# 1997 Dura Lube 500

The 1997 Dura Lube 500 was the 31st and penultimate stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 2, Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete. At race's end, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett, despite being one lap down earlier in the race, would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 15th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his seventh and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace and Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton would finish second and third, respectively.
Going into the final race of the season, the 1997 NAPA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a tight battle between the three mathematical eligible drivers for the championship, Jeff Gordon, Dale Jarrett, and Mark Martin was set. Gordon had 4,598 points, 77 points ahead of Jarrett and 87 points ahead of Martin. If Gordon was able to finish 18th or higher in the race, Gordon would automatically win the championship.

## Background

Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | R+L Carriers |
| 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 |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Advantage Camo |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Commander Produce |
| 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Burger King |
| 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 |
| 27 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | Action Performance Collectibles |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 52 | Jack Sprague | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser, ACDelco |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Realtree |
| 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Robert Pressley | 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, October 31, at 3:30 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, November 1, at 1:00 PM EST. 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.
Bobby Hamilton, driving for Petty Enterprises, would win the pole, setting a time of 27.360 and an average speed of 131.579 miles per hour (211.756 km/h).
In an obscure ruling, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ricky Craven would earn the 43rd spot based on an owner's points provisional, a spot which at the time was usually reserved to a driver who is a past champion who had not otherwise qualified into the field. At the time, if a champion did not need the spot, the field was only limited to 42 cars. Despite Craven using up all of his seven owner's provisionals within the 1997 season, he had placed the car within the top 38 within the owner's points, thus qualifying himself on an owner's points provisional.
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Wally Dallenbach Jr., Jack Sprague, Morgan Shepherd, and Gary Bradberry.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 27.360 | 131.579 |
| 2 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 27.495 | 130.933 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 27.566 | 130.596 |
| 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 27.633 | 130.279 |
| 5 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 27.647 | 130.213 |
| 6 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 27.651 | 130.194 |
| 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.661 | 130.147 |
| 8 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 27.684 | 130.039 |
| 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 27.688 | 130.020 |
| 10 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 27.690 | 130.011 |
| 11 | 27 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | 27.705 | 129.940 |
| 12 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.714 | 129.898 |
| 13 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 27.716 | 129.889 |
| 14 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.755 | 129.706 |
| 15 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 27.757 | 129.697 |
| 16 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 27.765 | 129.660 |
| 17 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 27.767 | 129.650 |
| 18 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 27.785 | 129.566 |
| 19 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.789 | 129.548 |
| 20 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.790 | 129.543 |
| 21 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 27.790 | 129.543 |
| 22 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 27.799 | 129.501 |
| 23 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.802 | 129.487 |
| 24 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 27.820 | 129.403 |
| 25 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 27.821 | 129.399 |
| 26 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.833 | 129.343 |
| 27 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 27.835 | 129.334 |
| 28 | 40 | Greg Sacks | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 27.865 | 129.194 |
| 29 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.868 | 129.180 |
| 30 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 27.870 | 129.171 |
| 31 | 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 27.888 | 129.088 |
| 32 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 27.889 | 129.083 |
| 33 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 27.900 | 129.032 |
| 34 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 27.916 | 128.958 |
| 35 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 27.917 | 128.954 |
| 36 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 27.959 | 128.760 |
| 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.980 | 128.663 |
| 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 27.998 | 128.581 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 41 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Owner's Points Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 52 | Jack Sprague | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 312 | 73 | running | 180 | $99,830 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 312 | 117 | running | 180 | $63,355 |
| 3 | 1 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 312 | 91 | running | 170 | $47,225 |
| 4 | 6 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 0 | running | 160 | $38,588 |
| 5 | 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 312 | 1 | running | 160 | $39,300 |
| 6 | 14 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 150 | $33,265 |
| 7 | 8 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 312 | 3 | running | 151 | $29,015 |
| 8 | 20 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 142 | $27,505 |
| 9 | 34 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 311 | 0 | running | 138 | $19,905 |
| 10 | 17 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 311 | 2 | running | 139 | $29,905 |
| 11 | 29 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 130 | $36,105 |
| 12 | 19 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 127 | $25,205 |
| 13 | 37 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 311 | 7 | running | 129 | $30,705 |
| 14 | 2 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 311 | 3 | running | 126 | $24,605 |
| 15 | 36 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 118 | $25,330 |
| 16 | 16 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 311 | 0 | running | 115 | $16,580 |
| 17 | 12 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 112 | $29,880 |
| 18 | 25 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 109 | $27,555 |
| 19 | 22 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 106 | $16,155 |
| 20 | 11 | 27 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | David Blair Motorsports | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 103 | $12,170 |
| 21 | 28 | 40 | Greg Sacks | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 100 | $15,745 |
| 22 | 23 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 97 | $22,620 |
| 23 | 4 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 310 | 0 | running | 94 | $27,095 |
| 24 | 18 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 91 | $15,445 |
| 25 | 42 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Pontiac | 310 | 0 | running | 88 | $15,320 |
| 26 | 30 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 310 | 0 | running | 85 | $22,195 |
| 27 | 26 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 15 | running | 87 | $27,970 |
| 28 | 32 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 79 | $16,045 |
| 29 | 41 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 76 | $14,920 |
| 30 | 33 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 73 | $21,895 |
| 31 | 5 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 70 | $21,370 |
| 32 | 40 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 67 | $11,595 |
| 33 | 15 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 64 | $18,570 |
| 34 | 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 309 | 0 | running | 61 | $11,545 |
| 35 | 21 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 308 | 0 | running | 58 | $18,520 |
| 36 | 39 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 308 | 0 | running | 55 | $26,495 |
| 37 | 10 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 307 | 0 | running | 52 | $11,450 |
| 38 | 24 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 302 | 0 | running | 49 | $11,390 |
| 39 | 35 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 46 | $18,390 |
| 40 | 13 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 294 | 0 | ignition | 43 | $11,390 |
| 41 | 31 | 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 240 | 0 | engine | 40 | $11,390 |
| 42 | 27 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 128 | 0 | crash | 37 | $18,390 |
| 43 | 43 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39 | 0 | crash | 34 | $18,390 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 52 | Jack Sprague | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||