The 1997 DeVilbiss 400 was the 21st stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 17, 1997, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to come back from a blown tire to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 21st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Ted Musgrave would finish second and third, respectively.

1997 Pepsi 400 presented by DeVilbiss
Race details
Race 21 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 DeVilbiss 400 program cover, featuring Ricky Rudd.
The 1997 DeVilbiss 400 program cover, featuring Ricky Rudd.
Date August 17, 1997
Official name 28th Annual DeVilbiss 400
Location Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2 mi (3.2 km)
Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 126.883 miles per hour (204.198 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Bahari Racing
Time 39.273
Most laps led
Driver Mark Martin Roush Racing
Laps 102
Winner
No. 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network NASCAR on ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Michigan International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Lance Hooper Precision Products Racing Pontiac R+L Carriers, Cruisin' America Phone Card
2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford Miller Lite
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 24 Hour Gold Rush
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
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
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
94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford McDonald's
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, August 15. 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, August 16. 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.

Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Bahari Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 39.273 and an average speed of 183.332 miles per hour (295.044 km/h).[3]

Dave Marcis was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 39.273 183.332
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 39.356 182.945
3 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.360 182.927
4 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.395 182.764
5 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 39.420 182.648
6 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 39.441 182.551
7 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 39.446 182.528
8 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 39.448 182.519
9 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 39.450 182.510
10 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 39.498 182.288
11 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 39.501 182.274
12 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 39.510 182.232
13 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 39.559 182.007
14 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.561 181.997
15 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 39.584 181.892
16 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 39.587 181.878
17 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.607 181.786
18 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Pontiac 39.613 181.759
19 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 39.620 181.726
20 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 39.646 181.607
21 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 39.647 181.603
22 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.684 181.433
23 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 39.709 181.319
24 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 39.738 181.187
25 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 39.739 181.182
26 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 39.750 181.132
27 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 39.762 181.077
28 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.790 180.950
29 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 39.801 180.900
30 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 39.825 180.791
31 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 39.829 180.773
32 1 Lance Hooper Precision Products Racing Pontiac 39.829 180.773
33 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 39.894 180.478
34 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.938 180.279
35 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 39.952 180.216
36 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 39.963 180.167
37 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 39.971 180.131
38 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 40.024 179.892
Provisionals
39 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford -* -*
40 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac -* -*
41 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford -* -*
42 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford -* -*
Champion's Provisional
43 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

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Fin[4] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 102 running 185 $93,045
2 17 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 1 running 175 $85,728
3 7 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 200 39 running 170 $59,945
4 20 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 160 $46,295
5 4 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 155 $46,848
6 6 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 4 running 155 $42,265
7 24 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 200 0 running 146 $38,473
8 5 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 36 running 147 $37,290
9 28 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 138 $37,940
10 14 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 134 $47,290
11 10 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 200 7 running 135 $31,465
12 3 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 6 running 132 $31,160
13 43 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 200 0 running 124 $36,165
14 8 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 121 $30,065
15 26 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 118 $30,565
16 16 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 0 running 115 $22,015
17 29 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 200 0 running 112 $29,665
18 13 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 109 $21,265
19 39 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 199 0 running 106 $27,965
20 23 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 103 $22,865
21 42 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 199 0 running 100 $20,315
22 31 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 199 0 running 97 $27,115
23 33 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 199 0 running 94 $19,890
24 1 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 199 5 running 96 $32,190
25 22 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 88 $26,440
26 35 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 199 0 running 85 $31,140
27 30 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 199 0 running 82 $19,065
28 40 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 198 0 running 79 $26,015
29 27 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 198 0 running 76 $30,915
30 34 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 73 $18,365
31 37 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 198 0 running 70 $22,690
32 41 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 198 0 running 67 $22,640
33 12 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 198 0 running 64 $15,590
34 32 1 Lance Hooper Precision Products Racing Pontiac 198 0 running 61 $22,540
35 25 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 198 0 running 58 $22,490
36 38 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 198 0 running 55 $22,465
37 36 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 196 0 running 52 $15,440
38 21 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 195 0 running 49 $22,365
39 9 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 195 0 running 46 $15,365
40 15 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 167 0 running 43 $15,365
41 11 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 164 0 electrical 40 $16,865
42 18 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Pontiac 164 0 running 37 $15,365
43 19 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 91 0 engine 34 $31,365
Failed to qualify
44 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (August 17, 1997). "Martin books to Michigan win". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Atkins, Harry (August 18, 1997). "Martin cruises to win". Citizens' Voice. p. 47. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Atkins, Harry (August 16, 1997). "Benson takes pole at 'home'". The Greenville News. p. 21. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ "1997 DeVilbiss 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
Previous race:
1997 The Bud at The Glen
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 season
Next race:
1997 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Bristol)