1997 Brickyard 400

The 1997 Brickyard 400, the 4th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 2, 1997 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Contested at 160 laps on the 2.5 mile (4.023 km) speedway, it was the 19th race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Ricky Rudd won the race.

1997 Brickyard 400

Race details
Race 19 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
1997 Brickyard 400 program cover
Date	August 2, 1997 (1997-August-02)
Official name	Brickyard 400
Location	Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance	160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed	130.814 miles per hour (210.525 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Ernie Irvan	Robert Yates Racing
Most laps led
Driver	Ernie Irvan	Robert Yates Racing
Laps	39
Winner
No. 10	Ricky Rudd	Rudd Performance Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	ABC
Announcers	Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons
Nielsen Ratings	5.3/18

That was last Cup attempt of Tim Steele, he would pass away in 2024. Ron Barfield Jr. also raced his only NASCAR Winston Cup race here.

Background

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately six miles (10 km) west of Downtown Indianapolis. It is a four-turn rectangular-oval track that is 2.5 miles (4.023 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 9 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, has no banking. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a zero degree banking. The racetrack has seats for more than 250,000 spectators.

Summary

In the final twenty laps, Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, and Mark Martin held the top three spots, but none of the three would be able to make it to the finish without one final pit stop for fuel. Jeff Burton and Ricky Rudd also were close on fuel. On lap 145, Robby Gordon brushed the wall, and Burton ran over debris. Burton was forced to pit under green, but as he was finishing his stop, the caution came out. Burton flew out of the pits to beat the leaders, and for a moment it appeared he was in the cat bird's seat with four fresh tires, and would be the leader after all other drivers cycled through their stops. However, he was penalized for speeding while exiting the pit lane, and dropped to 15th. Ricky Rudd was among a few drivers who stayed out, and his gamble put him in the lead. Rudd drove the final 46 laps without a pit stop to take the victory.

Results

Pos	No.	Driver	Team	Manufacturer
1	10	Ricky Rudd	Rudd Performance Motorsports	Ford
2	18	Bobby Labonte	Joe Gibbs Racing	Pontiac
3	88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing	Ford
4	24	Jeff Gordon	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet
5	37	Jeremy Mayfield	Kranefuss-Haas Racing	Ford
6	6	Mark Martin	Roush Racing	Ford
7	30	Johnny Benson Jr.	Bahari Racing	Pontiac
8	94	Bill Elliott	Evernham Motorsports	Ford
9	31	Mike Skinner	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet
10	28	Ernie Irvan	Robert Yates Racing	Ford
11	33	Ken Schrader	Andy Petree Racing	Chevrolet
12	9	Lake Speed	Melling Racing	Ford
13	44	Kyle Petty	PE2 Motorsports	Pontiac
14	17	Darrell Waltrip	Darrell Waltrip Motorsports	Chevy
15	99	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing	Ford
16	25	Ricky Craven	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevy

Race statistics

• Time of race: 3:03:28
• Average Speed: 130.814 miles per hour (210.525 km/h)
• Pole Speed: 177.736
• Cautions: 6 for 25 laps
• Margin of Victory: 0.183 sec
• Lead changes: 19
• Percent of race run under caution: 15.6%
• Average green flag run: 19.3 laps

Media

Television

The race was aired live on ABC in the United States. Bob Jenkins and 1973 Cup Series champion Benny Parsons called the race from the broadcast booth. Jerry Punch, Bill Weber and Jack Arute handled pit road for the television side.

ABC
Booth announcers		Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap	Color-commentators
Bob Jenkins	Benny Parsons	Jerry Punch Bill Weber Jack Arute