| 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 | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (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 | ||
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.
