Jiffy Lube Challenge
8 November 1997
HOMESTEAD, FL - If you finished the Jiffy Lube Challenge race you got to transfer to the big show on Sunday - The Jiffy Lube 300. The field, that started 18 strong, started getting weeded out on the very first lap under green. The lap one incident occurred when Blaise Alexander got tapped by Lyndon Amick in-between turns three and four. Then, as Blaise headed towards the wall, the field behind him started to check up. The driver behind Dale Fishlein didn't stop and knocked Fishlein into the turn four wall. The next caution of the event happened on lap three when Stevie Reeves and Lyndon Amick tangled, again up in turns three and four. Reeves was able to continue on for a short while but the damage incurred ended his day early. Then slowly, one by one, the cars that had encountered trouble earlier started dropping off the pace and retiring. There were 11 cars left as the field took the white flag, with Shane Hall sitting in the 11th position. Hall wanting to make the big show tore down the back straight gather as much speed as he could. The problem was turn three came at him too quickly to make it through. Hall's car broke lose at the entrance to turn three and started a lazy spin towards the wall as the ten that remained alive headed towards the checkers. It was Randy Porter in the UniFirst Chevrolet that won the event - Parker started from the pole and lead every lap. The balance of the drivers that will transfer to the Jiffy Lube 300 are, in order, Tracy Leslie, Kevin Lepage, Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Ted Christopher, Dale Shaw, Mark Green, Hank Parker Jr. and Ed Berrier.