The 1997 Pepsi 400 was the 16th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 5, 1997, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. In a one-lap restart to the finish, Cale Yarborough Motorsports driver John Andretti would manage to defend the field in a close finish to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin would finish second and third, respectively.

1997 Pepsi 400
Race details
Race 16 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 Pepsi 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
The 1997 Pepsi 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
Date July 5, 1997
Official name 39th Annual Pepsi 400
Location Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Scheduled Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Average speed 157.791 miles per hour (253.940 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Richard Childress Racing
Time 47.424
Most laps led
Driver John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports
Laps 113
Winner
No. 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Daytona International Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.[3] The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.[4]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac R+L Carriers, 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
8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford Circuit City
9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford Melling Racing
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Close Call Phone Card
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford PrimeStar, The Family Channel
17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet Parts America
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
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 Jeff Green (R) 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
36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Skittles
37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford Kmart, RC Cola
40 Greg Sacks 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
46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet First Union
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Realtree
75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Stren Fishing Lines, Remington Arms
77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul
78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford Hanes
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford Square D
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
91 Loy Allen Jr. 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

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 3, at 3:00 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 Friday, July 4. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. 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.

Mike Skinner, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 47.424 and an average speed of 189.777 miles per hour (305.416 km/h).[5]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Loy Allen Jr., Geoff Bodine, and Jeff Green.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 47.424 189.777
2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 47.428 189.761
3 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 47.513 189.422
4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 47.529 189.358
5 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 47.618 189.004
6 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 47.656 188.853
7 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford 47.672 188.790
8 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 47.673 188.786
9 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 47.678 188.766
10 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 47.720 188.600
11 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 47.751 188.478
12 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 47.755 188.462
13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 47.815 188.225
14 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 47.854 188.072
15 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 47.859 188.052
16 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 47.878 187.978
17 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 47.913 187.840
18 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 47.915 187.833
19 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 47.954 187.680
20 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 47.958 187.664
21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 47.971 187.613
22 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 48.020 187.422
23 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 48.027 187.395
24 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 48.027 187.395
25 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 48.066 187.243
26 40 Robby Gordon Team SABCO Chevrolet 48.071 187.223
27 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 48.095 187.130
28 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 48.124 187.017
29 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 48.171 186.834
30 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 48.177 186.811
31 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 48.187 186.772
32 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 48.208 186.691
33 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 48.271 186.447
34 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 48.318 186.266
35 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 48.334 186.204
36 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 48.345 186.162
37 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 48.377 186.039
38 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 48.393 185.977
Provisionals
39 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
40 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
41 1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac -* -*
42 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Failed to qualify
43 91 Loy Allen Jr. LJ Racing Chevrolet -* -*
44 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
45 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[6] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 3 98 John Andretti Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 160 113 running 185 $109,525
2 35 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 0 running 170 $74,975
3 30 4 Sterling Marlin Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 160 0 running 165 $53,775
4 2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 160 7 running 165 $52,475
5 16 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 160 0 running 155 $45,975
6 6 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 160 0 running 150 $40,850
7 38 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 160 2 running 151 $30,550
8 23 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 160 0 running 142 $36,500
9 24 28 Ernie Irvan Robert Yates Racing Ford 160 0 running 138 $35,500
10 20 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 160 0 running 134 $40,000
11 27 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 160 0 running 130 $30,565
12 22 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 160 0 running 127 $29,975
13 31 37 Jeremy Mayfield Kranefuss-Haas Racing Ford 160 0 running 124 $22,585
14 34 17 Darrell Waltrip Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Chevrolet 160 1 running 126 $29,245
15 14 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 160 0 running 118 $30,455
16 15 30 Johnny Benson Jr. Bahari Racing Pontiac 160 0 running 115 $28,615
17 37 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 160 0 running 112 $23,175
18 9 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 160 0 running 109 $27,860
19 36 96 David Green (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 160 0 running 106 $17,920
20 25 43 Bobby Hamilton Petty Enterprises Pontiac 160 0 running 103 $32,655
21 4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 1 running 105 $85,135
22 26 40 Robby Gordon Team SABCO Chevrolet 160 0 running 97 $26,915
23 40 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 160 1 running 99 $26,545
24 11 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 160 0 running 91 $19,325
25 12 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 159 0 crash 88 $19,080
26 21 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 159 4 crash 90 $25,820
27 18 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 159 26 crash 87 $30,465
28 28 36 Derrike Cope MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 159 0 crash 79 $18,445
29 10 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 159 0 crash 76 $18,225
30 41 1 Jerry Nadeau Precision Products Racing Pontiac 159 0 crash 73 $25,130
31 5 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 159 0 running 70 $24,575
32 32 77 Morgan Shepherd Jasper Motorsports Ford 159 0 running 67 $15,045
33 17 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 158 2 running 69 $22,015
34 13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 155 0 crash 61 $29,985
35 8 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 155 1 crash 63 $21,955
36 19 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Ford 155 0 crash 55 $21,925
37 39 25 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 155 0 running 52 $21,896
38 42 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 153 0 running 49 $21,850
39 33 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 149 0 running 46 $14,850
40 7 78 Billy Standridge Triad Motorsports Ford 39 0 crash 43 $14,850
41 1 31 Mike Skinner (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 37 2 crash 45 $21,850
42 29 97 Chad Little Mark Rypien Motorsports Pontiac 32 0 crash 37 $15,350
Failed to qualify
43 91 Loy Allen Jr. LJ Racing Chevrolet
44 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford
45 29 Jeff Green (R) Diamond Ridge Motorsports Chevrolet
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Green Jr., Ron (July 5, 1997). "Andretti flexes muscle". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  2. ^ Kerasotis, Peter (July 6, 1997). "Andretti rules Daytona". Florida Today. p. 27. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "NASCAR.COM : Tracks". 2010-08-11. Archived from the original on 2010-08-11. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  4. ^ "Daytona International Speedway: The World Center of Racing". 2010-08-30. Archived from the original on 2010-08-30. Retrieved 2021-10-17.
  5. ^ Ferguson, Doug (July 4, 1997). "Skinner wins pole in Daytona". The Beaufort Gazette. p. 16. Retrieved September 29, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ "1997 Pepsi 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
Previous race:
1997 California 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1997 season
Next race:
1997 Jiffy Lube 300