1997 DeVilbiss 400
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.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 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
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
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
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
*Time not available.
Race results
| 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
- 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.
- Atkins, Harry (August 18, 1997). "Martin cruises to win". Citizens' Voice. p. 47. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- Atkins, Harry (August 16, 1997). "Benson takes pole at 'home'". The Greenville News. p. 21. Retrieved September 30, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "1997 DeVilbiss 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 30, 2022.