Race details | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 30 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
Date | October 27, 1997 | ||
Official name | 33rd Annual AC Delco 400 | ||
Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 1.017 mi (1.636 km) | ||
Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
Scheduled Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
Average speed | 121.73 miles per hour (195.91 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
Time | 23.365 | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Laps | 139 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | |
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 AC Delco 400 was the 30th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 33rd iteration of the event. The race was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 26, 1997, but was postponed to Monday, October 27, due to rain. [1] The race was held in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton would manage to make a late-race charge to lead to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. [2] [3] To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Craven would finish second and third, respectively.
North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School. [4]
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 24, at 2:00 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, October 25, at 9:45 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. [5] 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 Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.365 and an average speed of 156.696 miles per hour (252.178 km/h). [6]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Brett Bodine, Dave Marcis, Ed Berrier, and Kenny Irwin Jr.
*Time not available.
The 1986 Goodwrench 500 was the third stock car race of the 1986 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 21st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 2, 1986, before an audience of 47,500 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Motor Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete.
The 1995 Coca-Cola 600 was the 11th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 36th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 28, 1995, before an audience of 175,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to dominate the late stages of the race with the help of changing his racing line according to Labonte. The victory was Labonte's first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Bahari Racing driver Michael Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1995 Goodwrench 500 was the second stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 26, 1995, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Motor Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2002 Subway 400 was the second stock car race of the 2002 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 37th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 24, 2002, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Matt Kenseth, driving for Roush Racing, would dominate the late stages of the race and win under caution when NASCAR determined oil and debris had made racing conditions unsafe with five to go. The win was Kenseth's second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first win of the season. To fill out the podium, Sterling Marlin of Chip Ganassi Racing and Bobby Labonte of Joe Gibbs Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 2000 Dura Lube/Kmart 400 was the second stock car race of the 2000 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 27, 2000, in Rockingham, North Carolina at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent D-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would hold off Dale Earnhardt and win after leading the final 113 laps. This was Labonte's 13th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series win and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Dale Earnhardt of Richard Childress Racing and Ward Burton of Bill Davis Racing would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1999 Dura Lube/Big K 400 was the second stock car race of the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 21, 1999, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to pull away with nine to go to win his 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1999 Pop Secret Microwave Popcorn 400 was the 31st stock car race of the 2001 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 35th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 24, 1999, before an audience of 50,000 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would manage to pull away from the field with 68 to go to win his 11th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth and final victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Bill Davis Racing driver Ward Burton and Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1998 AC Delco 400 was the 32nd stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 1, 1998, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to make a late race pass on Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace to take his 41st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his 12th victory of the season.
The 1996 Goodwrench Service 400 was the second stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 25, 1996, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In a controversial and wreck-filled race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to pass for the lead with 15 to go to take his 69th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Larry Hedrick Motorsports driver Ricky Craven would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1996 AC Delco 400 was the 29th stock car race of the 1996 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 20, 1996, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. At race's end, Ricky Rudd, driving for his own Rudd Performance Motorsports team, would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. Meanwhile, third-place finisher, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte, would manage to overtake the points lead from teammate Jeff Gordon, leading Gordon by 32 points. To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second.
The 1995 AC Delco 400 was the 29th stock car race of the 1995 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 22, 1995, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Motor Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. On the final restart of the race with 10 to go, Bill Davis Racing driver Ward Burton would manage to defend the field to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1994 Goodwrench 500 was the second stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 27, 1994, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to dominate the majority of the race to take his 32nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin and Precision Products Racing driver Rick Mast would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1994 AC Delco 500 was the 29th stock car race of the 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 23, 1994, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would manage to defend against Precision Products Racing driver Rick Mast to take his 63rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Rick Mast and Wood Brothers Racing driver Morgan Shepherd would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1993 AC Delco 500 was the 28th stock car race of the 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 24, 1993, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete. At race's end, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to continue his championship pursuit on driver's championship leader, Dale Earnhardt, cutting down his lead to 72 points. The victory was Wallace's 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his ninth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Earnhardt and Junior Johnson & Associates driver Bill Elliott would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1992 AC Delco 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 25, 1992, before an audience of 62,300 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete. At race's end, SABCO Racing driver Kyle Petty would dominate the race to take his sixth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Ernie Irvan and Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1991 AC Delco 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1991 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 27th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 20, 1991, before an audience of 57,700 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 492 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would suffer a faulty final pit-stop on lap 452, leading towards Robert Yates Racing driver Davey Allison to take the lead for the final 17 laps of the race. The victory was Allison's 12th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Harry Gant and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1990 AC Delco 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1990 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 21, 1990, before an audience of 55,800 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. At race's end, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott and Leo Jackson Motorsports driver Harry Gant would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1989 AC Delco 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1989 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 25th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 22, 1989, before an audience of 52,500 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to dominate the late stages of the race, leading the final 77 laps to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace and Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip would finish second and third, respectively.
The 1988 AC Delco 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 24th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 23, 1988, before an audience of 52,400 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack.
The 1987 AC Delco 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1987 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 23rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 25, 1987, before an audience of 60,000 in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack.