# 1997 Jiffy Lube 300

The 1997 Jiffy Lube 300 was the 17th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the fifth iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 13, 1997, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would manage to dominate the final third of the race to take his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

### Entry list

* (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 | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 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 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 79 | Randy MacDonald | T.R.I.X. Racing | Chevrolet | T.R.I.X. Racing |
| 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 | 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, July 11. 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, July 12. 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.
Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.429 and an average speed of 129.423 miles per hour (208.286 km/h).
Billy Standridge was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.429 | 129.423 |
| 2 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.440 | 129.375 |
| 3 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.463 | 129.274 |
| 4 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.526 | 128.998 |
| 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.530 | 128.981 |
| 6 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.539 | 128.941 |
| 7 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.542 | 128.928 |
| 8 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.542 | 128.928 |
| 9 | 1 | Jerry Nadeau | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 29.552 | 128.885 |
| 10 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.553 | 128.880 |
| 11 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.591 | 128.715 |
| 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 29.618 | 128.597 |
| 13 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.651 | 128.454 |
| 14 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 29.691 | 128.281 |
| 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.699 | 128.247 |
| 16 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.704 | 128.225 |
| 17 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.733 | 128.100 |
| 18 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 29.733 | 128.100 |
| 19 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 29.736 | 128.087 |
| 20 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.740 | 128.070 |
| 21 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 29.751 | 128.023 |
| 22 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 29.758 | 127.992 |
| 23 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 29.767 | 127.954 |
| 24 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 29.769 | 127.945 |
| 25 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.787 | 127.868 |
| 26 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.789 | 127.859 |
| 27 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.790 | 127.855 |
| 28 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.798 | 127.821 |
| 29 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.806 | 127.786 |
| 30 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 29.841 | 127.636 |
| 31 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 29.854 | 127.581 |
| 32 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.858 | 127.564 |
| 33 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.870 | 127.513 |
| 34 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.875 | 127.491 |
| 35 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.897 | 127.397 |
| 36 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 29.934 | 127.240 |
| 37 | 79 | Randy MacDonald | T.R.I.X. Racing | Chevrolet | 29.942 | 127.206 |
| 38 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 30.209 | 126.082 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 99 | running | 185 | $117,875 |
| 2 | 26 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 170 | $82,950 |
| 3 | 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 165 | $55,525 |
| 4 | 6 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 160 | $47,675 |
| 5 | 16 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 155 | $44,650 |
| 6 | 23 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 150 | $39,825 |
| 7 | 10 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 4 | running | 151 | $46,325 |
| 8 | 11 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 42 | running | 147 | $38,625 |
| 9 | 18 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 138 | $38,325 |
| 10 | 14 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 134 | $38,225 |
| 11 | 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 12 | running | 135 | $40,825 |
| 12 | 30 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 127 | $35,025 |
| 13 | 7 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 124 | $26,725 |
| 14 | 8 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 299 | 1 | crash | 126 | $33,425 |
| 15 | 40 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 118 | $34,525 |
| 16 | 3 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 1 | running | 120 | $34,225 |
| 17 | 22 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 112 | $25,400 |
| 18 | 32 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 109 | $32,150 |
| 19 | 36 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 106 | $31,900 |
| 20 | 31 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 103 | $26,600 |
| 21 | 27 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 100 | $25,375 |
| 22 | 13 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 97 | $36,925 |
| 23 | 29 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 94 | $37,975 |
| 24 | 21 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 0 | running | 91 | $20,625 |
| 25 | 28 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 88 | $23,675 |
| 26 | 25 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 85 | $30,425 |
| 27 | 17 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 298 | 0 | running | 82 | $35,150 |
| 28 | 24 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 79 | $30,000 |
| 29 | 33 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 297 | 0 | running | 76 | $29,850 |
| 30 | 4 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 297 | 0 | running | 73 | $22,225 |
| 31 | 2 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 297 | 43 | running | 75 | $37,100 |
| 32 | 34 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | running | 67 | $19,475 |
| 33 | 20 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | running | 64 | $26,350 |
| 34 | 42 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 296 | 0 | running | 61 | $26,225 |
| 35 | 41 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 295 | 0 | running | 58 | $19,100 |
| 36 | 35 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 294 | 0 | running | 55 | $25,975 |
| 37 | 38 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 293 | 0 | running | 52 | $18,850 |
| 38 | 5 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 293 | 98 | running | 54 | $51,900 |
| 39 | 9 | 1 | Jerry Nadeau | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 281 | 0 | brakes | 46 | $25,600 |
| 40 | 19 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 275 | 0 | running | 43 | $18,600 |
| 41 | 37 | 79 | Randy MacDonald | T.R.I.X. Racing | Chevrolet | 148 | 0 | brakes | 40 | $18,600 |
| 42 | 39 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 55 | 0 | electrical | 37 | $25,600 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||