1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series (Start Your Engines!)

Category:Start Your Engines!
The 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 49th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 26th modern-era Cup series season.
==Teams and drivers==
===Complete schedule===
Manufacturer	Team 	No.	Race driver 	Crew chief 	Model
Chevrolet 	Darrell Waltrip Motorsports 	17 	Darrell Waltrip 	Jeff Hammond 	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	5 	Terry Labonte 	Gary DeHart 	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	25 	Tim Richmond 	Phil Hammer
Andy Graves	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	35 	Ricky Craven 	Tim Brewer 	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Marcis Auto Racing 	71 	Dave Marcis 	Bob Marcis 	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Morgan-McClure Motorsports 	4 	Sterling Marlin 	Robert Larkins 	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	3 	Dale Earnhardt 	Larry McReynolds	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	31 	Mike Skinner (R) 	Kevin Hamlin 	1997 Monte Carlo
Dodge 	AK Racing 	7 	Alan Kulwicki 	Paul Andrews 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Bahari Racing 	30 	Johnny Benson 	Doug Hewitt 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	22 	Jeff Gordon 	Ray Evernham 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	23 	Bobby Labonte 	 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Bill Davis Racing 	24 	Ward Burton 	Chris Hussey 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Donlavey Racing 	90 	Dick Trickle 	Bob Johnson 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Donlavey Racing 	90 	Dorsey Schroeder 	Bob Johnson 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Kelman Racing 	86 	Ryan Kelman 	Scott Searle 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Moroso Racing 	20 	Rob Moroso 	Tommy Baldwin 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	60 	Chloe Johnson 	Rodney Clay 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	69 	Jenny Smith 	Andy Lyman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	80 	Tim Johnson 	Lyle White 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	85 	Belle Armstrong 	Alan Walker 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Petty Enterprises 	43 	Bobby Hamilton 	Robbie Loomis 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	PE2 	44 	Kyle Petty 	Bobby Kennedy 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Precision Products Racing 	1 	Morgan Shepherd 	Michael McSwain 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Precision Products Racing 	1 	Jerry Nadeau 	Michael McSwain 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Precision Products Racing 	1 	Mike Wallace 	Michael McSwain 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Precision Products Racing 	1 	Lance Hooper 	Michael McSwain 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Robby Gordon (R) 	Mike Hillman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Joe Nemechek 	Mike Hillman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Wally Dallenbach Jr.	Mike Hillman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Greg Sacks 	Mike Hillman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Steve Park 	Mike Hillman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	40 	Elliott Sadler 	Mike Hillman 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	42 	Joe Nemechek 	Tony Glover 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	42 	Phil Parsons 	Tony Glover 	1997 Avenger
Ford 	Bill Elliott Racing 	9 	Bill Elliott 	Mike Beam 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Bill Elliott Racing 	94 	Casey Elliott 	 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Brett Bodine Racing 	11 	Brett Bodine 	Donnie Richeson 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	FILMAR Racing 	82 	Kenny Wallace 	Newt Moore 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Geoff Bodine Racing 	70 	Geoff Bodine 	Pat Tryson 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Geoff Bodine Racing 	70 	Todd Bodine 	Pat Tryson 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Penske Racing South 	2 	Rusty Wallace 	Robin Pemberton 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Robert Yates Racing 	28 	Davey Allison 	Marc Reno 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Robert Yates Racing 	88 	Ernie Irvan 	Todd Parrott 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Triad Motorsports 	78 	Billy Standridge 	Bill Hayes
Bob Johnson	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Triad Motorsports 	78 	Tom Hubert 	Bill Hayes
Bob Johnson	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Triad Motorsports 	78 	Bobby Hillin Jr. 	Bill Hayes
Bob Johnson	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Triad Motorsports 	78 	Gary Bradberry 	Bill Hayes
Bob Johnson	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Roush Racing 	6 	Mark Martin 	Jimmy Fennig 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Roush Racing 	16 	Ted Musgrave 	James Ince 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Roush Racing 	99 	Jeff Burton 	Buddy Parrott 	1997 Thunderbird
Mercury 	Cale Yarborough Motorsports 	98 	Jeremy Mayfield 	Tony Furr 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Jasper Motorsports 	77 	Bobby Hillin Jr. 	Terry Whooten 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Jasper Motorsports 	77 	Morgan Shepherd 	Terry Whooten 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Jasper Motorsports 	77 	Robert Pressley 	Terry Whooten 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Kranefuss-Haas Racing 	37 	John Andretti 	Paul Andrews 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Orr Motorsports 	57 	Rodney Orr 	 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Rudd Performance Motorsports	10 	Ricky Rudd 	Jim Long 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Stavola Brothers Racing 	8 	Hut Stricklin 	Bill Ingle 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Stavola Brothers Racing 	84 	Clifford Allison 	 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Wood Brothers Racing 	21 	Michael Waltrip 	Leonard Wood 	1997 Sable
Oldsmobile 	American Equipment Racing 	96 	David Green (R) 	Sammy Johns 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Andy Petree Racing 	33 	Ken Schrader 	Andy Petree 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Diamond Ridge Motorsports 	29 	Robert Pressley 	Wes Ward 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Diamond Ridge Motorsports 	29 	Jeff Green 	Wes Ward 	1997 Alero
Pontiac 	Kennedy Racing 	03 	Melvin Kennedy 	Mark Cutter 	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	Kennedy Racing 	04 	Willy T. Ribbs 	 	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	Larry Hedrick Motorsports 	41 	Steve Grissom 	Charley Pressley	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	18 	Dale Jarrett 	Jimmy Makar 	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	81 	Shawna Robinson 	 	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	Mark Rypien Motorsports 	97 	Chad Little 	Harold Holly 	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	MB2 Motorsports 	36 	Derrike Cope 	Ryan Pemberton 	1997 Grand Prix
=== Limited schedule ===
Manufacturer	Team 	No.	Race driver 	Crew chief 	Model
Chevrolet 	Dale Earnhardt, Inc. 	14 	Steve Park 	Philippe Lopez	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	Darrell Waltrip Motorsports	26 	Rich Bickle 	Dave McCarty 	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	LAR Motorsports 	12 	Jeff Purvis 	Philippe Lopez	1997 Monte Carlo
Chevrolet 	T.R.I.X. Racing 	79 	Randy MacDonald 	 	1997 Monte Carlo
Dodge 	A.J. Foyt Enterprises 	50 	A.J. Foyt 	 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Barkdoll Racing 	73 	Joe Nemechek 	 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Barkdoll Racing 	73 	Phil Barkdoll 	 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Pacific Coast Racing 	02 	Dennis Malone 	 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Ultra Motorsports 	02 	Mike Bliss 	 	1997 Avenger
Dodge 	Team SABCO 	46 	Wally Dallenbach Jr.	Terry Shirley 	1997 Avenger
Ford 	Bill Elliott Racing 	92 	Ron Barfield 	 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Bud Moore Engineering 	15 	Larry Pearson 	 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Bud Moore Engineering 	15 	Greg Sacks 	 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	H.S. Die Racing Team 	61 	Tim Steele 	 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Melling Racing 	9 	Lake Speed 	Jeff Buice 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Melling Racing 	9 	Jeff Davis 	Jeff Buice 	
Ford 	Sadler Brothers Racing 	95 	Gary Bradberry 	Lee Leslie 	1997 Thunderbird
Ford 	Sadler Brothers Racing 	95 	Billy Standridge 	Lee Leslie 	1997 Thunderbird
Mercury 	Dave Blair Motorsports 	27 	Rick Wilson 	Slugger Labbe 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Dave Blair Motorsports 	27 	Kenny Irwin Jr. 	Slugger Labbe 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	H.L. Waters Racing 	0 	Delma Cowart 	 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	Standridge Motorsports 	47 	Billy Standridge 	 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	TriStar Motorsports 	19 	Loy Allen Jr. 	 	1997 Sable
Mercury 	TriStar Motorsports 	19 	Gary Bradberry 	 	1997 Sable
Oldsmobile 	BACE Motorsports 	74 	Randy LaJoie 	 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Buckshot Racing 	00 	Buckshot Jones 	Ricky Pearson 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Ken Schrader Racing 	52 	Jack Sprague 	 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	LJ Racing 	91 	Mike Wallace 	Doug Richert 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	LJ Racing 	91 	Loy Allen Jr. 	Doug Richert 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	LJ Racing 	91 	Greg Sacks 	Doug Richert 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	LJ Racing 	91 	Ron Hornaday Jr. 	Doug Richert 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	LJ Racing 	91 	Kevin Lepage 	Doug Richert 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Miller Racing 	08 	Mike Miller 	 	1997 Alero
Oldsmobile 	Norm Benning Racing 	84 	Norm Benning 	 	1997 Alero
Pontiac 	Bailey Racing 	66 	H.B. Bailey 	 	1997 Grand Prix
Pontiac 	ISM Racing 	45 	Todd Bodine 	 	1997 Grand Prix
== Schedule ==
No.	Race title 	Track 	Date 	TV
1 	Save Mart Supermarkets 300 	Sears Point Raceway, Sonoma 	January 26 	ESPN
 	Busch Clash 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 9 	CBS
 	Gatorade 125s 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 13 	CBS
2 	Daytona 500 	Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach	February 16 	CBS
3 	Goodwrench Service 400 	North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham 	February 23 	TNN
4 	Pontiac Excitement 400 	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond 	March 2 	ESPN
5 	Primestar 500 	Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton 	March 9 	ABC
6 	San Jose 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy 	March 16 	TNN
7 	TranSouth Financial 400 	Darlington Raceway, Darlington 	March 23 	ESPN
8 	Interstate Batteries 500 	Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth 	April 6 	CBS
9 	Food City 500 	Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol 	April 13 	ESPN
10 	Goody's Headache Powder 500 	Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville 	April 20 	ESPN
11 	Coors 400 	Pikes Peak International Speedway, Fountain 	April 27 	ABC
12 	Budweiser 400 	Riverside International Raceway, Riverside 	May 4 	ESPN
13 	Winston 500 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln 	May 10 	ESPN
 	Winston Open 	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 17 	TNN
 	The Winston 	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 17 	TNN
14 	Coca-Cola 600 	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord 	May 25 	TBS
15 	Miller 500 	Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover 	June 1 	TNN
16 	Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 	The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis 	June 8 	TNN
17 	Chrysler 400 	Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth 	June 15 	TNN
18 	California 500 presented by NAPA 	California Speedway, Fontana 	June 22 	ABC
19 	Music City USA 420 	Nashville Speedway USA, Nashville 	June 29 	TNN
20 	Pepsi 400 	Daytona International Speedway 	July 5 	ESPN
21 	Jiffy Lube 300 	New Hampshire International Speedway, Loudon 	July 13 	TNN
22 	Pennsylvania 500 	Pocono Raceway, Long Pond 	July 20 	TBS
23 	Denver Post 400 	Pikes Peak International Speedway, Fountain 	July 27 	ABC
24 	Brickyard 400 	Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway 	August 3 	ABC
25 	The Bud at The Glen 	Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen 	August 10 	ESPN
26 	DeVilbiss 400 	Michigan Speedway, Brooklyn 	August 17 	ESPN
27 	Goody's Headache Powder 500 	Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol 	August 23 	ESPN
28 	Mountain Dew Southern 500 	Darlington Raceway, Darlington 	August 31 	ESPN
29 	Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400	Richmond International Raceway, Richmond 	September 6 	ESPN
30 	Tyson Holly Farms 400 	North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro 	September 14	ESPN
31 	MBNA 400 	Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover 	September 21	TNN
32 	Hanes 500 	Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway 	September 28	ESPN
33 	UAW-GM Quality 500 	Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord 	October 5 	TBS
34 	Sears DieHard 500 	Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln 	October 12 	CBS
35 	Cisco Systems 500 	San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy 	October 19 	TNN
36 	AC Delco 400 	North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham 	October 27 	TNN
37 	Dura Lube 500 presented by Kmart 	Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale 	November 2 	TNN
38 	NAPA 500 	Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton 	November 9 	ESPN
39 	Los Angeles Times 500 	Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario 	November 16 	ABC
==Technical changes==
1997 saw the first major changes to the cars since 1981 outside of the bodies. After years of research and development dating back to 1989, the new SAFER Car made its competition debut at the 1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 at Sears Point Raceway.
The new car had multiple safety enhancements, as well as a new body that better reflected the car design trends of the day. Compared to the "Legacy Car" that had been used from 1981 to 1996, the SAFER Car was more aerodynamic, as well as more aero-sensitive.
One of the goals of the SAFER Car was also to provide a universal body for all track types. Between 1989 and 1996, manufacturers had been using different models of car for the restrictor-plate tracks (Daytona, Talladega, Coca-Cola, and San Jose) in order to compensate for the restrictor plates, which in turn caused a second Aero War. Chrysler (more specifically their star team, Pacific Coast Racing) had started this trend in 1989 by using the Dodge Daytona instead of the Chrysler LeBaron at plate tracks. Chevrolet followed in 1990 with the Camaro, which was used until the second half of 1992 when it was replaced by the Beretta. Ford began using the Mustang at plate tracks in 1992, and Pontiac finally jumped on the bandwagon with the Sunfire in 1994. Mercury used the Cougar at all tracks, and Buick and Oldsmobile, whose bases had been cannibalized by Ford and Chrysler, lacked the support to field their own "Aero Warriors", which was a factor in them leaving in 1991 and 1992, respectively. The "Aero Warriors" also created a problem of parity, as they were more expensive than the normal cars, leading to smaller teams using the normal cars and falling far off the pace.
For 1997, there were six manufacturers:
*Chevrolet continued using the Monte Carlo
*Ford used the Thunderbird in its final year of competition due to its imminent discontinuation
*Chrysler abandoned both the now-discontinued LeBaron (which in the final two years of the Legacy Car had been officially listed as the "Chrysler Cirrus", even though LeBaron sheetmetal was still being used) and the Dodge Daytona (which had been discontinued in February 1993, yet continued running with the Daytona nameplate due to Dodge not having any other suitable cars) in favor of the Dodge Avenger, which had been used in ARCA since 1995, and in IROC in 1994 and 1995
*Pontiac continued using the Grand Prix
*Mercury switched from the Cougar to the recently-facelifted Sable; the Sable was controversial upon its introduction due to being a four-door sedan, which gave it a much-different shape from the other cars in the field that was more aerodynamic; its nose was also compared to a "fish gasping for air", and there were also issues with rear-visibility; despite this, the car got results
*Oldsmobile made a quiet comeback with the Alero; the cars were actually closer to the Intrigue, as it was built on the GM W Platform, which was also used by that year's Pontiac Grand Prix; however, the Intrigue name was ineligible under NASCAR's homologation rules due to the fact it wouldn't start production until May 5, 1997; only three full-time teams (American Equipment Racing, Andy Petree Racing, and Diamond Ridge Racing) ran Oldsmobiles full-time (ostensibly because Chevrolet had duped them into doing so as pretense for getting rid of lower-priority teams, thus allowing them to focus their resources on Hendrick, Childress, and Morgan-McClure, which were considered the top Chevrolet teams at the time), but they were very popular with part-time teams who could no longer rely on bigger teams selling them the previous years' Chevrolet or Pontiac due to NASCAR illegalizing the use of the Legacy Car, which was now considered a "death trap" compared to the SAFER Car; this was due to Oldsmobile sheetmetal being the cheapest; at the same time, Oldsmobile stated they wanted absolutely nothing to do with engine development, telling any teams who elected to run the Alero that they were on their own; the three full-time teams got around this by using Chevrolet and Pontiac engine parts due to the fact GM engines shared many common parts, but part-time teams who lacked this luxury resorted to buying up Oldsmobiles from Busch and ARCA teams that had either switched to other manufacturers or had shut down; many compared this practice to what Pacific Coast Racing did in the mid-1980s when they lost factory support from Chrysler, but unlike PCR, these teams lacked the resources and drive to create viable "Frankenstein's cars"
==Cars used in 1997==
File:1997 chevrolet monte carlo z34.jpg|Chevrolet Monte Carlo Z34
File:1997 ford thunderbird.jpg|Ford Thunderbird (final year with factory support)
File:1997 dodge avenger.jpg|Dodge Avenger (NEW)
File:1997 pontiac grand prix.jpg|Pontiac Grand Prix
File:96-97 Mercury Sable.jpg|Mercury Sable (NEW)
File:1997 oldsmobile alero.jpg|Oldsmobile Alero (NEW; no engine support)