Petty left Richmond with an 827-point lead, and that was good enough for him to win the championship because, with 4 races to go, a driver would need a 740+ point lead between 1st and 2nd to clinch the title. This was also the largest point lead since 1994 when Dale Earnhardt won his 7th and final Winston Cup Championship by 444 points over Mark Martin.

- The race had a scary crash when Dale Earnhardt Jr. spun around and hit the wall. This was at the time one of the hardest hits, although it didn't look too hard.

### EA Sports 500

The EA Sports 500 was held September 28, 2003 at Talladega Superspeedway. Elliott Sadler won the pole.

Top ten results:

- An early wreck took place on lap 10 when Jeremy Mayfield had a tire go down, during pit stops Dale Earnhardt Jr. made contact with Jeff Green resulting in damage to his car's nose. Earnhardt Jr. would go a lap down on lap 62 after damage repair to his car. On lap 143 the 3rd caution came out when leader Jimmie Johnson was sent spinning down to the inside of Turn 1 after Dale Earnhardt Jr. bumped Michael Waltrip who slapped the side of Johnson, Johnson's car slid back up the Turn 1 banking barely missing a few cars. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the lucky dog during the caution and got back on the lead lap. On lap 158 Johnson retired to the garage with engine problems. On lap 182 with 7 laps of racing left Elliott Sadler who was racing four-wide near the front of the pack down the backstretch went to block Kurt Busch. Sadler made contact with Busch and was turned around, as the car spun it became airborne flipping through the air then landing on the roof near the entrance of Turn 3. The car continued to slide across the grass to the track pavement in Turn 3 when the car caught the pavement it tumbled 5 more times before coming to a stop. Elliott Sadler was removed from the car and was ok. The race was red-flagged as track workers cleaned up the debris. Michael Waltrip led during the restart with 5 laps to go, Waltrip led all of the last five laps with drafting help from teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., as the checkered flag waved cars were running 5 wide mid-pack when Bill Elliott made contact with Bobby Labonte creating a small wreck in Turn 1. Waltrip celebrated the win by popping out of his car's newly installed emergency roof hatch after doing donuts on the infield grass.

Did not qualify: Jason Leffler (No. 0), Kevin Lepage (No. 4), Steve Park (No. 30), Kyle Petty (No. 45), Mike Bliss (No. 80), Todd Bodine (No. 54)

- Michael Waltrip's last career victory.

- This would be Michael Waltrip's only win outside of Daytona, the only win not to be broadcast on FOX, and only win without the support of his older brother and FOX analyst Darrell in the booth.

- The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Bobby Allison (former), and Terry Labonte (active).

- Dale Earnhardt Jr. would come up one spot short on his quest to win 5 straight Talladega races. He would also fail to break out of a tie with Bill Elliott by trying to win 5 straight superspeedway races at one track.

- Matt Kenseth experienced his first DNF of the 2003 season when he blew an engine with 30 laps to go. He finished the race in 33rd position. This would be only his 2nd finish outside of the top 20 so far during the season. Before this race, his worst finish of the year, and as points leader, was in 22nd place at Martinsville back in April. He had been strongly consistent since Martinsville, finishing outside of the top 10 only 4 times during the timespan between both events.

- With this DNF, Kenseth's 436 point lead dropped to a 354-point lead.

- This would be the last race of the season for Matt Kenseth to collect 5 bonus points for leading a lap.

### Banquet 400

The Banquet 400 was held at Kansas Speedway on October 5, 2003. Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 2- Rusty Wallace

- 21- Ricky Rudd

Failed to qualify: Larry Foyt (No. 14), Johnny Sauter (No. 4)

- This was Ryan Newman 's eighth and final win of the season. He scored the most wins of 2003.

- This was the second consecutive week of problems for Championship leader Matt Kenseth. After blowing an engine at Talladega and finishing 33rd the previous week, he was involved in a crash on lap 69 with Michael Waltrip. He still managed to finish the race, but he finished in 36th place, 47 laps behind race winner Ryan Newman. His worst finish prior to these 2 straight weeks was a 22nd-place run at Martinsville back in April. He would be strongly consistent after that race, finishing outside of the top 10 only 4 times during the 5 month timespan. This would be his 3rd finish outside of the top 20 during the season.

- After his 33rd and 36th-place finishes, Matt Kenseth lost a combined total of 177 points to 2nd place. He lost 82 points after his 33rd-place finish at Talladega, and then he lost another 95 points after this event. He went from having a 436-point lead after Dover, to a 259-point lead after this event.

### UAW-GM Quality 500

The UAW-GM Quality 500 was held at Lowe's Motor Speedway on October 11, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole.

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 29- Kevin Harvick

Failed to qualify: Ken Schrader (No. 49), Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Mark Green (No. 14), Jeff Fultz (No. 55)

- This was the first fall race at Charlotte to be held on a Saturday night.

- The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Dale Earnhardt (former), and Jeff Gordon (active). Earnhardt's car was driven by Richard Childress for the lap.

- Brian Vickers made his NASCAR debut, finishing in 33rd.

- After finishing 33rd and 36th in 2 straight disappointing races, Matt Kenseth rebounded big time and bounced back for a top 10 finish. His point lead did increase, but only by 8 points. His point lead was now 267 over Kevin Harvick.

### Subway 500

The Subway 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on October 19, 2003. Jeff Gordon sat on the pole.

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 5- Terry Labonte

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 99- Jeff Burton

Failed to qualify: Mark Green (No. 14), Morgan Shepherd (No. 89)

- The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was Darrell Waltrip.

- Jeff Gordon led the race's majority, 313 of the race's 500 laps, on his way to victory. Along with his 313 laps led, he led the final 206 laps.

- Jeff Gordon became the first driver since Rusty Wallace to pull off the season sweep at Martinsville. Wallace pulled off the season sweep in 1994.

### Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500

The Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 was held at Atlanta Motor Speedway on October 26 – October 27, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole.

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 7- Jimmy Spencer

- 01- Joe Nemechek

Failed to qualify: Jeff Green (No. 43), Buckshot Jones (No. 00), Larry Foyt (No. 14), Mike Wallace (No. 09), Billy Bigley (No. 79), Shelby Howard (No. 27)

- The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was Bill Elliott.

- Jeff Gordon would be the only driver of 2003 to win back-to-back races. This win also marked the 18th time in his career that Jeff Gordon has won back-to-back races.

- The race was suspended after 39 laps due to rain and resumed the following day.

- A crash involving Ryan Newman and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with 4 laps left caused the race to finish under caution.

- Silly Season 2004 would actually start a little bit prematurely, as many drivers who have signed for new teams starting in 2004, would actually end up in their rides starting with this race. Ward Burton would drive the #0, followed by Joe Nemechek in the #01, John Andretti in the #1, Kevin Lepage in the #4, and finally, 2004 Rookie of the year contenders Scott Wimmer in the #22 and Brian Vickers in the #25.

### Checker Auto Parts 500

The Checker Auto Parts 500 was held Phoenix International Raceway on November 2, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole.

- 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 97- Kurt Busch

- 15- Michael Waltrip

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 22- Scott Wimmer

- 6- Mark Martin

Failed to qualify: Derrike Cope (No. 37), Brandon Ash (No. 02)

- The "Victory Lap" champion for this race was Dale Jarrett.

- After 2 straight disappointing finishes outside of the top 10 (13th at Martinsville & 11th at Atlanta), Matt Kenseth rebounded to finish 6th in this event after starting in 37th place. Unfortunately for Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. went on to win the race. Junior, who came into Phoenix 2nd in the standings, was 258 points behind Kenseth. With Junior's win in this race, he gained 30 more points on Kenseth. The point differential was now 228 points between the two drivers. For Kenseth to clinch the Winston Cup championship at Rockingham, the penultimate race, he would have to finish 7th or better if Junior wins and leads the most laps, or be over 186 points ahead of whoever will be 2nd in the standings.

### Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400

The Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was held at North Carolina Speedway on November 9, 2003. Ryan Newman sat on the pole. Matt Kenseth would clinch the final NASCAR Winston Cup Championship.

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 17- Matt Kenseth

- 12- Ryan Newman

- 74- Tony Raines

- 99- Jeff Burton

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 40- Sterling Marlin

Failed to qualify: Hermie Sadler (No. 02), Tim Sauter (No. 71), Rich Bickle (No. 79)

- This was Bill Elliott 's 44th and final career win.

- This was the final Rockingham race in the fall.

- The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Benny Parsons (former), and Bobby Labonte (active).

- Matt Kenseth clinched the Championship by finishing in 4th place. In the Bob Latford points system, Kenseth needed a 185+ point lead to clinch the title with one race to go, and he did so by being 226 points ahead of Jimmie Johnson after the race. Ironically though, back at Atlanta in March, Kenseth finished 4th in that race to claim the lead in the Championship standings and never looked back. Then, in this race, he finishes 4th to clinch the Championship.

- Kenseth won the title by winning just one race, that being back at Las Vegas in March. His consistency throughout the rest of the year following the win led him to be the Winston Cup Champion, scoring 11 top 5s and 25 top 10s. He became only the 4th driver in NASCAR history to win a championship by winning one race. The other 3 were Bill Rexford in 1950, Ned Jarrett in 1961, and Benny Parsons in 1973. Kenseth became the only driver in NASCAR history to win the championship by winning only one race under the Bob Latford Winston Cup points system. Future teammate Carl Edwards almost did it in 2011 (complete with winning the same race Kenseth did), but a vastly different points system and a late charge by Tony Stewart saw Stewart win via tiebreaker (five wins, all in the Chase, to Carl's one at Vegas). Austin Dillon would become the first driver in any of three major touring series to win a championship without winning a race, claiming the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. Matt Crafton would go on to match Dillon's record for fewest wins in a championship season, claiming the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship without a win.

- Future teammate Carl Edwards almost did it in 2011 (complete with winning the same race Kenseth did), but a vastly different points system and a late charge by Tony Stewart saw Stewart win via tiebreaker (five wins, all in the Chase, to Carl's one at Vegas).

- Austin Dillon would become the first driver in any of three major touring series to win a championship without winning a race, claiming the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship. Matt Crafton would go on to match Dillon's record for fewest wins in a championship season, claiming the 2019 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship without a win.

- Kenseth held a 160+ point lead for 24 consecutive weeks, from Charlotte back in May, to clinch the title at Rockingham in November, a NASCAR record. The following weekend at Homestead, however, Kenseth would finish in 43rd/last place, and Johnson would finish 3rd, and Kenseth would officially finish his championship season by 90 points over Johnson.

- This was Matt Kenseth's 31st race of 2003 where he finished on the lead lap. 31 lead lap finishes in a season is a NASCAR record.

- The finish of this race also holds a bit of irony for both Bill Elliott and Matt Kenseth. In September 1998, Bill Elliott attended the funeral of his father, and it was Matt Kenseth that filled in for Elliott at Dover International Speedway that year, and with that, Matt made his Winston Cup debut, and he finished in the 6th position (3rd highest debut finish in NASCAR history, behind Terry Labonte, who finished 4th at Darlington in 1978, and Rusty Wallace, who finished 2nd at Atlanta in 1980). Ironically, 5 years later, Bill Elliott went on to score his final career win, and Matt Kenseth went on to score his only championship. Also in one final bit of irony for Elliott, with this win, it was Elliott's final victory of his career, taking place on the same racetrack where he made his Winston Cup debut. Elliott made his Winston Cup debut at Rockingham back in 1976, qualifying 34th and finished 33rd.

- Matt Kenseth became the 5th different NASCAR Winston Cup Champion in the last 5 years.

- 2003 marked 5 out of the last 6 seasons that a driver would clinch the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship with one race to go (Jeff Gordon in 1998 and 2001, Dale Jarrett in 1999, Bobby Labonte in 2000, Matt Kenseth in 2003).

- The 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup season would be the final season ever that a NASCAR driver could clinch the championship title before the final race of the season.

### Ford 400

The Ford 400, the final race of the season, and the last race ever under the "Winston Cup" name were held at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2003. Jamie McMurray sat on the pole.

- 18- Bobby Labonte

- 29- Kevin Harvick

- 48- Jimmie Johnson

- 10- Johnny Benson

- 24- Jeff Gordon

- 19- Jeremy Mayfield

- 20- Tony Stewart

- 9- Bill Elliott

- 42- Jamie McMurray

- 40- Sterling Marlin

Failed to qualify: Ken Schrader (No. 49), Kyle Petty (No. 45), Mike Wallace (No. 09), Derrike Cope (No. 79), Rich Bickle (No. 78)

- First race with the new configuration at Miami.

- The "Victory Lap" champions for this race were Richard Petty (former), and Tony Stewart (active).

- This was the 21st and final career win for Bobby Labonte. This would also be 2 races in a row where 2 drivers would score their final career Cup victory (Bill Elliott was the week before at Rockingham).

- Bill Elliott dominated this race by leading 189 of 267 laps, but while leading on the final lap, Elliott cut a tire between turns 1 and 2, handing the win to Bobby Labonte. Labonte only led one lap, which would be the last lap. Elliott would end up with an 8th-place finish.

- Last career full-time season for Bill Elliott.

- Matt Kenseth, who had already clinched the Winston Cup Championship at Rockingham one week earlier, would unfortunately finish dead last (43rd place) due to a blown engine on lap 29. This would obviously be his worst finish of the season. This would be only his 2nd DNF of 2003, along with Talladega back in September, and that was also due to a blown engine. He would unfortunately be the only driver in NASCAR history to clinch the championship in the penultimate race, and then finish in last place in the finale event of his championship season. This would be only his 4th, and final finish, outside of the top 20 during the entire year. Despite the lone victory at Las Vegas all the way back in March, Kenseth was strongly consistent throughout the majority of 2003.

- Even though Kenseth clinched the title at Rockingham with a 226-point lead over Jimmie Johnson, Johnson finished 3rd and collected 5 bonus points, and Kenseth finished 43rd with no bonus points. Those results made Kenseth lose 136 points to Johnson in this race. That would be the largest point loss for Kenseth during his entire run as the championship leader. Kenseth officially won the title over Johnson by just 90 points. The last time Kenseth had his lead under 100 points was back in May after Richmond when he was ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. by only 20 points.

- After the 28th event of the season's 36 race schedule, Kenseth left Dover with a 436-point margin over 2nd place, and that would be his largest lead of the 2003 season. Unfortunately, in 3 of the final 8 events, he experienced the 2 engine failures and a crash at Kansas. Those 3 finishes would be a 33rd at Talladega, a 36th at Kansas, and dead last (43rd) in this event. He would go from a lead of 436 points after race 28 at Dover, all the way down to a lead of 90 points after race 36 at Homestead. Kenseth lost a total of 346 points to 2nd place in the season's final 8 races.

- Kenseth won $4,250,000 from Winston and RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company, the most money for a winning champion in Winston's history.

- Kenseth broke 3 records during the 2003 season. The first record was when he led the championship standings since early March after Atlanta, and he would lead the points for 33 consecutive weeks (a record that will never be broken due to several changes in the points system after 2003). The second record was when he held a 160+ point lead for 24 consecutive weeks, from Charlotte back in May, to clinching the title at Rockingham in November (even though he would officially finish the season by 90 points ahead of Johnson) (another record that will never be broken due to several changes in the points system after 2003). Finally, the third record was when he would finish on the lead lap in 31 of the season's 36 races. Kenseth would finish his championship season with 1 win, 11 top 5s, 25 top 10s, 31 lead lap finishes, and only 2 DNFs.

- Matt Kenseth would be the only driver from Roush Racing to finish in the top 10 in points.

- The Ford manufacturer would have a very disappointing 2003 season as champion Matt Kenseth would be the only Ford driver to finish in the top 10 in the standings. Kurt Busch would be the next highest finishing Ford as he finished the season in 11th.

- Jimmie Johnson won the tight fight for 2nd place in the points standings over Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, and Ryan Newman. With that 2nd-place finish in points, he won over 1.7 million dollars.

- This would be the 2nd straight season that a driver who won the most races would finish outside of the top 5 in points (Matt Kenseth won 5 races in 2002 but finished 8th, and Ryan Newman would win 8 races in 2003, but finished 6th).

- Tony Stewart clinched 7th place in points right when the race started. He could not gain enough points to be in 6th, and he could not lose enough points to fall back in 8th.

- Bobby Labonte finishes 8th in points. Last career top 10 points finish for Labonte.

- Bill Elliott finishes 9th in points. This is the first time that he would finish in the top 10 in points since 1997 when he finished in 8th that year. Last career top 10 points finish for Elliott.

- Terry Labonte finishes 10th in points. This is the first time that he would finish in the top 10 in points since 1998 when he finished in 9th that year. Terry came into this race 56 points behind Kurt Busch for 10th spot. However, Kurt Busch crashed with Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman on lap 4, and he would finish 36th. Terry finished 15th and collected 5 bonus points, and he would gain 68 points on Busch due to his crash, and with that points gain, Terry would take 10th place from Kurt by 12 points. With that 10th-place points finish, he was able to get the final spot on the stage for the last Winston Cup Awards Banquet. Last career top 10 points finish for Labonte.

- This was the first time since 1998 that both Terry and Bobby Labonte would finish in the top 10 in points together. This would also be the final season in their separate careers that they would both finish in the top 10 in points respectively.

- After finishing 3rd in the 2002 standings, Kurt Busch finished 2003 in 11th, just 12 points behind Terry Labonte, as mentioned above.

- After finishing 7th in points for the last 3 years (2000, 2001, 2002), Rusty Wallace failed to finish in the top 10 in points for the first time since 1992. He finished the season in 14th.

- After finishing 2nd to Tony Stewart by only 38 points in 2002, Mark Martin would have a very disappointing 2003 season as he would finish 17th in the standings.

- After finishing 10th in the 2002 standings, Ricky Rudd would finish 2003 in a very disappointing 23rd place in points.

- After finishing 9th in the 2002 standings, Dale Jarrett would finish 2003 in a very disappointing 26th place in points, the lowest position in his full-time career. With the 26th-place points finish, Dale Jarrett failed to receive money from Winston, the Cup Series sponsor, at season's end for the very 1st time in his full-time career, because the Cup Series title sponsor pays the top 25 drivers in the points standings only.

- This marked the final race for Winston as NASCAR title sponsor for the Cup Series after 33 seasons (1,035 races).

- This marked the final race for Unocal 76. It had been the official fuel of NASCAR since the sport's inception in 1948 (all 2,030 races).

- This marked the final full-time race for Pontiac. Johnny Benson was the highest finishing Pontiac driver in this race by finishing 4th, giving Pontiac its final top 5 finish ever in the series. Pontiac competed in NASCAR from 1949 to 1964, and then came back full-time from 1981 to 2003. Carl Long, Andy Belmont, and Hermie Sadler however, did run a combined 4 races (which all 4 races were consecutive) in a Pontiac at the beginning of 2004, driving the number 02 car for Sadler Brothers Racing, a single-car team. Carl Long raced the car at Las Vegas in March, then the next 2 weekends, Andy Belmont raced at Atlanta and Darlington, and finally, one week later, Hermie Sadler raced at Bristol in April. The Bristol race marked the final race ever for Pontiac, and those 4 races would be the final 4 races for Pontiac in NASCAR. Andy Belmont attempted Rockingham in February and Texas in April but failed to make both races. Texas was the last race ever attempted for Pontiac. After Andy Belmont failed to make the Texas race, Pontiac left NASCAR for good. Pontiac would leave the sport full-time with 3 Manufacturer's Championships (1961, 1962, and 1993), and scoring 154 Career NASCAR Winston Cup Series wins. Rusty Wallace is the all-time winner in a Pontiac at 31. Only 4 drivers have won the Winston Cup Series Championship driving a Pontiac: Joe Weatherly (twice in 1962 and 1963), Rusty Wallace (1989), Bobby Labonte (2000), and Tony Stewart (2002).

- Last points race without Kasey Kahne until the 2018 Brickyard 400.

## Final points standings

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings. * – Most laps led.

## Rookie of the Year

The easy favorite for Rookie of the Year heading was Jamie McMurray, who had won the previous year in just his second start, and he did not disappoint, posting thirteen top-tens and a pole position despite not winning again. Runner-up Greg Biffle finished in the top-25 in the first two races, failed to qualify at Las Vegas, then won the Pepsi 400, while Tony Raines posted just one top ten finish in BACE Motorsports ' only full season in Winston Cup. Casey Mears could not finish higher than 15th in his debut season. Former Craftsman Truck Series champion Jack Sprague only lasted eighteen races before being released from his No. 0 ride, while Larry Foyt 's best finish in 20 starts was a sixteenth at the season ending race at Homestead. The only other declared candidate, Hideo Fukuyama, dropped out early due to a lack of funding from his BelCar Racing team.