NASCAR Winston Cup Series UAW-GM Quality 500: Fact Sheet
1 October 1997
1997 NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES FACT SHEET WHAT: UAW-GM Quality 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Race #28 of 32 WHERE: Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, NC 1.5-Mile High Banked Paved Speedway WHEN: Sunday, October 5, 1997 1:10 pm EDT DISTANCE: 500 Miles/334 Laps POSTED AWARDS: $1,746,501 FIELD: 43 cars possible. Fastest 38 cars through time trials. Four provisional starting positions based on 1997 NWC owner points and one past champion provisional. SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. PROMOTER: Charlotte Motor Speedway, Inc. TV: TBS (Live) Airtime: 1:05 pm (EDT) Announcers: Ken Squier, Buddy Baker and Allen Bestwick Pit Reporters: Randy Pemberton, Steve Byrnes and Mike Hogewood RADIO: PRN (Live) Airtime: 12:15 pm (EDT) Announcers: Doug Rice and Mark Garrow Pit Reporters: Brett McMillan, Mark Allen and Steve Blevins SCHEDULE: Wednesday, October 1 9:00 am : Team Haulers Enter 10:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens 12:30 pm : Rookie Drivers' Meeting 1:00 pm : Qualifying Draw 1:30 - 5:00 pm : Practice 7:00 pm : Qualifying (Positions 1-25) Thursday, October 2 7:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens 9:00 - 9:55 am : Practice 11:00 - 11:55 am : Practice 1:30 pm : Qualifying (Positions 26-38) Friday, October 3 No Winston Cup Activity Saturday, October 4 7:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens 9:00 - 10:00 am : Practice TBD : Final Practice following NBS event PARTICIPATING AWARDS SPONSORS: Winston, AE Clevite Engine Parts, Aeroquip, Auto Meter Products, Bowman Distribution, Busch Beer, Champion Spark Plugs, Competition Cams, Craftsman Tools, Crane Cams, DuPont Automotive Finishes, Edelbrock Manifolds, Fram Fuel Filters, Gatorade Sports Beverage, Goodyear Tires, Goody's Headache Powders, Holley Carburetors, Hurst Shifters, JE Pistons, Jesel Rocker Arms, Longacre Computerscales, MCI, Mac Tools, Mechanix Wear, Moog Chassis Parts, Motorcraft Batteries, Opryland, Plasti-Kote Spray Paint, RCA, Raybestos Brakes, Simpson Helmets, Spicer Drive Shafts, Stant Radiator Caps, STP Oil Treatment & Oil Filters, 3M Automotive Products, True Value Hardware, Unocal Gasoline, 76/NASCAR High Performance Motor Oil, Western Auto Stores, Wiseco Pistons, Wix Air Filters RECORDS: Qualifying: Ward Burton; Chevrolet; 185.759 mph; 29.070 seconds; 10/5/94 Race (500 Miles): Ernie Irvan; Ford; 154.537 mph; 3 hours, 14 minutes, 31 seconds; 10/10/93 THE TRACK: Degree of Banking in Corners - 24 degrees Degree of Banking on Straights - 5 degrees Length of Frontstretch - 1,952.8 feet Length of Backstretch - 1,360 feet 1996 REVIEW: Terry Labonte cut 110 points off Jeff Gordon's lead in one day from 111 to one by winning his first career race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It couldn't have come at a better time as Labonte made the surge toward the championship he eventually would win. He led 129 of 334 laps, finishing nearly four seconds ahead of Mark Martin, Dale Jarrett, Sterling Marlin and Ricky Craven. ###