Two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves won the pole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to win three in a row.

Due to cost issues, and a shortage of engines and drivers, there was considerable concern going into the event that the field might fall short of the traditional 33 starters.

[4] It was the elder Bush's second visit to the Speedway; he previously presided over the opening ceremonies of the 1987 Pan American Games, which was held at the track.

Andretti announced that the 2003 Indy 500 would be his final race, and that he would retire from driving immediately after, to focus on team ownership.

Despite the open wheel "split" continuing into what was now its eighth season, nearly all of the top CART-based teams entered at Indy for 2003.

The 2003 season was a turning point in the "split", as several teams, including Penske, Andretti-Green, Ganassi, and Rahal pulled out of CART and defected permanently to the Indy Racing League on a full-time bases.

Andretti-Green Racing driver, Tony Kanaan, suffered a radial fracture of his arm on April 15 in a crash at Motegi.

[12] During Andretti's test session, it was noted by many observers that despite his lack of experience in modern Indy cars (which had changed substantially since his retirement in 1994) and his advanced age (63), he quickly reached competitive speed.

[11] The success of the test created a stir, and speculation grew during the afternoon that Andretti may even attempt to qualify for the race.

[13] Television footage from the WTHR helicopter-cam showed that the car clipped the top of the debris fence, and was nearly high enough to go over it.

[15] * Includes days where track activitywas significantly limited due to rain ROP — denotes Rookie Orientation Program Practice opened on Sunday May 4, with roughly 29 car/driver combinations named to the field.

That was short of the traditional 33 starters for the race, and there was ongoing speculation around the garage area on who would potentially fill the four open spots.

On "Fast Friday" May 9, Arie Luyendyk spun exiting turn one, and hit the outside wall with the back end of the car.

During the morning practice session Billy Boat spun out of turn four, and made heavy contact with the safety attenuator at the north end of the pit wall.

The car hit with the back end, flew up into the air momentarily, and came to rest against the outside wall on the mainstretch.

On his first lap, he spun exiting turn 2, did not hit the wall, and slid backwards down nearly the entire length of the backstretch.

The day ended with A. J. Foyt IV completing a run, and Gil de Ferran, the last car with a realistic shot of the front row, turning in a somewhat-disappointing 228.633 mph, good enough only for 10th starting position.

Airton Daré stalled several times trying to leave the pits, but after repairs, he qualified to fill the field to 29 cars.

No other teams were planning on qualifying, although a rumor circulated around the garage area that Ganassi was considering on wheeling out a backup car for Jeff Ward.

[17] Despite pointing out the lack of drama on the final day of time trials, Robin Miller was among those who suggested that the 2003 field was the deepest talent-wise since the open-wheel "split".

While it was not captured by TV cameras, earlier in the race Foyt had come down and made contact with Castroneves while being lapped in turn 2.

During the caution for the Wheldon crash, Scott Dixon, who was running in the top ten, was weaving back and forth on the mainstretch to warm up his tires.

After the race, Castroneves coaxed de Ferran to climb the catch fence on the mainstretch, mimicking his own traditional post-race victory celebration.

Joining King in the booth were two newcomers, Dave Wilson who served as color commentator, and new "driver expert" Davey Hamilton.

Sponsor guests interviewed in the booth included Tim Manganello (BorgWarner), Keith Sirios (Checkers and Rally's), and Chevrolet pace car driver Herb Fishel.

The on-air crew remained the same from the previous year, with Bob Jenkins returning as host, and Paul Page handling the play-by-play duties.

The crew called the race for the final time from the booth on top of the Paddock grandstand, for starting in 2004, they would move to the newer television studio inside the Pagoda.

Host: Bob Jenkins Announcer: Paul Page Color: Scott Goodyear On Sunday May 18, the final day of time trials, when there was some question of whether the field would be filled to the traditional 33 cars, television reporters Bob Jenkins and Jack Arute passionately defended the event from its detractors on air.

Arute opened his interview with Meira at 5:17 p.m. EDT by stating:[18] And to all the naysayers who predicted that there would NOT be 33 cars in the field of this year's Indy 500, allow me to introduce you to Vítor Meira.A minute later, Jenkins replied with:[18] The naysayers have been proven wrong, there is a 33-car field set for the 500.As the day was coming to a close, the television coverage switched to ESPN for the final hour.

After a very brief stint covering CART on Spike TV in 2004, and after a single race at ESPN in 2008, he joined Versus (now known as the NBC Sports Network) in 2009.