T. Wayne Robertson 2003 Winston Cup Preview, LJVM Coliseum, Winston-Salem, NC, Saturday, January 18th, 2003:

Can you believe that it is time for the Winston Cup Preview already? It was not too long ago when the checkered flag fell at Homestead shortly followed by the end of the year Winston Cup Banquet Awards to close the 2002 season. What would we do after that? Would we finally tackle those in-house projects on that ever-growing "To Do" list? :-) Or would we just sit around and wait for pre-season testing? Testing is over and the Winston Cup Preview has arrived which is the annual unofficial "teaser" to commemorate the beginning of the upcoming NASCAR season.

Some of you might be reading this for the first time while others know I have been doing this report (what??) for about 7 years now. As much as we all anticipate this event the one topic of conversation in recent years is the wristbands and for the first time ever I think NASCAR has gotten a handle on the wristband procedure which they need to be commended for.
For those who have attended their first Winston Cup Preview for the first time or have stumbled across this article for the first time, I'll briefly explain the wristband procedure. Starting in 2000 it was decided certain number of drivers would require wristbands for the fans to obtain a guaranteed autograph. 1999 and prior there were no wristband requirements and the only way the fans could guarantee themselves an autograph from their favorite driver was to stand on line and wait for the driver's assigned seat section to open. The seat sections filled up on a "first come, first serve" basis and the fans relied on mere luck to get a seat in their driver's assigned seat section before the "FULL" sign was displayed indicating you were out of luck. Once a section was full that was it; one had better find another section which was still open. It was disheartening to see parents explain to their disappointed children why they were not getting a seat, but that was simply the way it was: First come, first serve for all the drivers for all 4 autograph sessions.
The wristbands were introduced in 2000 to decrease the length and the number of endless lines which meandered through the corridors; navigating the corridors in the Coliseum became quite a challenge. Upon the wristband introduction it was decided approximately 20 drivers would require wristbands. In 2001 that number dropped to 14 and has hovered around that number since then. Last year wristbands were only available beginning at 9PM the night BEFORE the Winston Cup Preview and one could only be obtained by providing a valid ticket to the Preview. Wristbands were also distributed on a (here comes that phrase again) "first come, first serve" basis and only one color coded wristband was distributed to each fan. NO exceptions. Children under 12 who were admitted free, unable to provide a paid ticket, had to obtain the same color coded wristband as their parent or guardian the day of the event.
This year it seemed to flow MUCH better. It was a great idea for Preview tickets to go on sale right after Thanksgiving a couple months ago. Each ticket was assigned a "Priority" Letter Group when a ticket was purchased early. The night before this year's Preview wristband distribution began at 6PM starting with Group A. The Priority Letter Group only guaranteed a fan a specific color coded wristband which guaranteed a signature from one of the drivers in the select group requiring wristbands. It did NOT guarantee a fan a signature of the driver of their choice from that select group. This year's wristband procedure eliminated fans lining up and camping out the night before and it was simple: Purchase your ticket early, know your Letter Group and show up at the required time to receive your wristband. My only concern with this year's procedure was the time wristband distribution began. Was there really a valid reason for the fans in the latter groups S through X to arrive past midnight? LOL I think next year they'll start wristband distribution earlier.
If you were not able to purchase a ticket with a Priority Letter Group for a wristband there were 30+ other drivers and personalities to choose from on Saturday, but again the fans have to arrive at those non-wristband required "first come, first serve" seat sections before they filled to capacity. Moral: If you were unable to obtain a wristband plan in advance by deciding on a second, third, fourth or fifth driver choice for Saturday; find out where the assigned seat sections for the drivers you choose are located and be prepared to move onto the next seat section immediately should the one you arrive at is already filled to capacity and closed. The wristband procedure has gone through many growing pains since its inception, but now that a procedure has finally been created which works smoothely this will be the final time I think it needs explanation. :-)

This was the 2003 Winston Cup Preview autograph session schedule with drivers requiring wristbands noted in red:

9:00am-11:00am 11:15am-1:15pm 1:30pm-3:30pm 3:45pm-5:45pm
Greg Biffle Jeff Gordon Tony Stewart Rusty Wallace
Jeff Burton Dale Earnhardt Jr Jeremy Mayfield Jimmy Spencer
Stacy Compton Jeff Green Ward Burton Kevin Harvick
Sterling Marlin Jimmie Johnson Ricky Craven Dale Jarrett
Jamie McMurray Matt Kenseth Bill Elliott Mark Martin
Ken Schrader Kenny Wallace Michael Waltrip Ryan Newman
Mike Skinner Mike Wallace John Andretti Steve Park
Joe Nemechek Carl Long Terry Labonte Ricky Rudd
Robby Gordon Mike Bliss Elliott Sadler Johnny Benson
Bobby Labonte Todd Bodine Jerry Nadeau Jack Sprague
Casey Mears Brett Bodine Kyle Petty Bobby Allison
Kurt Busch Derrike Cope Christian Fittipaldi Shannon Wiseman
Dave Blaney Larry Foyt Hermie Sadler
Tony Raines Ned Jarrett Buddy Baker
Harry Gant Junior Johnson Donnie Allison
Benny Pasons Mike Joy
Allen Bestwick Jeff Hammond

The above information is from the handout each fan received when they walked into the Coliseum and headed into the autograph sessions.

SPECIAL NOTICE:

PLEASE be selective viewing pictures. The site is experiencing "overload". The text for the report and images this year have been stored separately to help this situation so at least the report, itself, could be read. Apologies for the inconvenience should you receive a message asking to check back later to view any of the images. :-)


Are you ready to attend the Winston Cup Preview for 2003? Get your warmest jacket, long johns, hat and gloves and put on the best pair of warm boots you have because you are going to need them this year!


In one word: COLD. It was cold! Down right cold. Fortunately it wasn't windy or the temperature would have felt worse.
The main gate into the Coliseum Annex and Education Building area was open this year and the secondary entrance closer to the buildings was open too. The secondary entrance is to the left of the Annex building. I took this picture from the gazebo. The gazebo is located at the "L"-point of the walkway. The main gate into this area is behind Mark Martin's souvenir trailer which I thought was a bit odd. LOL. The rig was not really right on top of the gate entrance, but I thought it could have been placed either to the left or right of it instead of essentially blocking the walkway. Why be forced to walk around it? LOL Behind Martin's trailer in the background is the Coliseum where the autograph sessions were all day. Let's go there first for a quick look because we are not going to be there that long. :-(

Pictures in the Coliseum were taken during the 9am-11am autograph session. The floor has been converted into a stage. As this autograph session was in progress, so was the auction of car parts and various items donated by various teams which can be seen on the floor beneath the stage. Some were signed and some were not. Behind the podium on the stage was the engine building competition which was in the Annex the day before.

Behind the stage on the floor is Tony Stewart's Monte Carlo. That's right...even though they won they Championship in a Grand Prix they left it behind and brought the Monte Carlo. I walked around the Coliseum to get a better view and this is the best I could get. Next to Tony's car was the Winston Cup Series Monte Carlo dressed up showing support for our current Winston Cup Champion. While I was meandering around trying to get good positions for these pictures one particular item up for auction went for $1200. It was a standard hat signed by the Intimidator himself from his last win at Talladega. Right after that one of Kyle Petty's driver suits from 1988 went for $725 and a rear bumper wearing a rookie stripe from the Georgia-Pacific #44 Dodge Intrepid from last season went for $125. The crowd roared at the conclusion of the auction for Dale Sr's hat. I have to apologize for these pictures considering the camera lens fogged up due to the vast difference in temperature change from outside vs. inside the Coliseum. As always I was not in line for any of the autograph sessions; just there for the event, itself, to take a few pictures to include in this report for all the fans. I left the Coliseum and headed back across the lot to the Annex and Education buildings and NO, I didn't walk into the back of Mark Martin's rig after I re-entered the gate! LOL On my way back to the Annex building the Winston Cup Trailer was sitting in the parking lot.

Using the picture from the gazebo again let me use it as a reference point. Once you walked around Mark Martin's rig, straight ahead at the end of the path was the gazebo where I am standing. Souvenir rigs present which lined each side of this path were Matt Kenseth (calm down Dixie!!! **wink**) Jeff Burton, Ricky Rudd, Ryan Newman and some NASCAR trailers. When you reached the gazebo and headed towards the Annex souvenir rigs which lined each side of this path were Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt Jr. At the end of this path is the Annex and the entrance to the Education building is on the right just beyond Intimidator's souvenir trailer. Let's head on into the Education building first. :-)

The Education building was again set up differently this year. This is the only building you can never tell what is going to be in it. We know what's in the Coliseum and we know the show cars are in the Annex, but this building's contents is always the unknown. This year it was pretty sparse. It just didn't seem as packed with vendors as it has been in year's past. Immediately on the left once you get through the doors were 2 exhibits which are familiar to all of us. First was the Richard Petty Driving Experience and just beyond it was the Victory Junction Gang Camp. General Mills was there with a presence this year. This first display was a neat race track with all of the paint schemes the past couple of years from the Cheerios Dodge. Trying to take this picture and getting all of the cars in the shot was quite the trick! Walking around enjoying the children were two of the characters from the paint schemes, Buzz and the Pillsbury Dough Boy. The Legends Racers were there this year displaying their automobiles of racing. This next picture was a pit stop the fans were allowed to perform. On this particular one they were changing the right front tire and they were having a bit of trouble with it. In the center of the picture above the roof in the background is the new souvenir vendor for Petty Enterprises I told you Petty fans about before Christmas. I'll get to them in a bit. Always the staple are the race tracks offering brochures and selling ticket inquiries for their locales. Rockingham, Daytona, Talladega, Charlotte, Martinsville and a few others were there along with the Performance Racing Network. This next display I fell in love with. I want it! I bet I could challenge Lug Nut at Lowe's Motor Speedway during pre-race festivities before the "600" in May. Would it be possible for Socal43 to put together a pit crew? :-) A midget car for a midget driver! Could I see over the steering wheel? LOL This Coca Cola display was absolutely awesome. They had a voice audio playing while this robot with a skull's head moved with body gestures. As I stated before Petty Enterprises' new souvenir vendor was there and I got a picture of some T-shirts they had on display. They also had some diecast of the Cheerios Dodge in 1/64th scale and 1/24th scale. Next to them was Sam Bass and the only print he had for Petty Enterprises was the Cheerios Dodge. One thing I missed this year was the Billy Standridge car displaying the Jayski logo.

I suppose you have had enough of what's inside this building and you want to see the 2003 Paint Schemes, huh? Well alright, let's head on into the Annex. The hockey rink has been covered up as per protocol and transformed into a NASCAR show car parking lot. I arrived VERY early to take these pictures. There was a high car count again this year. I counted 38 and the space was a little snug. You've been patient enough while I dragged you through the Coliseum and the Education Building to see all the other stuff, huh? Here they are first shown in two overview shots and then individually. They are individually presented in car# order and heeeeerrrrrre they are for 2003:


Over view shots from the hockey seats:
Overview# 1 Overview# 2


SPECIAL NOTICE:

PLEASE be selective viewing pictures. The site is experiencing "overload". Apologies for the inconvenience should you receive a message asking to check back later to view any of the 2003 images. Jayski.com has uploaded most of the paint schemes I have taken on his 2003 Paint Scheme Link. :-)


Jerry Nadeau
ABSENT		 Jack Sprague
ABSENT		 Steve Park Rusty Wallace Mike Skinner
Terry Labonte Mark Martin Jimmy Spencer Dale Earnhardt Jr Bill Elliott
Johnny Benson Brett Bodine Ryan Newman Larry Foyt Michael Waltrip
Greg Biffle Matt Kenseth Bobby Labonte Jeremy Mayfield Tony Stewart
Ricky Rudd Ward Burton Kenny Wallace Jeff Gordon Joe Nemechek
Scott Wimmer
ABSENT		 Kevin Harvick Jeff Green Robby Gordon Ricky Craven
Elliott Sadler Sterling Marlin Casey Mears Jamie McMurray Jimmie Johnson
Ken Schrader Todd Bodine Christian Fittipaldi
ABSENT		 Carl Long
ABSENT		 Hideo Fukayama
ABSENT
Tony Raines
ABSENT		 Dave Blaney
ABSENT		 Dale Jarrett Kurt Busch Jeff Burton


As you fans know I have picked one paint scheme each year which has changed the most from the previous season and needs to be acknowledged. I almost declared a tie this year for the first time, but after staring at two paint schemes of the #23 from Bill Davis Racing and the #45 from Petty Enterprises it is my opinion "the nod" goes to the #45 Petty Enterprises Georgia-Pacific Dodge Intrepid of Kyle Petty. :-)


I am not going to joke with you this year. The regulars who visit this site continually throughout the racing season I am sure have come to see two specific cars and their paint schemes. Yes, I always save the best for last....and here they are:

John Andretti Right Front Left Rear Driver Window
Combo
v----- These pics are for The Diva :-) -----v
Kyle Petty Right Nose Left Rear Driver Window


I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rich who agreed to support my work on my annual project for the fans, again, this year. I could not have done it without advise to carry on the effort. I also want to thank Bryan EVEN MORE for telling me to get this done this year. I don't know how many more years I can do this, but Bryan, this year's final project was fueled your confidence I could do it. You're my teacher and I hope to continue to learn more. I would like to dedicate the #45 pictures to The Diva. I hope I can find a Lucky Charm for 25 years myself. :-)

Would the Petty fans like to meet more Petty fans? Join us throughout the upcoming season at our message board and come visit our chat rooms for Qualifying, Race Day and Post-Race chats. Please join us at:
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I hope you enjoyed your tour of this year's 2003 Winston Cup Preview. Despite the frigid weather the fans STILL came. Hopefully it will be warmer next year. I would like to know how the wristbanded fans and the non-wristbanded fans made out with obtaining their driver's autograph. With testing concluded and the Winston Cup Preview now over there is a lot of anticipation and excitement for the 2003 season to begin. Can official activity at Daytona really be less than three weeks away? Will there be more controversy? Will there be special tires? LOL Will the common template work? Will there be more surprises? Stay tuned for the Boogity, boogity, boogity from DW! LOL
Let us not forget a major portion of today's proceeds go to the following charities: Brenner's Children's Hospital of Winston-Salem, Speedway Children's Charities, the Winston Cup Racing Wives Auxiliary and the T. Wayne Robertson Memorial Fund. I hope those of you who could not attend the Preview for whatever reason have enjoyed this report and hopefully you will be able to attend next year's event. Fans came as far West from California and from Florida and Maine this year. Good luck to all the teams for the 2003 season and good luck to all the fans pulling for their drivers. Today no points were earned by any of the teams. They were all earned BY THE FANS for making this year's event a success. All of you were winners today! Even in the cold! :-)

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