1997 Interstate Batteries 500
The 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on April 6, 1997, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. The race was the inaugural Cup Series race at the track, and it was the first time Interstate Batteries served as a sponsor for NASCAR.[2] The race was the sixth of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The pace car was the Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34 with a 3.8L engine, the first of its kind to serve as a pace car.[3] As qualifying was canceled due to rain,[4] the pole position was awarded to points leader Dale Jarrett of Yates Racing. Terry Labonte of Hendrick Motorsports led the most laps with 104, while Roush Racing's Jeff Burton scored his first Cup Series victory after leading 60 laps, including the final 58.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 Simple line diagram of Texas Motor Speedway track layout | |||
| Date | April 6, 1997 | ||
| Official name | Inaugural Interstate Batteries 500 | ||
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures of 71.6 °F (22.0 °C); wind speeds of 14 miles per hour (23 km/h)[1] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | Set by 1997 owner's points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 104 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Traffic delays
As a result of the rain, besides qualifying being canceled, many of the track's parking lots were flooded. Track owner Bruton Smith received help from the Texas Department of Transportation, which closed down a portion of Texas State Highway 170 to use it as a parking lot. Although the parking lot issue was solved, traffic concerns arose, and on race day, by 8 AM, traffic on Interstate 35W stopped 16 miles south of the track. Due to the traffic, pianist Van Cliburn, who was scheduled to perform the national anthem at the race, had his helicopter delayed and could not perform.[5]
Race
The race started with a 13-car crash on the first lap.[4] The crash was the first in a wreck-laden race, with ten cautions and 73 laps under the yellow flag,[6] the most in track history.[7] Late in the race, Jeff Burton took the lead, and led the final 58 laps of the race to win his first career Cup race. Dale Jarrett finished second, followed by Bobby Labonte, Terry Labonte, and Ricky Rudd.[8]
Results
Top 10 finishers
| Pos[8] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Points | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Ford | 334 | 60 | 180 | 4:00:16 |
| 2 | 1 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Ford | 334 | 42 | 175 | +4.067 seconds |
| 3 | 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Pontiac | 334 | 2 | 170 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 4 | 3 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | 334 | 104 | 170 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 5 | 8 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Ford | 334 | 26 | 160 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 6 | 15 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | 334 | 0 | 150 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 7 | 12 | 22 | Ward Burton | Pontiac | 334 | 0 | 146 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 8 | 22 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Chevrolet | 334 | 2 | 147 | Lead lap under green flag |
| 9 | 21 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Ford | 333 | 0 | 138 | +1 lap |
| 10 | 35 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Chevrolet | 332 | 0 | 134 | +2 laps |
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1  |
Dale Jarrett | 994 | 0 |
2  |
Terry Labonte | 899 | -95 |
| 3 |
Bobby Labonte | 858 | -136 |
| 4 |
Jeff Burton | 837 | -157 |
5  |
Jeff Gordon | 810 | -184 |
| 6 |
Ricky Rudd | 775 | -219 |
| 7 |
Geoff Bodine | 740 | -254 |
| 8 |
Ward Burton | 709 | -285 |
| 8 |
Mark Martin | 709 | -285 |
| 10 |
Dale Earnhardt | 703 | -291 |
References
- "1997 Interstate Batteries 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
- "Interstate History & Milestones". Interstate Batteries. Archived from the original on 2013-11-16. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
- "Chevrolet Monte Carlo Paces Texas Motor Speedway's First Race". The Auto Channel. 1997-03-27. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
- "Interstate Batteries 500". Derrike Cope. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
- Aumann, Mark (2011-07-15). "Retro: Traffic issues date back to early days of NASCAR". NASCAR. Archived from the original on 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
- "1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Recap". HowStuffWorks. Archived from the original on 2013-05-28. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
- Beaver, Dan (2012-11-01). "NASCAR Picks Pack: Texas". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
- "1997 Interstate Batteries 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-07-03.