NASCAR Winston Cup Series Dura-Lube 500: Fact Sheet
29 October 1997
1997 NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES FACT SHEET WHAT: Dura-Lube 500 Presented by Kmart NASCAR Winston Cup Series Race #31 of 32 WHERE: Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix, AZ 1.0-Mile Oval Paved Speedway WHEN: Sunday, November 2, 1997 2:00 pm EST DISTANCE: 312 Laps/312 Miles POSTED AWARDS: $1,455,896 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: Phoenix Speedway Corporation TV: TNN (Live) Airtime: 2:00 pm (EST) Announcers: Eli Gold, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker and Glenn Jarrett Pit Reporters: Steve Byrnes and Matt Yocum RADIO: MRN (Live) Airtime: 1:45 pm (EST) Announcers: Allen Bestwick and Barney Hall SCHEDULE: (All Times Local) Friday, October 31 6:00 am : Team Haulers Enter 7:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens 9:00 am : Rookie Drivers' Meeting 9:30 am : Qualifying Draw 10:00 am - 12:30 pm : Practice 1:30 pm : Qualifying (Positions 1-25) Saturday, November 1 7:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens 9:00 - 10:30 am : Practice 11:00 am : Qualifying (Positions 26-38) TBD : Final practice following NCT 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: Bobby Labonte; Chevrolet; 131.076 mph; 27.465 seconds; 10/26/96 Race: Bobby Hamilton; Pontiac; 109.709 mph; 2 hours, 50 minutes, 38 seconds; 10/27/96 THE TRACK: Degree of Banking in Turns 1 and 2 - 11 degrees Degree of Banking in Turns 3 and 4 - 9 degrees Degree of Banking on Straights - None Length of Front Straight - 1,179 feet Length of Back Straight - 1,551 feet 1996 REVIEW: Richard Petty always knew he would win another race, even after his driving days were over. But it took more than 12 years for the blue-and-orange No. 43, the winningest car in NASCAR Winston Cup history, to roll gracefully back into victory lane. A prematurely gray Tennessean, 39-year-old Bobby Hamilton ended the drought with a victory in the Dura-Lube 500. terry labonte began the day in 30th place in the starting grid, his tenuous Winston Cup point advantage imperiled by a broken left hand he suffered in practice two days prior to the race. When the race was over, not only did Labonte have his point lead, he had expanded it to 47 points. He very nearly won the race as well, leading 61 laps before settling back into third.