1997 Pocono 500
Race details
Race 13 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 Pocono 500 program cover.
The 1997 Pocono 500 program cover.
Date June 8, 1997
Official name 16th Annual Pocono 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 139.828 miles per hour (225.031 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Petty Enterprises
Time 53.543
Most laps led
Driver Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing
Laps 60
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1997 Pocono 500 was the 13th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 16th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 8, 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, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the late stages of the race, taking advantage of a mechanical failure from leader Ward Burton to take his 25th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Morgan Shepherd 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 Mattei Motorsports 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
19 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford Child Support Recovery
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 Greg Sacks 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 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul
78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford Diamond Rio, 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 Mike Wallace 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

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 6, 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, June 7, 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.

Bobby Hamilton, driving for Petty Enterprises, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.543 and an average speed of 168.089 miles per hour (270.513 km/h).[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Chad Little, Billy Standridge, and Dave Marcis.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 53.543 168.089
2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.563 168.026
3 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 53.729 167.507
4 40 Greg Sacks Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.741 167.470
5 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 53.769 167.383
6 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 53.775 167.364
7 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.807 167.264
8 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 53.808 167.261
9 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 53.813 167.246
10 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 53.844 167.150
11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.895 166.991
12 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.983 166.719
13 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.997 166.676
14 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 54.027 166.583
15 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 54.039 166.546
16 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 54.049 166.516
17 91 Mike Wallace LJ Racing Chevrolet 54.064 166.469
18 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 54.072 166.445
19 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 54.093 166.380
20 1 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac 54.116 166.309
21 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 54.149 166.208
22 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.160 166.174
23 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 54.163 166.165
24 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 54.165 166.159
25 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 54.169 166.147
26 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.685 167.645
27 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 53.795 167.302
28 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 53.982 166.722
29 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 53.989 166.701
30 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 53.999 166.670
31 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 54.019 166.608
32 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 54.022 166.599
33 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 54.024 166.593
34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 54.039 166.546
35 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.067 166.460
36 19 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford 54.099 166.362
37 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 54.131 166.263
38 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 54.170 166.144
Provisionals
39 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet -* -*
40 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac -* -*
41 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet -* -*
42 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
43 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac -* -*
44 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford -* -*
45 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Official qualifying results

Race results

Fin[5] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 11 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 59 running 180 $166,080
2 18 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 170 $52,550
3 2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 5 running 170 $53,245
4 14 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 160 $39,620
5 27 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 200 2 running 160 $33,070
6 31 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 200 11 running 155 $28,875
7 8 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 200 9 running 151 $30,775
8 24 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 200 2 running 147 $25,975
9 7 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 3 running 143 $35,675
10 12 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 134 $34,025
11 38 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 0 running 130 $19,525
12 20 1 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 127 $24,175
13 32 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 0 running 124 $23,875
14 40 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 200 0 running 121 $16,575
15 28 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 118 $30,225
16 22 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 1 running 120 $23,075
17 13 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 200 0 running 112 $12,175
18 35 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 109 $22,775
19 34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 200 0 running 106 $22,525
20 10 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 103 $24,750
21 6 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 199 0 running 100 $26,505
22 16 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 199 0 running 97 $28,405
23 39 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 199 0 running 94 $21,680
24 15 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 199 0 running 91 $21,530
25 37 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 199 2 running 93 $21,605
26 42 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 199 0 running 85 $14,205
27 21 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 198 0 running 82 $21,055
28 25 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 79 $12,005
29 19 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 197 0 running 76 $25,930
30 17 91 Mike Wallace LJ Racing Chevrolet 197 0 running 73 $10,880
31 23 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 197 0 running 70 $25,830
32 5 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 196 6 running 72 $20,780
33 36 19 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford 196 0 running 64 $10,730
34 30 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 196 0 running 61 $20,105
35 29 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 189 15 engine 63 $20,530
36 26 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 166 0 engine 55 $10,955
37 33 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 146 0 running 52 $10,390
38 3 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 141 60 engine 59 $18,765
39 1 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 129 22 crash 51 $27,990
40 9 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 121 1 engine 48 $17,265
41 41 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 79 2 engine 45 $10,265
42 4 40 Greg Sacks Team SABCO Chevrolet 8 0 crash 37 $17,265
Failed to qualify
43 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac
44 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford
45 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

References

  1. Poole, David (June 8, 1997). "Daytona experience pays Gordon at Pocono". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  2. "Cut tire slows, not stops, Gordon". Ledger-Enquirer. June 9, 1997. p. 21. Retrieved September 27, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. "Pocono 500". The Charlotte Observer. June 6, 1997. p. 30. Retrieved September 27, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. McCollister, Tom (June 7, 1997). "Hamilton, Pontiac on Pocono pole". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 36. Retrieved September 27, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. "1997 Pocono 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
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