Top 10 races of 2003

Note: This is the first in NASCAR.com's annual series of top 10 lists. Today's installment focuses on the best races in NASCAR's top three series in 2003.

1. Carolina Dodge Dealers 400 (Darlington)

Series: Winston Cup

You can't say Ricky Craven doesn't earn his wins.

For the second time in three years, Ricky Craven won a Winston Cup race with a thrilling last-lap shootout. This time, his victim was Kurt Busch, who had battled from the rear of the field to seemingly take the victory.

2003 Winston Cup Series  Results  Standings  Statistics  Video Highlights  Best 25: Last 6 races  Best Starts by Driver  Best Finishes by Driver

But Busch had a power steering problem emerge in the final laps, enabling Craven to pull onto Busch's bumper with four laps to go.

For the next 5.2 miles, fans at Darlington Raceway were treated to the best finish in NASCAR history.

Craven and Busch were side-by-side coming out of Turn 4, and they banged doors all the way to the finish, and Craven's nose won out by three inches. It was the only lap Craven led.

Craven's margin of victory was .002 seconds -- the closest finish since the current electronic timing and scoring System was instituted in 1993.

Had Dave Blaney had another lap, he might have made it a three-man show. As it was, he finished a close third -- his career-best Winston Cup finish.

Busch was one of the first to congratulate Craven in victory lane.

"Coming to the line I had my foot on the floor as hard as I could and I tried to hold the wheel as straight as I could," Busch said. "He was running out of racetrack. I mean, the excitement level within the car -- you have to block it out and you have to focus on what you have to do."

"When he got some wheel spin I turned as hard left as I could, I went to the power," Craven said. "I immediately starting spinning the rear tires, but the car came off straight."

2. Funai 250 (Richmond)

Series: Busch Series

You could see this one coming from a mile away. Or .750 miles.

Johnny Sauter bumped Matt Kenseth into the wall on the final lap of the Busch Series' second visit to Richmond. It was Sauter's second Busch Series win.

	Johnny Sauter (43) and Matt Kenseth (17) Credit: Autostock

The bump capped off a wild night of racing that saw tempers grow shorter as the night grew longer.

In the end, three drivers -- Sauter, Kenseth and Kevin Harvick -- spent much of the final laps in a three-wide battle for the lead.

With two laps to go, Kenseth finally rubbed by Sauter. But Sauter refused to quit, and on the final turn, he nailed Kenseth, sending him into the wall.

Kenseth finished sixth.

"He just plain drove into the back of me for the win," Kenseth said. "That isn't the way I race. I raced him clean, gave him a lot of room and didn't get it back."

"I thought I had one last opportunity to get back by him there in (Turn) 4, and I took it," Sauter said.

3. Florida Dodge Dealers 250 (Daytona)

Series: Craftsman Truck Series

Rick Crawford might have pulled off the move of the year.

Crawford won the Craftsman Truck Series opener for his first win in 120 starts -- and he did it with am amazing last-lap pass.

	Rick Crawford (14) edges out Travis Kvapil (16) Credit: HSP

Robert Pressley seemed to have the victory at hand after passing Crawford going down the backstretch on the final lap. But Crawford caught him in Turn 4, and Pressley dove high to block him.

Crawford steered his Ford to the left, hugged the yellow line and beat Pressley to the checkered.

To add insult to injury, Kvapil nipped Pressley at the line for second. Had Kvapil had a few more feet, he probably would have won -- Crawford ended up the victor by just .027 seconds.

"When I saw (Pressley) go by me on the back straightaway, I said, 'Well, it's just a good run here at Daytona,'" Crawford said. "All of a sudden, he went by himself and I ... got a little closer to him in 3 and 4, and then off Turn 4, he put a block on me on the high side."

The win was Crawford only victory of 2003.

4. Subway 400 (Rockingham)

Series: Winston Cup

Incredibly, Kurt Busch was on the losing end of two of the top four races in 2003.

This one came at Rockingham, which Dale Jarrett won despite not taking the lead until the 384th of 393 laps.

	Dale Jarrett Credit: Autostock

Jarrett and Busch swapped the lead back and forth several times over the next 10 laps, with Busch officially leading lap 389. But Jarrett, who conserved his tires, retook the lead and held it until the checkered flag.

The duel had the classic "young gun vs. veteran" storyline, but Jarrett's experience helped him win the last shootout.

"I'm real proud of the way Dale Jarrett and I raced," Busch said. "If that doesn't get you pumped, I don't know what to do."

The win was Jarrett's only top-five on the season.

5. Darlingtonraceway.com 200 (Darlington)

Series: Busch Series

The Top 10 Craven edges Busch in a thriller at Darlington Play video Sauter spins Kenseth to win at Richmond Play video A two-lap shootout goes down to the final inches Play video Jarrett and Busch battle for the win at Rockingham Play video Bodine and McMurray battle to the checkers at Darlington Play video Vickers and Hmiel settle a thriller at Indianapolis Play video Newman holds off all comers for another victory Play video Gordon and Labonte go door-to-door in the closing laps Play video Newman plays the fuel game and holds off Mayfield Play video Labonte steals a victory on the last lap at HMS Play video

Todd Bodine followed up Ricky Craven's spectacular win at Darlington with one of his own the next day.

The spring Busch event was rain delayed. When the flag finally dropped, Stacy Compton dominated the event, but Bodine took the lead with two laps to go.

Somehow, Jamie McMurray's car made a late charge and began running side-by-side with Bodine. On the final turn, the two cars touched, and Bodine's spinning car came across the finish line first.

"I held it wide open," Bodine said. "I knew I was pointed the right way down the race track. I was just hoping it would get there."

"I'm not upset with Todd," said McMurray, who finished second. "It's not like he was trying to run me into the wall. He was out of control, just like I was."

The win was Bodine's lone victory of 2003. The trend continues.

6. Kroger 200 (Indianapolis Raceway Park)

Series: Busch Series

Brian Vickers and Shane Hmiel put on an extended show at Indy Raceway Park, as they battled for virtually all of the 200-lap event in August.

The lead was held by either Vickers or Hmiel for the final half of the race, with the two officially swapping the lead five times.

Vickers finally dispatched Hmiel with 19 laps to go in beating Hmiel, who had won the Bud Pole. Both drivers were seeking their first Busch Series win.

Hmiel wrecked on the final lap and finished fourth.

"I was hoping those young guys would make a mistake and I'd drive right by," said Jason Keller, who had the best view of the battle all night long.

7. MBNA 400 (Dover)

Series: Winston Cup

Newman had to drive most of the second half of the race without power steering -- and he had to deal with an aggressive Jeff Gordon at Dover.

One of the turning points of the race had nothing to do with Newman. On lap 140, Tony Stewart pulled into his pit stall to make a stop. But his right-front tire was outside of his pit box, and after the stop was completed, NASCAR held him one lap.

	Final restart at Dover Credit: Autostock

Crew chief Greg Zipadelli vehemently complained, but to no avail. Stewart was relegated to 32nd on a restart on lap 142, setting up a Newman-Gordon duel.

Newman kept the lead after a series of green-flag pit stops on lap 370, but Gordon wasn't far behind. The two were held up by the lapped car of Jeff Burton, and Gordon made a couple moves, but Newman held him off.

That let Stewart inch closer, and when Casey Mears and Greg Biffle got together on lap 389, the race seemed primed for an exciting finish.

On the restart, however, Gordon tried to get underneath Newman but slipped. Stewart tried to get underneath Gordon but slipped. Labonte took advantage to go by Stewart on the outside, and that was it.

8. Virginia 500 (Martinsville)

Series: Winston Cup

Jeff Gordon bumped Bobby Labonte out of the way with 13 laps to go to pick up his first win of the season.

	Jeff Gordon swept both Martinsville events Credit: Autostock

The spring race at Martinsville was a three-man duel, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. threatening to take the win.

Labonte nearly won the race after crew chief Michael McSwain made a daring call to just take two tires, but Gordon's fresh tires won out over the final battle.

With old tires, Labonte tried to hold off Gordon, who had taken four tires.

"I race guys the way they race me," Gordon said. "Bobby raced me clean, but he was definitely crowding me, and he was cutting the entry into the corner pretty short."

Earnhardt led three times for 195 laps, but he ran into the back of Ricky Craven's car during a restart with 55 laps to go and had to settle for third.

9. MBNA America 400 (Dover)

Series: Winston Cup

Ryan Newman went the final 106 laps without stopping, and got a lap back early when he benefited from NASCAR's new rule of giving a lap back to the highest-scored car off the lead lap.

Newman spent much of the final portion of the race holding off a hard-charging Jeremy Mayfield, who dogged him during a dramatic 10-lap stretch from lap 374 to lap 385.

	Bobby Labonte at Homestead Credit: Autostock

Newman finally was able to win by about five car-lengths, but his fuel situation was always an issue.

"He raced very clean," Newman said of Mayfield. "I felt I used up everything in my car. "I was not blocking him, but taking up everything in my line."

10. Ford 400 (Homestead-Miami)

Series: Winston Cup

After years of mediocre races, Homestead's track was repaved, with the banking replaced from six degrees to 20 degrees.

The results were amazing, with drivers able to race two and three-wide on the banking.

None of that mattered to Bill Elliott, who led 189 of 267 laps, only to lose on the final lap when a shredded tire allowed Bobby Labonte to take the surprise win.

"It's just an unfortunate thing," Elliott said. "I don't know if I've ever won one like that, but I've sure lost them like that."

Information from the Associated Press was used to compile this list.