# 1997 DeVilbiss 400

The 1997 DeVilbiss 400 was the 21st stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 28th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 17, 1997, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to come back from a blown tire to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 21st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Ted Musgrave would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Lance Hooper | 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 | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC 24 Hour Gold Rush |
| 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, Tom and Jerry, Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken |
| 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 | 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 |
| 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 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul |
| 78 | Gary Bradberry | 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 |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | 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, August 15. 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, August 16. 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.
Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Bahari Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 39.273 and an average speed of 183.332 miles per hour (295.044 km/h).
Dave Marcis was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 39.273 | 183.332 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.356 | 182.945 |
| 3 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.360 | 182.927 |
| 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.395 | 182.764 |
| 5 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.420 | 182.648 |
| 6 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 39.441 | 182.551 |
| 7 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.446 | 182.528 |
| 8 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 39.448 | 182.519 |
| 9 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 39.450 | 182.510 |
| 10 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.498 | 182.288 |
| 11 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.501 | 182.274 |
| 12 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 39.510 | 182.232 |
| 13 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.559 | 182.007 |
| 14 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.561 | 181.997 |
| 15 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 39.584 | 181.892 |
| 16 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 39.587 | 181.878 |
| 17 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.607 | 181.786 |
| 18 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Pontiac | 39.613 | 181.759 |
| 19 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.620 | 181.726 |
| 20 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.646 | 181.607 |
| 21 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 39.647 | 181.603 |
| 22 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.684 | 181.433 |
| 23 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 39.709 | 181.319 |
| 24 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 39.738 | 181.187 |
| 25 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 39.739 | 181.182 |
| 26 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.750 | 181.132 |
| 27 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 39.762 | 181.077 |
| 28 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 39.790 | 180.950 |
| 29 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.801 | 180.900 |
| 30 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.825 | 180.791 |
| 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 39.829 | 180.773 |
| 32 | 1 | Lance Hooper | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 39.829 | 180.773 |
| 33 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 39.894 | 180.478 |
| 34 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 39.938 | 180.279 |
| 35 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 39.952 | 180.216 |
| 36 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 39.963 | 180.167 |
| 37 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.971 | 180.131 |
| 38 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 40.024 | 179.892 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 102 | running | 185 | $93,045 |
| 2 | 17 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 175 | $85,728 |
| 3 | 7 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 39 | running | 170 | $59,945 |
| 4 | 20 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 160 | $46,295 |
| 5 | 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $46,848 |
| 6 | 6 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 4 | running | 155 | $42,265 |
| 7 | 24 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $38,473 |
| 8 | 5 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 36 | running | 147 | $37,290 |
| 9 | 28 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $37,940 |
| 10 | 14 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $47,290 |
| 11 | 10 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 200 | 7 | running | 135 | $31,465 |
| 12 | 3 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 6 | running | 132 | $31,160 |
| 13 | 43 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $36,165 |
| 14 | 8 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $30,065 |
| 15 | 26 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 118 | $30,565 |
| 16 | 16 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 115 | $22,015 |
| 17 | 29 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 112 | $29,665 |
| 18 | 13 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 109 | $21,265 |
| 19 | 39 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 106 | $27,965 |
| 20 | 23 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 103 | $22,865 |
| 21 | 42 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 100 | $20,315 |
| 22 | 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 97 | $27,115 |
| 23 | 33 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 94 | $19,890 |
| 24 | 1 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 5 | running | 96 | $32,190 |
| 25 | 22 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 88 | $26,440 |
| 26 | 35 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 85 | $31,140 |
| 27 | 30 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 82 | $19,065 |
| 28 | 40 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 79 | $26,015 |
| 29 | 27 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 76 | $30,915 |
| 30 | 34 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 198 | 0 | running | 73 | $18,365 |
| 31 | 37 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 70 | $22,690 |
| 32 | 41 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 67 | $22,640 |
| 33 | 12 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 64 | $15,590 |
| 34 | 32 | 1 | Lance Hooper | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 61 | $22,540 |
| 35 | 25 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 58 | $22,490 |
| 36 | 38 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 55 | $22,465 |
| 37 | 36 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 52 | $15,440 |
| 38 | 21 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 49 | $22,365 |
| 39 | 9 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 46 | $15,365 |
| 40 | 15 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 167 | 0 | running | 43 | $15,365 |
| 41 | 11 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 164 | 0 | electrical | 40 | $16,865 |
| 42 | 18 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Pontiac | 164 | 0 | running | 37 | $15,365 |
| 43 | 19 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | engine | 34 | $31,365 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||