2003 Chrysler 400

The 2003 Chrysler 400 was the third race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Daytona 500 winner Tony Stewart put his Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet on the pole with a 28.268-second lap around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, however, was the first to exit the 81-lap race, finishing 42nd.

Jimmie Johnson scored his first victory of the season by just 0.15-seconds over Hendrick Motorsports teammate and boss Jeff Gordon in a two-lap-shootout to the finish. Johnson was leading during the Subway 400 at Rockingham the week prior in the final ten laps, but a cut tire eliminated his shot.

A nasty crash on the 12th lap of the affair injured both Elliott Sadler and rookie Jack Sprague. Additionally, the crash forces Brett Bodine Racing to withdraw from full-season competition.

Lap 12 Crash
A crash was triggered exiting the second turn on lap 12 between Johnny Benson, Mark Martin and Brett Bodine. The crash sent Bodine onto the driver side of the car and slid several hundred yards grinding against the ground. Elliott Sadler entered the crash trying to slow down, but failed and rammed into the back of Bodine's Ford, sending Sadler shooting across the track into traffic. There, his car was pierced by Jack Sprague in the Haas CNC Pontiac. The contact immediately sent Sadler into a barrel roll, while Sprague's car performed a front-wheelie. Sadler's car turned over about four times and slid down nearly the entire Nellis Straight upside down or on his side.

Miraculously, Bodine was uninjured. However, both Sadler and Sprague were pulled from their cars with injuries. Sadler's right shoulder was fractured while Sprague broke a bone in his right arm and pulled a neck muscle.

Fallout
Despite walking away from the crash, Bodine was forced to shutter his full-time plans of his own organization as a result of the tremendous crash. He will scale to a part-season role with Hooters remaining as a sponsor. He'll next race at the RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in March.

Sadler's Robert Yates Racing No. 38 Ford will be filled by NASCAR Busch Series Ford driver Kasey Kahne. Next race at Atlanta will mark the debut for Kahne. Sadler is expected to return at Martinsville Speedway in the Virginia 500. Haas CNC Racing has drafted former Winston Cup Series driver Jason Leffler to fill Sprague's seat in the No. 0 Pontiac. Leffler drives part-time for Haas in the Busch Series.