| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1997 AC Delco 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. | |||
| Date | October 27, 1997 | ||
| Official name | 33rd Annual AC Delco 400 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.017 miles (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.
