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1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400

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1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400
Race details
Race 24 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Burton.
The 1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Burton.
Date September 6, 1997
Official name 40th Annual Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400
Location Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.75 mi (1.21 km)
Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Average speed 109.047 miles per hour (175.494 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Bill Elliott Racing
Time 21.648
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Burton Jeff Burton
Laps 235
Winner
No. 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 was the 24th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 6, 1997, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Within the closing laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to pass the mainly dominant driver of the day, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton to take his 13th NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Burton and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

The race served as the series debut for future Winston Cup Series driver Kenny Irwin Jr.[3]

Background

[edit]
The layout of Richmond International Raceway, the venue where the race was at.

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

Entry list

[edit]
  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Lance Hooper Precision Products Racing Pontiac R+L Carriers
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Lite
02 Mike Bliss Ultra Motorsports Ford Dickies
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford QVC
8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Circuit City
9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford Melling Racing
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Close Call Phone Card
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford PrimeStar, The Family Channel
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Parts America Throwback
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac MBNA
23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Camel Cigarettes
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
27 Kenny Irwin Jr. David Blair Motorsports Ford Tonka, Winner's Circle
28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet Cartoon Network, Tom and Jerry, Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken
30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac Pennzoil
31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's
33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Skoal
36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Skittles
37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Kmart, RC Cola
40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet Coors Light
41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet First Union
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Realtree
75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Remington Arms
77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul
78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford Hanes
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford Square D
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
91 Ron Hornaday Jr. LJ Racing Chevrolet Spam
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's Mac Tonight
96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet Caterpillar
97 Chad Little Roush Racing Pontiac John Deere
98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford RCA
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 5. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, September 6. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. Positions 26-38 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, the 39th thru either the 42nd, 43rd, or 44th position would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the field would be limited to 42 cars. If a champion needed it, the field would expand to 43 cars. If the race was a companion race with the NASCAR Winston West Series, four spots would be determined by NASCAR Winston Cup Series provisionals, while the final two spots would be given to teams in the Winston West Series, leaving the field at 44 cars.

Bill Elliott, driving for Bill Elliott Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.648 and an average speed of 124.723 miles per hour (200.722 km/h).[4]

Full qualifying results

[edit]
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 21.648 124.723
2 27 Kenny Irwin Jr. David Blair Motorsports Ford 21.656 124.677
3 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 21.671 124.590
4 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.681 124.533
5 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 21.684 124.516
6 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 21.697 124.441
7 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.722 124.298
8 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 21.734 124.229
9 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 21.740 124.195
10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.760 124.081
11 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 21.797 123.870
12 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 21.800 123.853
13 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 21.803 123.836
14 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 21.811 123.791
15 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 21.815 123.768
16 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 21.819 123.745
17 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 21.828 123.694
18 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 21.832 123.672
19 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 21.833 123.666
20 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 21.845 123.598
21 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.846 123.592
22 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.850 123.570
23 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 21.860 123.513
24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.861 123.508
25 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 21.861 123.508
26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 21.866 123.479
27 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 21.867 123.474
28 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.877 123.417
29 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 21.892 123.333
30 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 21.894 123.321
31 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 21.902 123.276
32 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 21.909 123.237
33 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.913 123.215
34 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 21.929 123.125
35 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 21.953 122.990
36 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 21.969 122.900
37 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 21.987 122.800
38 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 21.995 122.755
Provisionals
39 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
40 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet -* -*
41 1 Lance Hooper Precision Products Racing Pontiac -* -*
42 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Pontiac -* -*
Failed to qualify
43 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
44 02 Mike Bliss Ultra Motorsports Ford -* -*
45 91 Ron Hornaday Jr. LJ Racing Chevrolet -* -*
46 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford -* -*
47 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford -* -*
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

[edit]
Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 23 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 400 39 running 180 $91,490
2 11 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 400 235 running 180 $70,240
3 10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 0 running 165 $52,355
4 31 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 400 0 running 160 $40,005
5 14 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 400 2 running 160 $39,050
6 7 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 400 23 running 155 $29,325
7 12 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 399 0 running 146 $29,325
8 2 27 Kenny Irwin Jr. David Blair Motorsports Ford 399 12 running 147 $17,825
9 38 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 399 0 running 138 $30,725
10 16 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 399 0 running 134 $24,125
11 27 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 398 0 running 130 $27,625
12 33 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 398 0 running 127 $27,325
13 37 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 398 0 running 124 $27,125
14 9 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 398 0 running 121 $26,825
15 22 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 0 running 118 $33,775
16 19 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 398 0 running 115 $19,520
17 24 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 398 0 running 112 $37,320
18 21 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 397 0 running 109 $26,270
19 6 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 397 0 running 106 $19,145
20 17 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 397 0 running 103 $20,870
21 39 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 397 0 running 100 $25,870
22 32 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 397 0 running 97 $25,745
23 20 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 397 0 running 94 $30,470
24 5 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 396 0 running 91 $25,545
25 13 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 396 1 running 93 $30,395
26 30 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 396 0 running 85 $25,370
27 15 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 395 0 running 82 $25,345
28 35 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 395 0 running 79 $30,320
29 40 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 395 0 running 76 $17,800
30 1 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 395 43 running 78 $32,290
31 25 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 394 0 running 70 $15,280
32 18 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 394 0 running 67 $22,270
33 41 1 Lance Hooper Precision Products Racing Pontiac 394 0 running 64 $22,260
34 34 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 393 0 running 61 $30,225
35 29 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 393 0 running 58 $22,215
36 26 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 393 3 running 60 $15,205
37 8 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 392 0 running 52 $15,195
38 3 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 347 42 rear end 54 $31,685
39 36 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 335 0 running 46 $31,185
40 42 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Pontiac 309 0 running 43 $15,185
41 28 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 224 0 brakes 40 $15,185
42 4 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 7 0 engine 37 $22,185
Failed to qualify
43 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
44 02 Mike Bliss Ultra Motorsports Ford
45 91 Ron Hornaday Jr. LJ Racing Chevrolet
46 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford
47 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Poole, David (September 6, 1997). "Jarrett runs down a victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on November 18, 2000. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (September 7, 1997). "Jarrett posts first victory at Richmond in 20 tries". Palladium-Item. p. 19. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Caldwell, Clayton (July 7, 2008). "Remebering [sic] Kenny Irwin". Bleacher Report. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  4. ^ Kurz Jr., Hank (September 6, 1997). "Elliott grabs Exide 400 pole; Gordon 10th". Standard-Speaker. p. 14. Retrieved October 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
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NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 season
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