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Wayland Flowers

Wayland Parrott Flowers Jr. (November 26, 1939 – October 11, 1988) was an American actor, comedian and puppeteer. Flowers was best known for the comedy act he created with his puppet Madame. His performances as "Wayland Flowers and Madame" were a major national success on stage and on screen in the 1970s and 1980s.

Flowers is frequently cited as a ventriloquist despite the fact that he made no effort to conceal that he was voicing his characters (Madame's infamous opening line was, "You may have noticed Wayland is no ventriloquist and I'm no fuckin' dummy" ). He instead preferred to be called an "illusionist," because onlookers tended to focus their attention on his animated puppets, who seemed to do all the talking.

Early life
Wayland Parrott Flowers Jr. was born November 26, 1939, in Dawson, Georgia, the second of three children. His father soon shipped off to World War II and was killed, leaving him to be raised in a devoutly religious all-female household, save for his younger brother. There was a neighborhood girl with whom he liked to play with dolls; however, this was socially unacceptable for a boy in 1940s Georgia, so he would wrap up the dolls in paper bags, bring them to her house, and they would play with them in her garage.

As he reached adulthood, his mother pushed him to go to college, so he spent a year-and-a-half at Young Harris College, transferred to Rollins College, and then dropped out and enlisted in the Coast Guard. While stationed in Connecticut, he traveled to New York City, saw the Broadway productions of Gypsy and West Side Story, and fell in love with the city. He briefly returned to Atlanta, decided he was unhappy there, hitchhiked to New York City with $5 in his pocket, and began living the life of a struggling artist.

Origins of Madame
In a 1982 interview with Armistead Maupin, Flowers remarked that he had never worked with puppets until he landed a job as a puppeteer for Bil Baird's Marionettes show at the 1964 New York World's Fair. In a program created for a memorial at the Center for Puppetry Arts, it was claimed that he had a long history of working with puppets, dating back to his early childhood. Regardless, World's Fair coworker Bob Payne noticed Flowers' affection for the toys and gave him a puppet that had been created as The Wicked Witch of the West for a production of The Wizard of Oz. He hung her in the closet and found her soulful eyes staring back at him each time he opened the door.

One day, he was sitting in a bar when a doddering little old lady walked in with a small dog on a leash. The bartender picked up the dog and the woman screamed, "Put me down, ya cocksucker!" Flowers was taken aback hearing such language from an old woman, so he struck up a conversation with her and discovered she had been a Ziegfeld girl. He suddenly got the idea to transform the witch into a character loosely patterned after this woman, although he also cited his mother and aunt for inspiring Madame's attitude. (Years after his death, Washington, D.C., gay icon, waitress, and restaurant hostess Margo MacGregor proclaimed herself as the character's inspiration. ) Bedecked in fabulous evening wear and "summer diamonds" ("Some are diamonds; some are not"), Madame's look was patterned after movie stars such as Gloria Swanson and Tallulah Bankhead.

When he was between jobs, Flowers began performing street theater for tips, and that's where Madame began her career. If he wanted a drink, he'd go into a bar, prop up the puppet and say, "Buy me a fucking drink." Someone would always oblige, and Madame would lipsync to records as Wayland drank. A Greenwich Village bar owner was amused by their antics and offered the duo $20 to sit at her piano and perform, so Wayland quickly concocted an act. He developed double entendres, witty comebacks, and recycled old vaudevillian jokes, which became Madame's schtick. He garnered success in the gay clubs of New York, and eventually debuted Madame Off-Broadway at the Village Gate in 1971's Kumquats, billed as "the world's first erotic puppet show," which also included the "notorious ejaculating Punchinello." The show played 53 performances between November 1971 and January 1972.

His success in New York led him to get booked into The Pilgrim House in Provincetown, Massachusetts, in 1972, where he continued to perform nearly every season until his death. He was initially booked as a 15-minute opening lounge act, but within a week, he had attracted massive crowds. Madame had been primarily playing to gays, but Wayland found a more diverse audience in Provincetown, where they were treated like major celebrities. "This was an underground act that took root and shot up out of nowhere," Flowers remarked.

Flowers created an elaborate backstory for Madame, which he committed to the page with Gary Simmons in the 1983 book Madame: My Misbegotten Memoirs. In addition to Madame, Flowers featured other puppets in his act that included Crazy Mary (an escapee from Bellevue mental hospital ), Jiffy (a Harlem harlot with a heart of brass), Mr. Macklehoney (a crotchety, retired vaudeville comedian), and Michael Honey (a horny old gay man).

Television
Soon after The World's Fair ended, Flowers began dabbling in puppetry on New York television, creating and performing characters on the Aniforms segment of the 1965 series The Surprise Show and Captain Kangaroo.

Paul Lynde caught one of his performances in Provincetown and invited Flowers to come to Hollywood, where his career exploded. His first major national TV gig was designing and puppeteering the Baby Smedley puppets (voiced by Mel Brooks and Marlo Thomas) for the all-star 1974 TV special Free to Be... You and Me, a tie-in with the successful children's album of the same name. According to various sources, he earned a special Emmy Award for his puppets. That same year, Madame appeared in her first TV special for WNEW, Old is Somebody Else: Aging, Everybody is Doing It, which garnered Wayland a New York Emmy Award for "Special Use of an Unusual Craft."

In 1975, he and Madame appeared in the sketch comedy show Keep on Truckin'. Debuting as a summer series was enough to prove that the network had little faith in it, but the show was dealt a crippling blow when host Rod Serling died two weeks before the premiere. Serling's segments were removed, and the show lasted a scant four weeks on the air.

The duo soon rebounded as regulars on the 1976 series Andy, a syndicated revival of The Andy Williams Show. This cemented their success, leading to talk show appearances, a small role in the Redd Foxx movie Norman... Is That You?, a long run on the game show Hollywood Squares (replacing Paul Lynde in The Center Square), a featured role on the 1977 revival of Laugh-In, a recurring comedy skit on Solid Gold, TV guest spots, and even regional commercials.

Feeling he could take his act further, he began developing the TV sitcom Madame's Place, which debuted in 1982 and costarred Susan Tolsky, Johnny Haymer, Judy Landers, Corey Feldman and Ty Henderson. The show was serialized, following the day-to-day goings-on of Madame and those closest to her, and featuring celebrities, comedians, and musical acts in a show within a show that she hosted nightly from her mansion. Outside of a shot in the opening credits, Flowers only appeared on-screen once; in "Comedy, Sex, and Pathos," he popped up in drag as inebriated cooking show host Julia Chives.

Production began in August 1982, with the cast and crew working at a breakneck pace to churn out 75 half-hour shows in 26 weeks. In addition to shooting the shows on weekdays, Madame also had a regular gig on Solid Gold, which they'd shoot on Friday nights. It's been alleged that Flowers developed a heavy cocaine habit during the production in an effort to keep up the pace, and that he was often so blitzed that he had to be carried on and off the set of Solid Gold. During an interview on the set of Madame's Place, Armistead Maupin remarked that he'd lost a significant amount of weight. Despite its wide exposure, Madame's Place was initially considered unsuccessful and canceled after one season. However, the show went on to have a long life in daytime reruns on the USA Network.

After the failure of Madame's Place, Flowers kept his Solid Gold gig temporarily, then stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight, focusing more on live venues—but Madame did eventually briefly return to Solid Gold and a revival of The Hollywood Squares.

Personal life
Flowers was shy and lived vicariously through Madame, who became his constant companion everywhere he went.

Although he has been posthumously cited as one of the first mainstream entertainers who was openly gay, this is untrue. He was well-known for performing on the gay circuit, but feared that publicly saying the words "I am gay" would "cost him a million dollars a year." When the Bay Area Reporter's Steve Warren asked about his sexuality in a 1982 interview, Flowers lashed out, asking, "What's the point anyway? Why does everyone have to have a label? I don't know what I am. I've tried everything, although I have my preferences."

In the years since his death, there have been claims of promiscuity, temperamental behavior, and a snowballing drug habit that led him to alienate friends and associates, but he lived his life outside of the spotlight, which was generally shining on his alter ego.

Death
In September 1987, Flowers was diagnosed with HIV, but he did not publicly announce his diagnosis and continued to perform. He eventually developed Kaposi's sarcoma, an AIDS-related cancer. On September 2, 1988, he collapsed onstage while performing at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe. After a brief hospitalization, he returned to his hometown of Dawson, Georgia, where he visited family. Upon returning to Los Angeles, he moved into the Hughes House hospice for palliative care. On October 11, 1988, Flowers died at Hughes House of complications from AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma at the age of 48. His remains were cremated at Grand View Memorial Park & Crematory in Glendale, California, and shipped back to his hometown of Dawson, Georgia, where they were interred at Cedar Hills Cemetery. He went on to be memorialized on The AIDS Quilt, although his name was misspelled as Waylon Flowers.

Following Flowers' death, the Star tabloid reported that Madame was buried with him, a lie that's frequently been repeated. Flowers bequeathed the puppets and his estate to his friend, manager, and ultimately, his caregiver, Marlena Shell.

Madame's Revivals
Debbie Reynolds, a friend of Flowers' who did an impersonation of Madame in her nightclub act, urged Marlena Shell to let another puppeteer take over soon after Flowers' death, but Shell was too devastated to consider it. Over a decade later, Shell caught wind of impersonators and initially tried to stop them, but ultimately decided to combat them by bringing Madame out of retirement. "I think I waited too long," she remarked, "[but] if I didn't bring [Madame] back, eventually no one would know who she is." Shell had been so close to Wayland that she became overprotective of the character and blew through a succession of performers, claiming that they were each trying "to morph Madame into what was comfortable for them," rather than staying true to Flowers' vision.

First was Thom Fountain, the puppeteer for Salem the Cat on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, who appeared with Madame on a 2003 revival of The Hollywood Squares and at the 25th anniversary of the Center for Puppetry Arts (where one of the Madame puppets has been permanently on display ). Then she hired Jerry Halliday, who featured Madame in his show "Famous Women," which made Shell unhappy because she perceived Madame as a solo headliner.

Next, she hired Joe Kovacs, who spent a year practicing with the puppet and even went to a vocal coach in an attempt to sound more like Flowers before concluding that years of drinking and drugging had lowered Madame's voice. Kovacs debuted the show "It's Madame with an E!" at The Empire Plush Room, a defunct cabaret in San Francisco's York Hotel, in November 2006. The next year, Kovacs appeared with Madame on VH1's I Love the '70s: Volume 2 and the live show "A Comeback from Abroad," which played in San Francisco and New York before he had a falling out with Shell, who hired entertainer Rick Skye to take over. At the same time, Shell sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mark Paquette, a performer who alleged that he was the boyfriend of Flowers and was given the rights to the character. Paquette countered with a $10 million trademark infringement suit against Shell that was later thrown out.

After appearances on several television shows, Skye's performances of "It's Madame with an E!" began November 15, 2008, at Resorts Atlantic City, and later toured the US in 2010. In 2013, Madame found herself on the arm of Gary Holland for a "White Carpet Commentary" in Palm Springs, and the live show "Madame's Back."

Shell made two attempts at crowdfunding, both of which were dismally unsuccessful. In 2012, she proposed the semimonthly "Madame Show" (AKA "Madame for President"), a YouTube series that was to have featured Madame on the streets of New York, in a studio and on tour. The Kickstarter campaign had a $56K goal but only attained a paltry $345 in pledges. The following year, an IndieGoGo campaign was set up to fund a national tour of "Madame's Back," which fared slightly better but still fell very short, with a $50K goal and $4,855 in pledges.

Several years later, Shell suffered a debilitating stroke and sold Madame's rights to Ken Horgan and his husband, Scott Bente, owners of The Pilgrim House in Provincetown, where Wayland and Madame found their first major taste of success. Shell also provided them boxes of Flowers' belongings that had been packed away for decades, which included lost performances on videotape, scripts, notes, puppets, and much more.

In 2021, Madame made her triumphant return to Provincetown on the arm of Matt W. Cody in "Madame: ALIVE!" Audience members complained that they preferred Kovacs' interpretation of the character. The following year, Horgan pleaded with Kovacs to team up with Madame again, so Kovacs, his life partner, and their cat moved to Provincetown. A new performance of Madame: ALIVE! was staged in July 2022, followed by Madame's Face-for-Radio Holiday Hootenanny in December.

Legacy
Flowers spent the end of his life in L.A.'s first AIDS hospice, Hughes House, and left money in his will for another to be opened, called the Wayland Flowers House. The funds went directly to Hughes House, which was renamed and closed a few months later because its county contract was not renewed, although it was briefly reopened in the early '90s.

Wayland carried numerous Madame puppets on tour with him in case there was a problem or so he could do a quick costume change. In 2015, a puppet that had been in the care of Flowers' former stage manager sold at Julien's Auctions for $12,500. An earlier puppet, who didn't have arms, was featured on a 2022 episode of Antiques Roadshow, and estimated to be valued at $15-$20K.

A third puppet was auctioned off in 1990 by Butterfield's in San Francisco, and sold to an anonymous buyer for $11,000. In 1991, this same puppet went on permanent display at The Museum of Modern Art in a piece by artist Nayland Blake titled "Magic," which featured Madame in an open steamer trunk surrounded by dead flowers.

Flowers inspired the first name of Waylon Smithers, a fictional character on the animated TV series The Simpsons, who later came out as gay.

American drag queen Raja Gemini performed as Madame on RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (season 7) on the show's Snatch Game, a game inspired by the TV game show Match Game.

title: Wayland Flowers


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2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

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 (who was supposted to be enter at Homestead-Miami but his #60 team withdrew), 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.

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
 * 1) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 2) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 3) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 4) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 5) 6- Mark Martin
 * 6) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 7) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 8) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 9) 09- Mike Wallace
 * 10) 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 mi, 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.

 * 1) 88- Dale Jarrett
 * 2) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 3) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 4) 32- Ricky Craven
 * 5) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 6) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 7) 6- Mark Martin
 * 8) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 9) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 2) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 3) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 4) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 5) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 6) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 7) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 8) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 9) 25- Joe Nemechek
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 2) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 3) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 4) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 5) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 6) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 7) 7- Jimmy Spencer
 * 8) 77- Dave Blaney
 * 9) 25- Joe Nemechek
 * 10) 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
 * 1) 32- Ricky Craven
 * 2) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 3) 77- Dave Blaney
 * 4) 6- Mark Martin
 * 5) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 6) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 7) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 8) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 9) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 2) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 3) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 4) 21- Ricky Rudd
 * 5) 16- Greg Biffle
 * 6) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 7) 29- Kevin Harvick 1 lap down
 * 8) 48- Jimmie Johnson 1 lap down
 * 9) 24- Jeff Gordon 1 lap down
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 3) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 4) 01- Jerry Nadeau
 * 5) 6- Mark Martin
 * 6) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 7) 30- Jeff Green
 * 8) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 9) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 10) 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
 * 1) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 2) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 3) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 4) 32- Ricky Craven
 * 5) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 6) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 7) 22- Ward Burton
 * 8) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 9) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 2) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 3) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 4) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 5) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 6) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 7) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 8) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 9) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 2) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 3) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 4) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 5) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 6) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 7) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 8) 43- John Andretti
 * 9) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 25- Joe Nemechek
 * 2) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 3) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 4) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 5) 6- Mark Martin
 * 6) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 7) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 8) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 9) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 2) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 3) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 4) 25- Joe Nemechek
 * 5) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 6) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 7) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 8) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 9) 99- Jeff Burton*
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 2) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 3) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 4) 7- Jimmy Spencer
 * 5) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 6) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 7) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 8) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 9) 88- Dale Jarrett 1 lap down
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 3) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 4) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 5) 10- Johnny Benson
 * 6) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 7) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 8) 32- Ricky Craven
 * 9) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 2) 6- Mark Martin
 * 3) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 4) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 5) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 6) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 7) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 8) 22- Ward Burton
 * 9) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 2) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 3) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 4) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 5) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 6) 40- Sterling Marlin
 * 7) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 8) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 9) 6- Mark Martin
 * 10) 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

 * 1) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 2) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 3) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 4) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 5) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 6) 01- Boris Said *
 * 7) 1- Ron Fellows *
 * 8) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 9) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 16- Greg Biffle
 * 2) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 3) 21- Ricky Rudd
 * 4) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 5) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 6) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 7) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 8) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 9) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 3) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 4) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 5) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 6) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 7) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 8) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 9) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 2) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 3) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 4) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 5) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 6) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 7) 88- Dale Jarrett
 * 8) 30- Steve Park
 * 9) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 3) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 4) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 5) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 6) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 7) 25- Joe Nemechek
 * 8) 54- Todd Bodine
 * 9) 77- Dave Blaney
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 2) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 3) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 4) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 5) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 6) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 7) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 8) 7- Jimmy Spencer
 * 9) 6- Mark Martin
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 31- Robby Gordon*
 * 2) 39- Scott Pruett*
 * 3) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 4) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 5) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 6) 22- Ward Burton
 * 7) 88- Dale Jarrett
 * 8) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 9) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 3) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 4) 16- Greg Biffle
 * 5) 30- Steve Park
 * 6) 31- Robby Gordon
 * 7) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 8) 49- Ken Schrader
 * 9) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 2) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 3) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 4) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 5) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 6) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 7) 88- Dale Jarrett
 * 8) 32- Ricky Craven
 * 9) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 2) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 3) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 4) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 5) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 6) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 7) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 8) 32- Ricky Craven
 * 9) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 10) 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 2024, 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.

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 3) 21- Ricky Rudd
 * 4) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 5) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 6) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 7) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 8) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 9) 10- Johnny Benson
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 2) 21- Ricky Rudd
 * 3) 25- Joe Nemechek
 * 4) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 5) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 6) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 7) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 8) 38- Elliott Sadler
 * 9) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 3) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 4) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 5) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 6) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 7) 16- Greg Biffle
 * 8) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 9) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 10) 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:

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)
 * 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.
 * 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.

 * 1) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 2) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 3) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 4) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 5) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 6) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 7) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 8) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 9) 2- Rusty Wallace
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 2) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 3) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 4) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 5) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 6) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 7) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 8) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 9) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 2) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 3) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 4) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 5) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 6) 5- Terry Labonte
 * 7) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 8) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 9) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 2) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 3) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 4) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 5) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 6) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 7) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 8) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 9) 7- Jimmy Spencer
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 8- Dale Earnhardt Jr.
 * 2) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 3) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 4) 97- Kurt Busch
 * 5) 15- Michael Waltrip
 * 6) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 7) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 8) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 9) 22- Scott Wimmer
 * 10) 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.

 * 1) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 2) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 3) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 4) 17- Matt Kenseth
 * 5) 12- Ryan Newman
 * 6) 74- Tony Raines
 * 7) 99- Jeff Burton
 * 8) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 9) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 10) 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.
 * 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.

 * 1) 18- Bobby Labonte
 * 2) 29- Kevin Harvick
 * 3) 48- Jimmie Johnson
 * 4) 10- Johnny Benson
 * 5) 24- Jeff Gordon
 * 6) 19- Jeremy Mayfield
 * 7) 20- Tony Stewart
 * 8) 9- Bill Elliott
 * 9) 42- Jamie McMurray
 * 10) 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.

title: 2003 NASCAR Winston Cup Series


text:
Flettner Fl 282

The Flettner Fl 282 Kolibri (Hummingbird) is a single-seat intermeshing rotor helicopter, or synchropter, produced by Anton Flettner of Germany. According to Yves Le Bec, the Flettner Fl 282 was the world's first series production helicopter.

Design and development
The Fl 282 Kolibri was an improved version of the Flettner Fl 265 announced in July 1940, which pioneered the same intermeshing rotor configuration that the Kolibri used. It had a 7.7 litre displacement, seven-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh 14 radial engine of 150 - 160 hp mounted in the center of the fuselage, with a transmission mounted on the front of the engine from which a drive shaft ran to an upper gearbox, which then split the power to a pair of opposite-rotation drive shafts to turn the rotors.

The Sh 14 engine was a venerable, tried-and-true design with low specific power output and low power/weight ratio (20.28 hp/L, 0.54 hp/lb) which could (anecdotally) run for up to 400 hours without major servicing, as opposed to the more powerful 27 litre displacement, nine-cylinder BMW/Bramo Fafnir 750 hp radial engine powering the larger Focke Achgelis Fa 223 helicopter, whose higher output (27.78 hp/L, 0.62 hp/lb), more modern design required moderate maintenance as often as every 25 hours (such as changing spark plugs, etc., well within the norm for modern radial engines of that era). While such a heavy and low-powered engine would work well in a very small craft like the Fi 282, to try and scale it up and use an engine of equivalent power/weight ratio in the 700-1000 hp class would result in a massive and heavy engine leaving little excess capacity for cargo or passengers. 750 hp was the lowest rating that the Fafnir was available in - indeed, it was a low-power, low maintenance design compared with many other engines of this era. The Fl 282's fuselage was constructed from steel tube covered with doped fabric, and it was fitted with a fixed tricycle undercarriage.

The German Navy was impressed with the Kolibri and wanted to evaluate it for submarine spotting duties, ordering an initial 15 examples, to be followed by 30 production models. Flight testing of the first two prototypes was carried out through 1941, including repeated takeoffs and landings from a pad mounted on the German cruiser Köln.

The first two "A" series prototypes had enclosed cockpits; all subsequent examples had open cockpits and were designated "B" series.

In case of an engine failure, the switch from helicopter to autorotation was automatic.

Three-bladed rotors were installed on a test bed and found smoother than the vibrating 2-blade rotor, but the concept was not pursued further. The hover efficiency ("Figure of Merit") was 0.72 whereas for modern helicopters it is around 60%.

Intermeshing rotors were not used on a mass production helicopter until after World War II.

Operational history
Intended roles of Fl 282 included ferrying items between ships and reconnaissance. However, as the war progressed, the Luftwaffe began considering converting the Fl 282 for battlefield use. Until this time the craft had been flown by a single pilot, but by then a position for an observer was added at the very rear of the craft, resulting in the B-2 version. Later the B-2 proved a useful artillery spotting aircraft and an observation unit was established in 1945 comprising three Fl 282 and three Fa 223 helicopters.

Good handling in bad weather led the German Air Ministry to issue a contract in 1944 to BMW to produce 1,000 units. However, the company's Munich plant was destroyed by Allied bombing raids after producing just 24 machines.

Towards the end of World War II most of the surviving Fl 282s were stationed at Rangsdorf, in their role as artillery spotters, but gradually fell victim to Soviet fighters and anti-aircraft fire.

Variants

 * Fl 282 V1/7
 * Prototypes.

 * Fl 282A-1
 * Single-seat naval reconnaissance type, for operation from cruisers and other warships. Tested in the Baltic, Mediterranean and Aegean Seas.

 * Fl 282A-2
 * Single-seat reconnaissance type for submarines equipped with special deck hangar, project only.

 * Fl 282B-1/B-2
 * Two-seat land reconnaissance-liaison helicopter

Operators

 * undefined
 * Luftwaffe

Surviving aircraft

 * A single Fl 282 was captured at Rangsdorf by Soviet forces
 * Two, which had been assigned to Transportstaffel 40 (TS/40), the Luftwaffe's only operational helicopter squadron, at Mühldorf, Bavaria, were captured by U.S. forces.
 * Fl 282 V-10 28368 Midland Air Museum, Coventry, England. Partial aircraft, frame with rotor head & wheels.
 * Fl 282 V-23 was at one time to be found at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio, US. The Smithsonian has the rotor heads and transmission of the V-12 model. The V23 was loaned to Prewitt Aircraft but subsequently disappeared. Reports decades later of being seen in a barn but never verified. According to the Research Division at the National Museum of the US Airforce, Flettner Fl-282, T2-4613, was acquired by the museum on 12 August 1949. After many years in storage this aircraft was placed on loan to Sampson Air Force Base, New York, US on 23 June 1954. When Sampson AFB closed in the summer of 1956, all items then on exhibit were returned to the museum or disposed of in place. The aircraft was not returned from Sampson AFB and information indicates it was de-accessioned on 29 May 1957. Unfortunately, the method of disposal is not documented in existing records. To the museum's knowledge the aircraft was most likely scrapped at Sampson AFB as no public record of its current disposition has been located.

title: Flettner Fl 282


text:
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Coolsmartphone

 * The following discussion is an archived debate of the proposed deletion of the article below. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or on a Votes for Undeletion nomination).  No further edits should be made to this page.

The result of the debate was delete. – ABCD✉ 04:41, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

Coolsmartphone
non-notable company -- probaple attempt at linkspam. Previously tagged as a speedy. Does not qualify as a speedy IMO, but do Delete with no mercy. DES (talk) 00:13, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * delete advertisement. — brighterorange  (talk) 01:28, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Clearly advert.Shelburne Kismaayo 02:06, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete per nom.--Alhutch 06:20, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete as per nomination --Qirex 07:36, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete, advertising of wholly unremarkable site. - Mgm|(talk) 08:37, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Delete. Ad. utcursch | talk 11:08, 6 October 2005 (UTC)
 * Ad = Delete. Coolsmartphone = Ad. Qaz  ( talk ) 04:26, 7 October 2005 (UTC)

 * The above discussion is preserved as an archive of the debate. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as the article's talk page or in an undeletion request). No further edits should be made to this page.


text:
Category:Airports in Iraq

This category is for airports in Iraq.

title: Category:Airports in Iraq


text:
User talk:Cranrob

Welcome
Welcome to Wikipedia , You seem to be off to a good start. I hope you will like it here and decide to stay.

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Johann Wolfgang [ T ... C ]

00:15, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

Submission declined until WP:Reliable sources added
 Thank you for your recent submission to Articles for Creation. Your article submission has been reviewed. Unfortunately, it has not been accepted at this time. Please view your submission to see the comments left by the reviewer. You are welcome to edit the submission to address the issues raised, and resubmit once you feel they have been resolved.
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 * Thank you for your contributions to Wikipedia! MatthewVanitas (talk) 17:14, 25 September 2012 (UTC).

Please see top of article for comments on decline. This is by no means permanent: once you add sources in the right way I'm sure this will pass fine. A quick read of WP:Sources and WP:Footnotes should set you on the right track, and/or peruse some other biographies of nobles to get some ideas for format (including an WP:Infobox to put all his pertinent facts). If you would like advice from volunteer mentors, please swing by the Teahouse:

Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Prince Frederick Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen concern
Hi there, I'm HasteurBot. I just wanted to let you know that Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Prince Frederick Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen, a page you created, has not been edited in at least 180 days. The Articles for Creation space is not an indefinite storage location for content that is not appropriate for articlespace.

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Your draft article, Wikipedia talk:Articles for creation/Prince Frederick Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen

Hello Cranrob. It has been over six months since you last edited your WP:AFC draft article submission, entitled "Prince Frederick Alfred of Saxe-Meiningen".

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title: User talk:Cranrob


text:
Talk:Battle of Las Salinas

at the coast?
"their enemy, braving the mountains, made a crossing and appeared in force along the coast." - coast? Cuzco is high up in the Andes -- Wassermaus (talk) 07:43, 7 February 2020 (UTC)

Incorrect date of Battle of Salina in article
Article gives date as 26 April, 1538. Article does not indicate if date is Gregorian or Julian calendar. Julian calendar was in use at time of battle. According to Civil Wars in Peru, The War of Las Salinas, by Pedro De Cieza De León (publ. Hakluyt Society; 1 edition (July 28, 2010), actual date (Julian) is 6 April, 1538--Gregorian calendar 16 April 15387. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Allthingstoallpeople (talk • contribs) 05:06, 24 February 2020 (UTC)

title: Talk:Battle of Las Salinas


text:
Talk:Operation Berlin (Atlantic)

Question
What is the sentence...Over 12 hours, five ships were sunk but the attack was reported...supposed to mean? Dr. Dan 15:08, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

 * It means, I think, that
 * "Over 12 hours, five ships were sunk" - The attack lasted 12 hours and 5 ships were sunk in this time
 * "the attack was reported" - At least one of the ships in the convoy managed to report (eg, to the Admiralty) that the convoy was under attack. This would be important because it would show the attackers' position and maybe attract retribution.

 * Hope this helps. Folks at 137 16:42, 17 July 2006 (UTC)

Tonnage sunk?
I think the article could be improved by including the tonnage sunk by the German squadron during the campaign.--Darius (talk) 03:36, 13 February 2009 (UTC)

Disambiguation
Does anyone think there's any merit in making this page a disambiguation page, and moving the contents to Operation Berlin (Atlantic)? This operation doesn't seem to be any more notable than Operation Berlin (Arnhem), so should there be a main disambig page as per Primary Topic? Ranger Steve (talk) 23:48, 6 December 2009 (UTC)

 * I agree; both articles are of equal importance. --Ferbess (talk) 00:13, 7 December 2009 (UTC)
 * It would seem like the best thing to do under the circumstance. Skinny87 (talk) 12:54, 7 December 2009 (UTC)

 * Not really seeing any objections so I'll go ahead and do it. Ranger Steve (talk) 22:17, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

title: Talk:Operation Berlin (Atlantic)


text:
User talk:Drunken sapo

Welcome
Welcome to Wikipedia , I hope you will like it here and decide to stay.

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Johann Wolfgang [ T ... C ]

00:17, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Drunken sapo


text: User talk:134.219.200.128

title: User talk:134.219.200.128


text:
Consuelo

Consuelo or Consuela may refer to:

Arts and entertainment

 * Consuelo (novel), an 1842–1843 novel by George Sand
 * Consuela (Family Guy), a character in Family Guy
 * "Consuelo", a 2002 song by Belle and Sebastian from Storytelling

Places

 * Consuelo, Dominican Republic
 * Consuelo, Queensland, Australia
 * Consuelo Formation, a geological formation in Cuba

Other uses

 * Consuelo (name), a female given name
 * Consuelo (TransMilenio), a bus station in Bogotá, Colombia
 * HMS Sealark (1903), previously Consuelo, a steam yacht

title: Consuelo


text:
User talk:Ekki808

Welcome
Welcome to Wikipedia , I hope you will like it here and decide to stay.

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Johann Wolfgang [ T ... C ]

00:17, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Ekki808


text:
Category:Airports in Ireland

__NOGALLERY__

 *  on the island of Island of Ireland — in both the independent Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland U.K. region.

title: Category:Airports in Ireland


text:
User:Backfisch

ßãćķfǐʂʕɦ

title: User:Backfisch


text:
Talk:Failure mode and effects analysis

Futures techniques for Futures studies
Futures techniques synopsis of this article resulted from ongoing discussions about Futures studies … GeoVenturing (talk) 13:32, 25 May 2023 (UTC)

Proposal to merge Failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis into Failure mode and effects analysis
I propose to merge FMECA into FMEA, continuing previous discussions in 2007 and 2010 on the FMECA talk page (see Talk:Failure mode, effects, and criticality analysis/Archives/2012). The reasoning is that there seems to be a large degree of overlap and small variation between the subjects, and per the comments in that thread the criticality analysis seems to be a small extension that may or may not be done based on an assessment of the FMEA analysis. The topics of FMEA and FMECA therefore seem quite similar so that it seems logical to have the information in one article. Sauer202 (talk) 09:51, 30 December 2023 (UTC)

 * MIL-STD-1629 Failure Modes Effects and Criticality Analysis for decades has been associated with a range of defence aerospace reliability and safety studies.
 * It's such a useful and widely used approach because it emphasises the need to base analysis on functional block diagrams (or other system description),understand how systems work, and how individual failures impact the next higher level and the overall system.
 * Once that basic approach is understood, then tailoring for various applications and safety studies, automotive production lines, input data to other safety and reliability work including fault tree analysis can follow.
 * Then you can branch off to various analysis approaches looking at things like detectability, simple fmea, and all the rest.
 * You need to get the basics right, and that includes Criticality. I'd hate to lose the history and heritage associated with the acronym FMECA by putting it under the heading of FMEA Wombat833 (talk) 06:33, 16 January 2024 (UTC)
 * just worked out what's bugging me. It's a factual error to say that FMECA  is an extension of FMEA.
 * It's the other way round. For decades, the analysis approach was known as fmeca. That needs to be  the title of the article, and FMEA  considered a derived process or approach.
 * cheers Wombat833 (talk) 06:45, 16 January 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Failure mode and effects analysis


text: User talk:69.222.151.106

title: User talk:69.222.151.106


text:
User talk:Shoshy

Welcome
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Johann Wolfgang [ T ... C ]

00:19, 6 October 2005 (UTC)

title: User talk:Shoshy


text:
User:Utopian Catiline

YO

title: User:Utopian Catiline


text: User talk:193.170.53.62

title: User talk:193.170.53.62


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Suzy Batkovic

Suzy Batkovic (born 17 December 1980) is an Australian professional basketball player and politician. Suzy played her junior basketball with the Port Hunter Basketball Club in Newcastle. She has played basketball for several European clubs including the French Valenciennes, the Spanish side Ros Casares, the Russian side UMMC Ekaterinburg, and Italian side Cras Basket. In the United States, she has played for the Seattle Storm after having been selected as a first round draft pick in 2003. She has played professional basketball domestically for the Australian Institute of Sport in 1996–1999, the Sydney Uni Flames from 1999–2001, and 2009–2010, the Townsville Fire in 2001–2002, the Canberra Capitals in 2010–2011, and the Adelaide Lightning in 2011–2013; she returned to the Fire for the 2013–14 season. She has been a member of the Australia women's national basketball team, being named to the team for the first time in 1999. She won a silver medal with the team at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

After retiring from professional basketball, Batkovic was elected as a Townsville City Councillor in 2020.

Personal
Batkovic was born on 17 December 1980 in Newcastle, New South Wales. She is 192 cm tall.

Basketball
Batkovic is a forward and center. She has played professional basketball for over twenty years. She has won several basketball honours, including being named the 2001 Maher Medal International Player of the Year and the she co-won the 2008 co-winner for the Maher Medal International Player of the Year.

Europe
Batkovic has played basketball for several European clubs including the she played for the French side, Valenciennes in 2002/2003. That season, they won the French championships and finished at the top of the French League ladder. She played for Valenciennes again during the 2003/2004 season, the year the team won the EuroLeague Championship. For the 2004/2005, she played with the Spanish side Ros Casares. She was with a new side for the 2005/2006 season when she played for the Russian side UMMC Ekaterinburg. That season, she was named to the EuroLeague World All-Star team. In 2007/2008, she again played for Ekaterinburg, Russia. In 2008/2009, she played for the Italian side Cras Basket. She averaged 17.4 points and 7.0 rebounds per game for the season. Her team won the Italian Serie A championship. She earned being named first-team All-EuroCup while with the team.

WNBA
Batkovic was drafted by the Seattle Storm in 2003 and was 22nd pick overall. She was the only Australian drafted by the WNBA that year. Her friend Lauren Jackson was playing on the team at the time. She did play for the Seattle Storm in 2005. In 29 games where she came off the bench to average 15.9 minutes per game, she averaged 6.9 points per game and 3.2 rebounds per game. At that stage, coming back wasn't something I wanted to do in my life. Europe is what I focus on for eight months out of the year." That season, she played 461 total minutes, had 76 total field goals, had 174 total field goal attempts, made 45 total free throws on 58 attempts, had 94 total rebounds of which 26 were offensive and 68 defensive. She finished the season with an efficiency rating of 17.7. She took a year off from WNBA basketball in 2008 because of an injury. She signed with the Seattle Storm again in February 2009. Lauren Jackson was instrumental in her decision to sign with the team.

WNBL
Batkovic had a scholarship with and played for the Australian Institute of Sport in 1996, 1997 and 1998/1999. She won a WNBL Championship with the team during the 1998/1999 season. She played for the Sydney Panthers in 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 seasons, winning WNBL Championship in 2000/2001. She played for the Townsville Fire in 2001/2002. She played for the Sydney Uni Flames during the 2009/2010 season. That season, she was named to the WNBL's All-Star Five. She was the league's Top Shooter, averaging 24.6 points per game. In a 101-49 win for her team over the Australian Institute of Sport, she scored 21 points. In an October 2009 game against the Adelaide Lightning, she scored 29 points. In an October 2009 game against the AIS, she had 21 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Her field goal percentage in the AIS game was 40%. She went 9 for 10 at the free throw line. She joined the Canberra Capitals for the 2010/2011 season, missing several games early in the season due to injury. She was named the WNBL player of the week in rounds 12 and 17. The team were runners up in the league's Grand Finals. She played for the Adelaide Lightning in 2011/2012. In an October 2011 game against the Australian Institute of Sport, she scored 22 points in a 97-47 win for Adelaide. Her team lost to the Dandenong Rangers in the preliminary finals. She played centre this season. She was the WNBL League MVP in 2011/2012. She was also named to the WNBL's All-Star Five. This was only the second time in her WNBL career she had earned this honour.

Batkovic repeated as both an All-Star Five member and league MVP in the 2012–13 season. At the end of that season, she became a free agent, and signed a contract to return to the Townsville Fire for the 2013–14 season.

National team
Batkovic played in her first international for Australia in 1999 and has over 110 caps for the Australian senior team. Batkovic had her first call up to the Australian senior women's team in 1999, and continued to be on the team during 2000 and 2001. As a member of the 2001 team, she earned a gold medal at the FIBA Oceania Women's Championship.

Batkovic was a member of the 2002 Australian Senior Women's Team that won a bronze medal in the World Championships in Spain. In 2003, she was a member of the Australian Women's Senior Team that competed in the Oceania Championship Series. She was again with the team in 2005 and 2006. She was injured in 2006, which prevented her from making the national squad that competed at the World Championships in Brazil. She continued to be named to the squad during 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. In late July 2011, she played in a three-game test series against China played in Queensland. She had 12 points and 9 points in the first game against China that Australia won 73-67. She played in September 2011 three game test series against New Zealand. She was a major factor in the Australian's first game win. In the second game, which Australia won 92-73 in Sydney, she scored 19 points overall, 11 coming in the first half. She won a gold medal at the 2011 FIBA Oceania Championship. She was named to the 2012 Australia women's national basketball team. In February 2012, she was named to a short list of 24 eligible players to represent Australia at the Olympics. In late April and early May 2012, she was one of four Australian "big" players to participate in a special training camp for the team. She participated in the national team training camp held from 14 to 18 May 2012 at the Australian Institute of Sport.

Olympics
She has represented Australia at the Olympics. She was a member of the Australian senior team that won a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics. In March 2007, she was named to the national team what would prepare for the 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2008, she participated in the Good Luck Beijing 2008 held in China in the lead up to the Olympics. Her team was joined by national teams from United States, Cuba, Korea, New Zealand and China. She was a member of the 2008 Summer Olympics Australian women's team that won a silver medal at the Olympics. In July 2011, she participated in the Olympic qualification competition. She had not played a game with the team prior to this dating back to the Beijing Olympics. She played in the 2012 Summer Olympic qualifying game against the New Zealand women's national basketball team.

title: Suzy Batkovic


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