NASCAR: Winston 500 Report (Halfway)
10 May 1997
TALLADEGA, AL -- Green flag pit stops begin on lap 48 as Elliott comes in for a two-tire stop. Lap 49: Trickle and Benson are in the pits. Lap 50: Marlin and a bunch of cars from the back of the pack including Rudd, Stricklin, KWallace come in the pits. Skinner inherits the lead. Lap 51: BLabonte, Speed, Schrader, JBurton, Gordon, Martin, Earnhardt, and WBurton are all in for service. Skinner comes in and GBodine takes the lead with Musgrave in second. Lap 52: Musgrave and GBodine pit. After green flag pit stops: Lap 55: Earnhardt, Gordon, Skinner, Andretti, RWallace, Martin, Marlin, WBurton, JBurton, Mayfield, BLabonte, Spencer, Rudd, Cope, Shepherd There are 41 cars on the lead lap. Petty is the only driver who has retired for the day. The front seven cars are single file in the lead draft about fifteen car lengths ahead of the second pack led by W Burton. Things have settled down quite a bit as we get close to the middle portion of the race with the lead pack content to run in a line and put some distance on the rest of the field. Lap 64: There is no change up front. Lap 65: Earnhardt, Gordon, Skinner, Andretti, RWallace, Martin, Marlin, WBurton, JBurton, Mayfield, BLabonte Marlin gets around Martin for sixth. Lap 71: Earnhardt, Gordon, Skinner, Andretti, RWallace, Marlin, Martin, WBurton, BLabonte, Elliott, JBurton, Trickle, Dallenbach, Mayfield, Spencer Gordon takes a peek to the inside of Earnhardt but drops back in second. Marlin looks to the outside of RWallace and takes fifth as Martin moves up even with the #2 car looking for sixth. Rusty doesn't have any drafting help and he slips all the way back to ninth as the second pack of car catches the lead group. Earnhardt, Gordon, Skinner, Andretti, Marlin, Martin, WBurton, BLabonte, Elliott now become the lead draft. Behind them it's JBurton, Trickle, Schrader, RWallace Andretti goes low to pull up even with Skinner but nobody goes with him. Andretti holds his own next to Skinner who has help from Marlin. The leaders catch the lapped car of Skinner and Andretti gets shuffled to the top of the track and back to sixth. Earnhardt, Gordon, Skinner, Marlin, Martin GBodine is in the pits with the hood up. Martin pulls inside of Marlin. Andretti moves up on the back bumper of Marlin pushing the #4 car into fourth. Skinner goes high and gets second but not for long as Gordon comes back with help from Martin. Lap 82: Earnhardt, Gordon, Martin, Skinner While they dice it up at the front, the second pack of cars on the track catches up and blends bringing the lead draft to sixteen cars. And they're note really drafting much as they continue to race side-by-side and shuffle positions. Elliott moves up to third. WBurton is off the pace. He pulls the MBNA Pontiac down pit road and the crew looks under the hood. Grissom is also slow on the track. He's in with the hood up. Gordon has gone back to fifth. Lap 87: Earnhardt, Marlin, Andretti, RWallace, Gordon, Elliott, Skinner, Spencer, Martin, Schrader Petty comes back on the track. Marlin goes to the bottom of the track and loses the draft dropping him back to sixth. Three wide for the lead. RWallace is on the outside, Earnhardt in the middle, Andretti low. Give the lead to Rusty as they come out of turn four. Now Earnhardt moves back on the outside and takes the lead on the backstrech. Andretti moves into second with Spencer coming to third. Rusty pulls low on the track and comes down pit road with Trickle right behind him. Reports are that he didn't get his gas tank full on the first pit stop so he had no choice but to pit early. At halfway it's - Earnhardt, Andretti, Spencer, Skinner, Elliott, Gordon Mike Snow -- The Auto Channel
