# 1997 MBNA 400

The 1997 MBNA 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 21, 1997, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Depending on fuel mileage, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to save enough fuel to secure his 22nd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth and final victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt and Petty Enterprises driver Kyle Petty would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.
The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### 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 |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Brett Bodine Racing |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 Mac Tonight |
| 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, September 19, 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 Saturday, September 20, at 11:30 AM 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.
Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.679 and an average speed of 152.033 miles per hour (244.673 km/h).
Steve Park was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.679 | 152.033 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.718 | 151.783 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.768 | 151.464 |
| 4 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.831 | 151.064 |
| 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.854 | 150.918 |
| 6 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 23.870 | 150.817 |
| 7 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.886 | 150.716 |
| 8 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.890 | 150.691 |
| 9 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 23.954 | 150.288 |
| 10 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.970 | 150.188 |
| 11 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 23.971 | 150.181 |
| 12 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Pontiac | 23.972 | 150.175 |
| 13 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 23.979 | 150.131 |
| 14 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 23.982 | 150.113 |
| 15 | 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 23.993 | 150.044 |
| 16 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 24.000 | 150.000 |
| 17 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 24.014 | 149.913 |
| 18 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 24.023 | 149.856 |
| 19 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 24.028 | 149.825 |
| 20 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 24.040 | 149.750 |
| 21 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.053 | 149.669 |
| 22 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 24.054 | 149.663 |
| 23 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 24.060 | 149.626 |
| 24 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 24.061 | 149.620 |
| 25 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 24.065 | 149.595 |
| 26 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 24.001 | 149.994 |
| 27 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 24.070 | 149.564 |
| 28 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.079 | 149.508 |
| 29 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 24.082 | 149.489 |
| 30 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.123 | 149.235 |
| 31 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 24.161 | 149.000 |
| 32 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 24.185 | 148.853 |
| 33 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 24.197 | 148.779 |
| 34 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 24.198 | 148.773 |
| 35 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 24.210 | 148.699 |
| 36 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 24.230 | 148.576 |
| 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 24.292 | 148.197 |
| 38 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 24.400 | 147.541 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 194 | running | 185 | $195,305 |
| 2 | 33 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 4 | running | 175 | $63,105 |
| 3 | 23 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 400 | 191 | running | 170 | $40,205 |
| 4 | 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $41,465 |
| 5 | 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 155 | $39,845 |
| 6 | 16 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 150 | $34,440 |
| 7 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 11 | running | 151 | $38,190 |
| 8 | 13 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 142 | $29,990 |
| 9 | 31 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 138 | $32,340 |
| 10 | 9 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 134 | $32,390 |
| 11 | 39 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 130 | $33,190 |
| 12 | 14 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 127 | $27,090 |
| 13 | 34 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 124 | $30,390 |
| 14 | 25 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 121 | $26,390 |
| 15 | 6 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 118 | $26,990 |
| 16 | 22 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 115 | $31,590 |
| 17 | 8 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 112 | $25,590 |
| 18 | 4 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 395 | 0 | running | 109 | $18,375 |
| 19 | 30 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 394 | 0 | running | 106 | $19,090 |
| 20 | 7 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 394 | 0 | running | 103 | $19,190 |
| 21 | 28 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 394 | 0 | running | 100 | $24,790 |
| 22 | 27 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | running | 97 | $24,640 |
| 23 | 24 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 94 | $17,490 |
| 24 | 40 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 91 | $24,340 |
| 25 | 11 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 88 | $17,415 |
| 26 | 17 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 85 | $24,015 |
| 27 | 21 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 82 | $29,865 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 79 | $23,815 |
| 29 | 12 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 76 | $16,765 |
| 30 | 38 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 73 | $16,215 |
| 31 | 15 | 1 | Morgan Shepherd | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 70 | $20,665 |
| 32 | 41 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 67 | $20,605 |
| 33 | 35 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | running | 64 | $20,555 |
| 34 | 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 388 | 0 | running | 61 | $13,505 |
| 35 | 26 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 384 | 0 | running | 58 | $13,830 |
| 36 | 18 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 384 | 0 | running | 55 | $20,305 |
| 37 | 36 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 382 | 0 | running | 52 | $34,905 |
| 38 | 19 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 363 | 0 | running | 49 | $20,305 |
| 39 | 32 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 230 | 0 | drivetrain | 46 | $13,305 |
| 40 | 42 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 166 | 0 | steering | 43 | $13,305 |
| 41 | 10 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | engine | 40 | $21,805 |
| 42 | 20 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 86 | 0 | crash | 37 | $20,305 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||