The 1997 Pennsylvania 400 was the 18th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 20, 1997, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to dominate the majority of the race to take his 11th 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 Jeff Burton would finish second and third, respectively.

1997 Pennsylvania 500
Race details
Race 18 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 Pennsylvania 500 program cover.
The 1997 Pennsylvania 500 program cover.
Date July 20, 1997
Official name 25th Annual Pennsylvania 500
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 142.068 miles per hour (228.636 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Team SABCO
Time 53.292
Most laps led
Driver Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Laps 108
Winner
No. 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Buddy Baker, Greg Sacks
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

edit
 
The layout of Pocono Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

Entry list

edit
  • (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
14 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Burger King
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
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 Bobby Hillin Jr. 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 Greg Sacks LJ Racing Chevrolet Spam
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

edit

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 18, at 3:00 PM EST. 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 19, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] 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.

Joe Nemechek, driving for Team SABCO, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.292 and an average speed of 168.881 miles per hour (271.788 km/h).[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Bobby Hillin Jr., Steve Park, and Greg Sacks.

Full qualifying results

edit
Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.292 168.881
2 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.424 168.464
3 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.537 168.108
4 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.647 167.763
5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.651 167.751
6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.688 167.635
7 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 53.726 167.517
8 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 53.738 167.479
9 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.747 167.451
10 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 53.778 167.355
11 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.805 167.271
12 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.807 167.264
13 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 53.808 167.261
14 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 53.838 167.168
15 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 53.878 167.044
16 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 53.957 166.799
17 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 54.047 166.522
18 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 54.077 166.429
19 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 54.111 166.325
20 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 54.138 166.242
21 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.140 166.236
22 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 54.140 166.236
23 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 54.157 166.184
24 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 54.181 166.110
25 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 54.191 166.079
26 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 53.924 166.902
27 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 53.933 166.874
28 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 53.944 166.840
29 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 53.948 166.827
30 40 Robby Gordon Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.978 166.735
31 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 54.010 166.636
32 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 54.032 166.568
33 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 54.069 166.454
34 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 54.101 166.356
35 1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac 54.202 166.046
36 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 54.229 165.963
37 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.233 165.951
38 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 54.273 165.828
Provisionals
39 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford -* -*
40 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac -* -*
41 71 Dave Marcis (R) Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
42 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
43 78 Bobby Hillin Jr. Triad Motorsports Ford -* -*
44 14 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet -* -*
45 91 Greg Sacks LJ Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Official qualifying results

Race results

edit
Fin[5] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 4 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 108 running 185 $104,570
2 6 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 53 running 175 $56,745
3 20 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 2 running 170 $44,195
4 22 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 200 8 running 165 $39,070
5 9 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 1 running 160 $36,040
6 11 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 150 $21,690
7 14 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 200 1 running 151 $30,890
8 34 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 200 4 running 147 $19,090
9 17 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 200 0 running 138 $18,490
10 15 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 200 2 running 139 $28,240
11 10 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 130 $28,340
12 5 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 2 running 132 $29,490
13 40 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 200 1 running 129 $25,990
14 7 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 121 $23,690
15 32 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 118 $24,490
16 29 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 2 running 120 $16,090
17 38 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 200 2 running 117 $22,890
18 37 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 109 $22,690
19 27 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 199 0 running 106 $15,440
20 23 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 103 $29,765
21 1 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 199 11 running 105 $22,715
22 25 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 199 0 running 97 $21,790
23 24 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 199 0 running 94 $21,565
24 13 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 91 $21,415
25 26 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 88 $21,840
26 16 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 85 $20,790
27 33 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 82 $11,240
28 36 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 199 0 running 79 $11,190
29 31 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 198 0 running 76 $18,115
30 12 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 198 0 running 73 $18,065
31 8 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 197 0 running 70 $11,015
32 28 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 197 0 running 67 $25,965
33 35 1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac 197 0 running 64 $17,865
34 18 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 195 0 running 61 $17,790
35 21 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 193 0 running 58 $33,815
36 19 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 192 0 engine 55 $25,640
37 39 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 174 0 engine 52 $27,575
38 3 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 158 0 engine 49 $10,450
39 42 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 157 0 engine 46 $10,450
40 2 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 136 3 crash 48 $25,450
41 41 71 Dave Marcis (R) Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 35 0 engine 40 $10,450
42 30 40 Robby Gordon Team SABCO Chevrolet 0 0 engine 37 $17,450
Failed to qualify
43 78 Bobby Hillin Jr. Triad Motorsports Ford
44 14 Steve Park Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet
45 91 Greg Sacks LJ Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

References

edit
  1. ^ Poole, David (July 20, 1997). "Jarrett's 'best engine' changes luck". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  2. ^ Brinster, Dick (July 21, 1997). "Jarrett wins latest battle with Gordon, claims Pennsylvania 500". Messenger-Inquirer. p. 14. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Pennsylvania 500 Schedule". The Times Leader. July 18, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Shontz, Lori (July 19, 1997). "Nemechek gets pole at Pocono". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 22. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "1997 Pennsylvania 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
Previous race:
1997 Jiffy Lube 300
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 season
Next race:
1997 Brickyard 400