1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300

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1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300
Race details
Race 9 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300.jpeg
The 1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace.
DateMay 4, 1997
Official name 9th Annual Save Mart Supermarkets 300
Location Sonoma, California, Sears Point Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 4.06 km (2.52 miles)
Distance 74 laps, 186.48 mi (300.11 km)
Scheduled distance 74 laps, 186.48 mi (300.11 km)
Average speed 75.788 miles per hour (121.969 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Roush Racing
Time 1:37.751
Most laps led
Driver Mark Martin Roush Racing
Laps 69
Winner
No. 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 was the ninth stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the third race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the ninth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 4, 1997, in Sonoma, California, at the Grand Prix layout of Sears Point Raceway, a 2.52 miles (4.06 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 74 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would dominate the majority of the race to take his 19th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. [1] [2] To fill out the top three, Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte, both driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.

Contents

Background

The layout of Sears Point Raceway used by NASCAR at the time. Infineon (Sears Point) with emphasis on Long track.svg
The layout of Sears Point Raceway used by NASCAR at the time.

Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long; [3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout. [4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km). [5]

Entry list

#DriverTeamMakeSponsor
00W Scott Gaylord Oliver Racing Chevrolet Oliver Gravity Seperators
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
07 Sean Woodside Golden West Motorsports Pontiac Cinema Vehicle Services
8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Circuit City
9 Jeff Davis Melling Racing Ford Ultra Shield
09W R. K. Smith Smith Racing Pontiac Smith Racing
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Close Call Phone Card
15W Rick Scribner Scribner Racing Chevrolet Scribner Racing
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford PrimeStar, The Family Channel
16W Bill McAnally Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
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 Lance Hooper 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
35 Larry Gunselman Race Stuff Motorsports Ford Caterpillar
36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Skittles
37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Kmart, RC Cola
38 Butch Gilliland Stroppe Motorsports Ford Stroppe Motorsports
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
45W Gary Smith Strauser Racing Chevrolet TootsieToy
46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet First Union
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 Tom Hubert Triad Motorsports Ford Diamond Rio, Hanes
78W Chuck Pruett Golden Gate Racing Chevrolet Golden Gate Racing
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford Square D
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
89W Wayne Jacks Jacks Motorsports Pontiac Las Vegas Motor Speedway
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

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, May 3, at 6:00 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, May 4, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. [6] 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.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:37.751 and an average speed of 92.807 miles per hour (149.358 km/h). [7]

13 drivers would fail to qualify: Rick Mast, Joe Nemechek, R. K. Smith, Robert Pressley, Chad Little, Gary Smith, David Green, Dick Trickle, Chuck Pruett, Bill McAnally, Scott Gaylord, Wayne Jacks, and Rick Scribner.

Full qualifying results

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
16 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 1:37.75192.807
22 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 1:38.04192.533
324 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.10692.471
45 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.14792.533
511 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 1:38.36392.230
621 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1:38.54592.059
77 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 1:38.59792.011
888 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:38.63191.979
946 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 1:38.67091.943
1010 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 1:38.73591.882
1144 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1:38.78591.836
1216 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 1:38.84991.776
1394 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 1:38.95591.678
1422 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 1:38.95691.677
1533 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 1:39.05891.583
164 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.09291.551
1798 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 1:39.11591.530
1840 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 1:39.31291.348
1931 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:39.38991.278
2099 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 1:39.39091.277
2136 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1:39.49991.177
228 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 1:39.55291.128
2343 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1:39.58991.094
2428 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:39.59491.090
2523 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 1:39.63691.051
2617 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 1:38.44692.152
2778 Tom Hubert Triad Motorsports Ford 1:38.76391.856
2838 Butch Gilliland Stroppe Motorsports Ford 1:38.89891.731
2918 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 1:38.98491.651
3071 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 1:39.23491.420
3177 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 1:39.24791.408
323 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:39.31791.344
3341 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:39.33591.327
3491 Mike Wallace LJ Racing Chevrolet 1:39.57791.105
3530 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 1:39.61091.075
3681 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 1:39.69690.997
3720 Lance Hooper Ranier-Walsh Racing Ford 1:39.88290.827
3819 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford 1:39.88790.823
Winston Cup provisionals
3937 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford -*-*
4025 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet -*-*
411 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac -*-*
429 Jeff Davis Melling Racing Ford -*-*
Winston West provisionals
4307 Sean Woodside Golden West Motorsports Pontiac -*-*
4435 Larry Gunselman Race Stuff Motorsports Ford -*-*
Failed to qualify
4575 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford -*-*
4642 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet -*-*
4709W R. K. Smith Smith Racing Pontiac -*-*
4829 Robert Pressley Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet -*-*
4997 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac -*-*
5045W Gary Smith Strauser Racing Chevrolet -*-*
5196 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet -*-*
5290 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford -*-*
5378W Chuck Pruett Golden Gate Racing Chevrolet -*-*
5416W Bill McAnally Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet -*-*
5500W Scott Gaylord Oliver Racing Chevrolet -*-*
5689W Wayne Jacks Jacks Motorsports Pontiac -*-*
5715W Rick Scribner Scribner Racing Chevrolet -*-*
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

Fin [8] St#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
116 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 7469running185$113,995
2324 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 740running170$66,065
345 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 741running170$63,700
4888 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 742running165$50,135
52617 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 740running155$35,920
6511 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 740running150$40,795
7621 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 740running146$37,345
82428 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 740running142$40,145
92099 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 740running138$39,595
101422 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 740running134$32,440
111216 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 740running130$34,880
12323 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 740running127$39,580
131144 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 740running124$22,980
142523 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 740running121$33,680
15946 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 740running118$23,930
161931 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 740running115$22,830
173341 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 740running112$32,855
182136 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 740running109$21,705
192343 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 740running106$36,680
202918 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 740running103$41,105
213530 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 740running100$32,555
223491 Mike Wallace LJ Racing Chevrolet 740running97$23,505
23411 Morgan Shepherd Precision Products Racing Pontiac 740running94$32,280
242838 Butch Gilliland Stroppe Motorsports Ford 740running91$21,410
253071 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 740running88$25,350
26164 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 740running85$37,380
273937 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 730running82$24,965
282778 Tom Hubert Triad Motorsports Ford 730running79$21,350
29228 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 730running76$31,840
301798 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 730running73$31,710
311533 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 730running70$31,290
321394 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 700running67$31,140
334307 Sean Woodside Golden West Motorsports Pontiac 690running64$20,905
341010 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 660running61$45,890
353177 Bobby Hillin Jr. Jasper Motorsports Ford 640running58$23,965
363681 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 610accident55$30,850
37429 Jeff Davis Melling Racing Ford 600accident52$30,745
384435 Larry Gunselman Race Stuff Motorsports Ford 600rear end49$20,720
394025 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 580running46$30,220
4022 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 472engine48$38,720
411840 Robby Gordon (R) Team SABCO Chevrolet 430engine40$27,720
423720 Lance Hooper Ranier-Walsh Racing Ford 400engine37$21,820
433819 Gary Bradberry TriStar Motorsports Ford 310engine34$20,720
4477 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 100engine31$29,220
Failed to qualify
4575 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford
4642 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet
4709W R. K. Smith Smith Racing Pontiac
4829 Robert Pressley Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet
4997 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac
5045W Gary Smith Strauser Racing Chevrolet
5196 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet
5290 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford
5378W Chuck Pruett Golden Gate Racing Chevrolet
5416W Bill McAnally Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet
5500W Scott Gaylord Oliver Racing Chevrolet
5689W Wayne Jacks Jacks Motorsports Pontiac
5715W Rick Scribner Scribner Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

References

  1. Green Jr., Ron (May 4, 1997). "Martin finds road to victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  2. "Martin finally breaks dry spell". The Daily News Leader. May 5, 1997. p. 9. Retrieved September 26, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  4. "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". June 7, 2011. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  5. "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". September 29, 2007. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  6. "Save Mart 300". The Charlotte Observer . May 2, 1997. p. 17. Retrieved September 26, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  7. "Martin can break drought at Sears Point". Messenger-Inquirer. May 4, 1997. p. 12. Retrieved September 26, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  8. "1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
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1997 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Martinsville)
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 season
Next race:
1997 Winston 500
Previous race:
1997 Winston 200
NASCAR Winston West Series
1997 season
Next race:
1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 200