Interstate Batteries 500 Preview
April 6th, 1997
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Race 6 of 32 on Winston Cup Circuit
TV: CBS, 2:00 p.m. EST
Radio: PRN Radio
Laps: 333 laps
Track length: 1.5 miles
Race length: 500 miles
Banking: 24 degrees
Drivers to Watch
Dale Earnhardt -- the last time he visited Texas for a NASCAR event, he was in the middle of one of the biggest slumps of his career (39 races without a victory); between 1980 and 1983, Earnhardt had slumps of 39 and 40 races separated by a lone win at Talladega; currently Earnhardt has gone 32 races without a win (Atlanta 1996); his eight-place finish in Atlanta remains his only top-10 of the year; runner-up to Benny Parsons in the final NASCAR race in Texas in 1981.
Jeff Gordon -- a tough guy on superspeedways; has two wins and three top-fives in four superspeedway events this season; collected six wins and led a series-high 1,212 laps on superspeedways last season; also had a series-high five poles on superspeedways last season; second in the points table; has four top-fives in five events this season; Gordon hadn't yet celebrated his 10th birthday the last time NASCAR was in Texas.
Dale Jarrett -- dominating the early going in 1997; was denied a top-five when he was caught in a wreck at Daytona, but since then Jarrett hasn't finished outside of the top-three; winner of two of the four superspeedway races this season; has earned the most points on superspeedways this season with 644; has led 747 of the 1,214 laps run on superspeedways this season; has an 87-point lead over Gordon in the points table, and a 180-point margin over defending Winston Cup champion Terry Labonte; has run every possible mile on the circuit this year.
Bobby Labonte -- has finished seventh, fourth and fifth, respectively, in his last three races; in the top seven in points earned on a superspeedway, and the only driver in that group that's part of a one-car operation; second to Dale Jarrett in miles completed this season, failing to complete less than two miles through five races; currently fourth in points, 31 behind older brother Terry; one of three Winston Cup regulars from Texas.
Terry Labonte -- lost his streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes with a 13th place finish at Darlington; was second in points collected on superspeedways last year, and is currently third in that category; has failed to complete just over two miles in five races this season, third on the circuit; is currently third in points, three spots ahead of where he was at this time last year; winner of the last pole in the last Texas race in NASCAR's top division by capturing the 1981 pole at Texas World Speedway in a Buick at 162.940 mph.
Mark Martin -- was the first driver to test at Texas Motor Speedway, and could be the most tested driver at the 1.5-mile oval; hasn't posted a win in his last 39 starts, but has 15 top-fives and 27 top-10s in that span; is currently sixth in points and is the only driver among the top-10 in points not to post a top-five finish this season; is third in miles led and fourth in miles completed on circuit; has been running at the finish of the last 24 races.
Texas Drivers in the Interstate Batteries 500
Bobby Hillin, Midland, Texas, No. 77 Ford Thunderbird
Bobby Labonte, Corpus Christi, Texas, No. 18 Pontiac Grand Prix
Terry Labonte, Corpus Christi, Texas, No. 5 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
