The 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 49th season of professionalstock car racing in the United States and the 26th modern-era NASCAR Cup series. It began on February 9 and ended on November 16. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won his second Cup championship at the end of the season.
1997 Winston Cup champion Jeff GordonDale Jarrett finished second behind Gordon by only 14 pointsMark Martin finished third in the championshipMike Skinner, the 1997 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year.
The Busch Clash, a race for pole winners from the previous season, and drivers who have won the event before was run on February 9 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Terry Labonte drew the pole. The race was broadcast on CBS.
The Gatorade Twin 125s were run on February 13 in Daytona Beach, Florida. Mike Skinner and Steve Grissom were the pole sitters for races one and two, respectively. The races were broadcast tape-delayed on CBS just prior to the Daytona 500.
Robert Pressley's car caught air after he spun on lap 10. The rear of the car lifted so much, the car was temporarily sliding across the track on its nose. The landing was quite hard, so after the crew repaired the car, then Busch Series competitor and future 2-time Camping World Truck Series Champion Todd Bodine hopped in to complete more laps.
Dale Earnhardt rolled his #3Chevrolet in a crash with the #28Ford of Ernie Irvan while in a four-way battle for the lead with 12 laps to go. In the crash, the hood of Irvan's car flew into the backstretch grandstand, injuring some fans. Earnhardt famously noticed that his tires were still on the car after the roll, had his car taken off the hook, and drove it back to pit road. The car was repaired and Earnhardt finished the race, 5 laps down in 31st. The car can be found in a diecast form in 1:64 and 1:24 scale and is known to collectors as the "crash car".
At age 25, Jeff Gordon became the youngest Daytona 500 winner ever until Trevor Bayne in 2011. Richard Petty had previously been the youngest winner in 1964 when he won the 500 at age 26.
During the post-race inspection, Rusty Wallace's engine failed to meet the proper 14:1 compression ratio. Due to this, NASCAR suspended Wallace's victory and confiscated his car's motor. After conducting another test the following day, the cooler temperature engine met the required compression ratio. As a result, Wallace's victory was certified official.
Only 3 cars finished on the lead lap in this race.
This was the last Winston Cup race at Richmond International Raceway scheduled for the daytime (excluding three races that were rain-delayed from Saturday night) until 2016, and the last time that the first Richmond race of the season was held in March, due to the cold, wet weather that is often seen at Richmond in late winter.
This was the final race held on the 1.522-mile (2.449 km) configuration of Atlanta Motor Speedway. Renovations had already started that would turn the racetrack into a 1.54-mile (2.48 km) quad-oval.
This race was red-flagged on lap 282 due to a crash involving the #41 of Steve Grissom. The #23 of Jimmy Spencer had spun out off Turn 2 and was hit by the #31 of Mike Skinner. Grissom spun to avoid this wreck and hit the inside wall near where there was a gate allowing infield access for motorhomes. Because of this, the car hit the wall tail first, breaking the wall, shearing the fuel cell out of the car, and putting Grissom on his roof. The #91 of Mike Wallace backed off the throttle upon seeing the accident, which caused his exhaust to throw flames right over the fuel cell (which was sitting along the outside wall at the end of the backstretch). This caused a significant fire. Grissom was not seriously injured.
Phil Parsons substituted for Joe Nemechek, who was with family after his younger brother John's death. This was Parsons' final career Cup Series start.
First of only 2 times that Dale Jarrett would score back-to-back victories. The second time would come in 2001.
Until Kevin Harvick's win in this event on April 12, 2014, this would be the last Darlington race to be won by a driver who sat on the pole.
The inaugural Interstate Batteries 500 was held April 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. Dale Jarrett won the pole. This was the first race held at the track and the first NASCAR race in the state of Texas since 1981. The race was broadcast on CBS.
Even though this race was the inaugural event, the race date was acquired as part of the purchase of North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1996.
On the first lap of the race, 15 cars were involved in a multi-car accident in turns 1 and 2. Dale Earnhardt was involved in the incident, but was able to continue.
On lap 162, an 8-car crash on the tri-oval began when Mike Skinner, Brett Bodine and Sterling Marlin spun into the infield coming off turn 4, and Rusty Wallace struck the outside wall after getting into some oil. Later, Ernie Irvan rear-ended Greg Sacks at over 140 mph while trying to race leader Terry Labonte back to the flag to get his lap back and hit the outside wall. Jeff Gordon ran into the back of Irvan trying to avoid Sacks.
Ricky Craven suffered a concussion in a practice crash and was forced to sit out. This was the beginning of a series of injuries that adversely affected Craven's career over the next 4 years. Todd Bodine subbed for Craven in this race and ran very well until he crashed out of the lead.
This race had 20 cautions for 132 laps. The 20 cautions at the time tied a record for most cautions with the 1989 spring event at Bristol. However, this race had an additional 34 laps run under caution compared to the 1989 event.
On the last lap, Jeff Gordon bumped Rusty Wallace out of the way in Turn 4 to win the race. Wallace barely was able to hold off Terry Labonte for 2nd.
Jack Sprague subbed for Ricky Craven in this race due to Craven's injury at Texas last weekend.
The Melling Racing #9 team technically did not make the trip to Sears Point due to a lack of funding. However, they allowed Jeff Davis' Winston West Series team to use their number on their Ford so that the Melling team could get the owners' points. Davis ended up crashing out of the race, finishing 37th.
This was the last race for the Winston Cup Series on the 2.52-mile (4.06 km) configuration at Sears Point Raceway until 2019. After this event, a purpose-built section was added for the NASCAR weekend.
After David Green failed to qualify, Caterpillar put their logos on the #35 Ford was driven by Larry Gunselman, one of the Winston West teams. Gunselman started the race, but Green did get in the car and drive at one point.
The #78 Ford for Triad Motorsports tapped Tom Hubert, a crew member for Bahari Racing, to qualify the #78 in 2nd round qualifying. When Hubert (who had some road racing experience in other classes) qualified fast enough to earn the 27th starting spot in the race, Hubert was put in the car for the race to temporarily replace the team's regular driver, Billy Standridge.
This was the final race at Sears Point held in May, as it had been for the previous 5 years. In 1998, the race moved to the last Sunday in June, where it would remain through 2017.
Geoff Bodine Racing's sponsor; QVC, ran an unusual promotion in which a lucky fan would get their name and face on Geoff Bodine's #7 QVC Ford, with the winner being Mississippi native Dawn Gillis. Ultimately, however, Bodine would finish in last place.
The Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway was originally scheduled for Sunday, April 27, but rain forced the race to be postponed. Teams returned on Saturday, May 10 (Mother's Day weekend), and the race was held under sunny skies.
John Andretti started from the pole position. The race was broadcast on ESPN.
The race was run caution-free, the first time in Talladega history. It also stands as the fastest 500-mile (800 km) race in NASCAR history (at 188.354 mph (303.126 km/h), a record that still stands).
Joe Nemechek drove the #40 Chevrolet in place of Robby Gordon during this race since Gordon was attempting to do the Indy-Charlotte double in 1997. As a result of the rescheduled race, it conflicted with Pole Day at Indianapolis. As part of the contract that Gordon signed with SABCO Racing, the owner Felix Sabates provided a team for Gordon to attempt Indianapolis with. As for Nemechek, he finished 19th, 1 lap down in Gordon's car.
This was the last race for the #20 Ford for Ranier-Walsh Racing. The acquisition of their sponsor Hardee's by CKE Restaurants resulted in the company pulling sponsorship of the team. Without sponsorship, the team shut its doors. The #20 car would remain inactive until 1999 when Tony Stewart drove it for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Final time in his career that Mark Martin would win back-to-back races.
Winston Open
The Winston Open was held before The Winston All-Star Race on May 17 at Charlotte Motor Speedway as a last chance qualifier race for the cars that had not won a race yet in 1997 or late 1996 and was not a past champion. Chad Little won the pole. The winner of this race would qualify to be in The Winston All-Star Race.
The Winston is the All-Star Race for the NASCARWinston Cup Series held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 17 after the Winston Open Race. Drivers have to qualify; Win a race since last year The Winston race, Win the Winston Open qualifier race, or Win one of The Winston All-Star Races from the past 5 years. This race was run in 3 segments with 2 30 lap segments and a 10 lap shootout segment for a total of 70 laps. Bill Elliott won the pole. Dale Jarrett won the first segment and Bobby Labonte won the second segment. The final segment results are posted in the top ten below. The race was broadcast on TNN.
The only caution came on the 3rd lap of the first segment when Bobby Labonte spun coming off turn 4.
Gordon started 19th because of a problem during his qualifying run.
After the first segment was completed, the finishing order would be inverted for the start of the 2nd segment. The finishing order of the 2nd segment determined how the field would line up for the final segment. Caution laps counted in the first two 30-lap stages; however, only green flag laps were recorded in the final 10-lap stage.
Speedvision carried a special live in-car simulcast of this race.
During the prerace activities for The Winston, Indy Racing League driver Tony Stewart, who had qualified 2nd for the Indianapolis 500, drove several laps around the track in his IndyCar to promote the IRL race to be held at Charlotte two months later.
The Coca-Cola 600 was held May 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon won the pole. The race was shortened to 333 laps due to time issues after a long rain delay; it was after 1:00 am EDT when the race was completed. The race was broadcast on TBS.
Race shortened to 333 laps (499.5 Miles) due to rain.
Geoff Bodine suffered a concussion in a practice crash on the Wednesday before the race in Turn 1. As a result, Geoff tapped his younger brother Todd to drive his #7 Ford in the race. However, the engine blew after Todd had made a run up through the field, leaving him with a 42nd-place finish.
This was the final race for flagman Doyle Ford, who had spent 38 years as a NASCAR official.
This was the last 500-mile (800 km) race held at Dover.
Robby Gordon, in a rather freak incident during the Indianapolis 500, suffered significant burns to his legs early on when an invisible fire started in the cockpit of his #42 Chevy-powered G-Force. This forced him to sit out for a couple of weeks. Wally Dallenbach Jr. subbed for Gordon at Dover, finishing 36th after suffering electrical problems. He was credited with completing 364 laps of the 500 lap distance.
Three different leaders had problems in the last 50 miles of the race. Second-place Jeff Gordon hit the back of leader Dale Jarrett while trying to avoid a spinning Kenny Wallace on lap 452. The contact broke Gordon's radiator and forced him behind the wall for repairs, eventually finishing 26th. Jarrett retook the lead after the caution, but blew an engine 5 laps after the restart; he finished 32nd. Jarrett's teammate Ernie Irvan inherited the lead and led the following 9 laps, but on lap 472, Chad Little broke a rear end in Turn 1 and dropped grease on the track. Irvan hit it, spun, and crashed out, finishing 30th. That gave the lead to Rudd, who held it the final 27 laps to win.
Greg Sacks was tapped to sub for Robby Gordon in the #40 starting here at Pocono. He qualified 4th but spun into the wall coming out of Turn 1 on Lap 9 immediately in front of Jeff Gordon.
This was Ernie Irvan's 15th and final Winston Cup victory, and it came at the very same track where he had almost lost his life three years earlier. He had tears in his eyes as he brought the 28 car into Victory Lane. The win also came in his last year with Robert Yates Racing.
This race would be the final CBS race that Ken Squier was the lap-by-lap announcer for. Starting with the DieHard 500 in October, all future races aired on CBS would have Mike Joy as the lap-by-lap announcer while Squier was transferred to serving as the studio host.
After Mike Wallace failed to qualify for the race, his team hastily entered the 200-mile (320 km) Winston West race which was run the day before the Winston Cup race. He finished 3rd to Ken Schrader in that race.
Mark Martin ran out of gas with 10 laps to go and was forced to the pits for additional fuel. However, they did not get enough fuel in the car. This resulted in Martin running out of gas again on the last lap and having to coast to the line.
This was the only Cup race at California Speedway run in June. The following year, the California 500 moved to the first week of May, swapping dates with Sears Point Raceway.
This was the last July race at Daytona scheduled to run during the day. The 2014 Coke Zero 400 was run during the day, but only after being postponed due to rain the previous night.
The race ended with a 1 lap shootout, likely the last such shootout in the Winston Cup Series. John Andretti's crew chief Tony Furr employed a rather cynical strategy of brake-checking the field on the final restart, resulting in a stack-up of cars on the backstretch. As the field entered the final turns, cars spread out 3 and 4 wide, resulting in a multi-car wreck developed in turn 4. On ESPN's telecast of the race, the spotter for one of the drivers involved could be heard yelling "Goddammit."
It was also Cale Yarborough's first and only victory as a car owner.
David Green got on his side during a crash around lap 260. The ground along on his driver's side after getting bounced off the #36 of Derrike Cope into the wall coming off Turn 4. After sliding about 450 feet (140 m) with other cars spinning around him, the car flipped over once and got back on all 4 wheels. Green was ok.
Shortly after the halfway point, Geoff Bodine's crew chief Pat Tryson quit the team, apparently unhappy with the way the team was (or wasn't) being managed.
Jeff Gordon's victory made him the 2nd and final driver, joining Bill Elliott, to win the Winston Million. Ironically, the 2 drivers that won the Winston Million won it in the very first running in 1985, and in the very last running in 1997. The program was replaced the following season in 1998 with the No Bull 5 program, which offered five drivers (that finished in the Top 5 of the last No Bull 5 race) the chance to win 1 million dollars.
Dale Earnhardt mysteriously passed out during the pace laps for the race and hit the wall. Nobody is really sure what caused this, but Earnhardt had to step out of the car for the day. Once the car was repaired, Busch Series driver Mike Dillon (the son-in-law of car owner Richard Childress) was tapped to sub in the #3. Dillon drove the car to a 30th-place finish, 85 laps down.
"Jeff Burton will make a challenge off the corner onto the straightaway, but Jeff Gordon wins it!" - Bob Jenkins as Jeff Burton tried to challenge Gordon for the victory in the last corners
Jeff Gordon became the 1st driver since Darrell Waltrip in 1981 & 1982 to score 10 victories in back-to-back seasons. However, Darrell Waltrip scored 12 victories in each season.
This was the first 400-mile (640 km) race at Dover.
Mark Martin and Kyle Petty dominated this race, with Martin leading 194 laps and Petty leading 191. This would also be Kyle Petty's last top 5 finish until the 2007 Coca-Cola 600.
Waltrip failed to qualify because Terry Labonte, who was higher in points, used the past champion's provisional. This was Waltrip's first DNQ in 23 years; last time was the 1974 Winston 500.[1]
This was the first career start for Kevin Lepage in the #91 Chevrolet. He finished 40th after wrecking.
Early in the race, there was an unusual water seepage problem on the backstretch. This resulted in the track near the outside wall in the middle of the backstretch being wet to the point where cars were kicking up spray. This did not cause any problems, however.
This was the first race for ISM Racing's #35 Pontiac with Todd Bodine as the driver. The car qualified well, then sank to the rear of the field and eventually finished 26th, 4 laps down.
DieHard 500
The DieHard 500 was held October 12 at Talladega Superspeedway. Ernie Irvan won the pole. Like many Talladega races, the story was "the Big One", collecting 23 cars on lap 140 after Jeff Gordon cut a tire and turned into traffic. Mark Martin was furious after the wreck, and made an infamous quote. "I hate restrictor plate racing," he said while being interviewed by a pit reporter. The race was broadcast on CBS.
The top 5 (T. Labonte, B. Labonte, Andretti, Schrader, Irvan) became the first drivers eligible for the Winston No Bull 5 million dollar bonus for next season, meaning that if any of them were to win the 1998 Daytona 500, they would receive an extra $1 million.
With this win Terry Labonte became only the second Chevrolet driver to win a race in 1997. Jeff Gordon had all of the other wins for Chevrolet in 1997.
Last Talladega race to be broadcast by CBS. The network's acquisition of the AFC broadcasting rights for 1998, coupled with NASCAR's shifting the second Talladega race from July to October, meant that CBS's 22-year relationship with Talladega came to an end after the 1997 running.
This was the last time the DieHard brand sponsored the second Talladega race. Starting in 1998, DieHard and Winston, sponsor of the spring Winston 500 race, swapped race sponsorships.
This would be the first CBS race for Mike Joy as the lap-by-lap broadcaster.
AC Delco 400
The AC Delco 400 was held on Monday, October 27 at North Carolina Speedway. Bobby Labonte won the pole. It was originally scheduled to be run on Sunday, October 26 but heavy rain pushed the start to Monday morning. The race was broadcast on TNN.
The 1997 championship season finale was the NAPA 500 held November 16 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Geoff Bodine won the pole at a speed of 197.478 mph (317.810 km/h), which at the time was the fastest qualifying lap ever run outside of Daytona and Talladega. During the summer, the track had been reconfigured from a traditional oval to a quad-shaped oval. The race was broadcast on ESPN.
Jeff Gordon entered the race with a 77-point advantage over Dale Jarrett and an 88-point advantage over Mark Martin. During a practice session on Saturday, Gordon was driving down the pit lane, scrubbing his tires to heat them up on what was a cold morning. Gordon lost control and crashed into the parked car of Bobby Hamilton. Gordon had to go to a backup car, and qualified a lowly 37th. Gordon had to finish 18th or better to clinch the championship, but starting deep in the field, he had charge his way up through the pack. Jarrett finished 2nd, Martin 3rd, and Gordon 17th, while Bobby Labonte took the victory, the first win for Joe Gibbs Racing since the team switched from Chevrolet to Pontiac. Gordon ultimately hung on and won the title by only 14 points over Jarrett and 29 points over Martin, the closest three-way points finish under the Bob Latford 1975 points system.
After running the Cup series part-time for a decade, Mike Skinner finally ran a full-time schedule, and walked away with three top-tens and the Rookie of the Year title. His closest runner-up was David Green, despite the fact Green did not finish any higher than sixteenth. Third place was Green's brother Jeff, who came into the season midway with Diamond Ridge Motorsports. The last place finisher was Robby Gordon, who suffered through a tumultuous season with Team SABCO, dealing with injuries and personal disputes.
