The 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 was the 17th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fifth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 13, 1997, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would manage to dominate the final third of the race to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

1997 Jiffy Lube 300
Race details
Race 17 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 program cover, featuring Ernie Irvan.
The 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 program cover, featuring Ernie Irvan.
Date July 13, 1997
Official name 5th Annual Jiffy Lube 300
Location Loudon, New Hampshire, New Hampshire International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.058 mi (1.704 km)
Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Scheduled Distance 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km)
Average speed 117.134 miles per hour (188.509 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Andy Petree Racing
Time 29.429
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Burton Roush Racing
Laps 99
Winner
No. 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Jerry Nadeau 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
8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Circuit City
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, Scooby-Doo
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
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Realtree
75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Stren Fishing Lines, Remington Arms
77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul
78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford Hanes
79 Randy MacDonald T.R.I.X. Racing Chevrolet T.R.I.X. Racing
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 Mark Rypien Motorsports 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, July 11. 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, July 12. 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.

Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.429 and an average speed of 129.423 miles per hour (208.286 km/h).[3]

Billy Standridge was the only driver to fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.429 129.423
2 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.440 129.375
3 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.463 129.274
4 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 29.526 128.998
5 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.530 128.981
6 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.539 128.941
7 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.542 128.928
8 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 29.542 128.928
9 1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac 29.552 128.885
10 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.553 128.880
11 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.591 128.715
12 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 29.618 128.597
13 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.651 128.454
14 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 29.691 128.281
15 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.699 128.247
16 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.704 128.225
17 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.733 128.100
18 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.733 128.100
19 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.736 128.087
20 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 29.740 128.070
21 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 29.751 128.023
22 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 29.758 127.992
23 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 29.767 127.954
24 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 29.769 127.945
25 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 29.787 127.868
26 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.789 127.859
27 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.790 127.855
28 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 29.798 127.821
29 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.806 127.786
30 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 29.841 127.636
31 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.854 127.581
32 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 29.858 127.564
33 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.870 127.513
34 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 29.875 127.491
35 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 29.897 127.397
36 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 29.934 127.240
37 79 Randy MacDonald T.R.I.X. Racing Chevrolet 29.942 127.206
38 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 30.209 126.082
Provisionals
39 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
40 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
42 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
43 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford -* -*
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[4] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 15 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 300 99 running 185 $117,875
2 26 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 300 0 running 170 $82,950
3 12 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 300 0 running 165 $55,525
4 6 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 0 running 160 $47,675
5 16 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 300 0 running 155 $44,650
6 23 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 300 0 running 150 $39,825
7 10 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 300 4 running 151 $46,325
8 11 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 300 42 running 147 $38,625
9 18 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 300 0 running 138 $38,325
10 14 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 300 0 running 134 $38,225
11 1 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 300 12 running 135 $40,825
12 30 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 300 0 running 127 $35,025
13 7 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 300 0 running 124 $26,725
14 8 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 299 1 crash 126 $33,425
15 40 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 299 0 running 118 $34,525
16 3 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 299 1 running 120 $34,225
17 22 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 299 0 running 112 $25,400
18 32 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 299 0 running 109 $32,150
19 36 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 299 0 running 106 $31,900
20 31 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 299 0 running 103 $26,600
21 27 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 298 0 running 100 $25,375
22 13 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 298 0 running 97 $36,925
23 29 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 298 0 running 94 $37,975
24 21 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 298 0 running 91 $20,625
25 28 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 298 0 running 88 $23,675
26 25 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 298 0 running 85 $30,425
27 17 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 298 0 running 82 $35,150
28 24 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 298 0 running 79 $30,000
29 33 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 297 0 running 76 $29,850
30 4 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 297 0 running 73 $22,225
31 2 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 297 43 running 75 $37,100
32 34 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 296 0 running 67 $19,475
33 20 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 296 0 running 64 $26,350
34 42 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 296 0 running 61 $26,225
35 41 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 295 0 running 58 $19,100
36 35 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 294 0 running 55 $25,975
37 38 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 293 0 running 52 $18,850
38 5 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 293 98 running 54 $51,900
39 9 1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac 281 0 brakes 46 $25,600
40 19 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 275 0 running 43 $18,600
41 37 79 Randy MacDonald T.R.I.X. Racing Chevrolet 148 0 brakes 40 $18,600
42 39 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 55 0 electrical 37 $25,600
Failed to qualify
43 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (July 14, 1997). "J. Burton outruns Earnhardt". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "Burton Survives Close Call in Pits To Take His Second Win of Season". The Salt Lake Tribune. July 14, 1997. p. 20. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Schrader surprises, wins Jiffy Lube pole". Tampa Bay Times. July 12, 1997. p. 36. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ "1997 Jiffy Lube 300 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
Previous race:
1997 Pepsi 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 season
Next race:
1997 Pennsylvania 400