1997 TranSouth Financial 400

The 1997 TranSouth Financial 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 23, 1997, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 293 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would fiercely defend his lead against Roush Racing driver Ted Musgrave to take his tenth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his second victory of the season, and his second consecutive victory.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Musgrave and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

1997 TranSouth Financial 400
Race details
Race 5 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 TranSouth Financial 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip.
The 1997 TranSouth Financial 400 program cover, featuring Darrell Waltrip.
Date March 23, 1997
Official name 41st Annual TranSouth Financial 400
Location Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km)
Scheduled Distance 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km)
Average speed 121.162 miles per hour (194.991 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Robert Yates Racing
Time 28.742
Most laps led
Driver Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Laps 171
Winner
No. 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac Delco-Remy, 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
9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford Melling Racing
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
20 Greg Sacks Ranier-Walsh Racing Ford Hardee's
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 Robert Pressley 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 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

*Replaced by Phil Parsons in order for Joe Nemechek to mourn his brother John Nemechek, who had died in a racing accident.[3]

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 21, 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, March 22, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[4] Positions 26-38 would be decided on time, while positions 39-43 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 next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.

Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 28.742 and an average speed of 171.095 miles per hour (275.351 km/h).[5]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Dick Trickle, Billy Standridge, and Steve Grissom.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 28.742 171.095
2 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.750 171.047
3 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 28.773 170.910
4 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 28.801 170.744
5 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 28.831 170.566
6 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 28.897 170.177
7 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 28.928 169.994
8 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 28.946 169.889
9 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 28.949 169.871
10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.961 169.801
11 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 28.980 169.689
12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.993 169.613
13 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.002 169.561
14 19 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford 29.042 169.327
15 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 29.063 169.205
16 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.094 169.025
17 91 Mike Wallace LJ Racing Chevrolet 29.130 168.816
18 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 29.134 168.792
19 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 29.135 168.787
20 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 29.140 168.758
21 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 29.142 168.746
22 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 29.145 168.729
23 1 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac 29.155 168.671
24 20 Greg Sacks Ranier-Walsh Racing Ford 29.155 168.671
25 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.158 168.654
26 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 29.176 168.549
27 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.191 168.463
28 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.210 168.353
29 42 Phil Parsons Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.211 168.348
30 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 29.234 168.215
31 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.239 168.186
32 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 29.251 168.117
33 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 29.268 168.020
34 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.276 167.974
35 29 Robert Pressley Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 29.287 167.911
36 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 29.289 167.899
37 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 29.330 167.665
38 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.343 167.590
Provisionals
39 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac -* -*
40 22 Ward Burton Bill Elliott Racing Pontiac -* -*
41 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
42 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford -* -*
Champion's Provisional
43 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
45 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford -* -*
46 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

Fin[6] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 293 171 running 185 $142,860
2 21 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 293 0 running 170 $54,330
3 10 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 293 16 running 170 $56,240
4 6 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 293 49 running 165 $34,420
5 3 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 293 0 running 155 $38,275
6 15 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 293 0 running 150 $32,825
7 27 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 293 0 running 146 $26,545
8 13 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 293 0 running 142 $26,815
9 4 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 293 0 running 138 $25,210
10 36 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 293 0 running 134 $28,805
11 41 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 293 0 running 130 $24,150
12 23 1 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac 293 0 running 127 $23,820
13 12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 292 0 running 124 $34,235
14 30 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 292 0 running 121 $23,230
15 43 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 292 0 running 118 $28,625
16 18 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 292 0 running 115 $22,755
17 19 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 292 0 running 112 $15,500
18 40 22 Ward Burton Bill Elliott Racing Pontiac 292 0 running 109 $15,265
19 42 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 292 0 running 106 $22,020
20 25 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 292 0 running 103 $13,890
21 8 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 291 36 running 105 $28,070
22 26 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 291 0 running 97 $21,500
23 16 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 291 0 running 94 $26,055
24 5 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 291 0 running 91 $21,135
25 33 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 291 0 running 88 $21,165
26 7 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 291 6 running 90 $20,700
27 32 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 290 0 running 82 $10,610
28 20 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 290 0 running 79 $13,550
29 24 20 Greg Sacks Ranier-Walsh Racing Ford 289 0 running 76 $10,440
30 34 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 289 8 running 78 $10,405
31 29 42 Phil Parsons Team SABCO Chevrolet 289 0 running 70 $12,845
32 9 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 278 0 running 67 $26,310
33 28 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 264 0 running 64 $10,220
34 38 40 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 232 0 crash 61 $17,185
35 31 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 224 0 oil leak 58 $17,150
36 11 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 188 0 transmission 55 $17,115
37 39 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 183 0 oil pump 52 $25,101
38 14 19 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford 169 0 running 49 $9,954
39 35 29 Robert Pressley Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet 161 7 crash 51 $9,954
40 2 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 0 crash 43 $17,100
41 22 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 69 0 crash 40 $9,954
42 37 77 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 62 0 oil leak 37 $9,954
43 17 91 Mike Wallace LJ Racing Chevrolet 26 0 crash 34 $9,954
Failed to qualify
44 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford
45 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford
46 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Official race results

References

  1. Bonnell, Rick (March 23, 1997). "Jarrett's at the top of his game". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  2. McCollister, Tom (March 24, 1997). "Jarrett earns victory; Musgrave gets respect". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 19. Retrieved September 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. open access
  3. "Truck racer John Nemcheck dies". The Courier-Journal. March 22, 1997. p. 55. Retrieved September 23, 2022. open access
  4. "TranSouth 400". The Charlotte Observer. March 21, 1997. p. 29. Retrieved September 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. open access
  5. "Jarrett tops qualifying, Earnhardt 40th fastest". The Courier-Journal. March 22, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved September 23, 2022 via Newspapers.com. open access
  6. "1997 TranSouth Financial 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
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