2003 Mountain Dew Southern 500
The 2003 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 54th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 31, 2003 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina.Contested at 367 laps on the 1.366 mile (2.198 km) speedway, it was the twenty-fifth race of the 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate.This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.The track, Darlington Raceway, is a four-turn 1.366 miles (2.198 km) oval.