The 1997 Goody's Headache Powder 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 48th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 20, 1997, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would dominate the majority of the race, recovering from a mid-race spin to take his 23rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his fourth victory of the season, and his second consecutive victory. To fill out the top three, Petty Enterprises driver Bobby Hamilton and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver.

#DriverTeamMake1Morgan ShepherdPrecision Products RacingPontiac2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Geoff BodineMattei MotorsportsFord8Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord9Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac19Gary BradberryTriStar MotorsportsFord20Lance HooperRanier-Walsh RacingFord21Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac23Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Ricky CravenHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet28Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord29Robert PressleyDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet30Johnny Benson Jr.Bahari RacingPontiac31Mike Skinner (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet33Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet36Derrike CopeMB2 MotorsportsPontiac37Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord40Robby Gordon (R)Team SABCOChevrolet41Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet43Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord78Billy StandridgeTriad MotorsportsFord79Randy MacDonaldT.R.I.X. RacingChevrolet81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord91Mike WallaceLJ RacingChevrolet94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord96David Green (R)American Equipment RacingChevrolet97Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsPontiac98John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 18, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, April 19, at 1:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. Positions 26-38 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, the 39th thru either the 42nd, 43rd, or 44th position would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the field would be limited to 42 cars. If a champion needed it, the field would expand to 43 cars. If the race was a companion race with the NASCAR Winston West Series, four spots would be determined by NASCAR Winston Cup Series provisionals, while the final two spots would be given to teams in the Winston West Series, leaving the field at 44 cars.

Kenny Wallace, driving for FILMAR Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.153 and an average speed of .

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed181Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord20.15393.961242Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet20.20493.72437Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord20.24193.553424Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20.28793.341510Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord20.31293.22668Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord20.31893.19875Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20.32093.189843Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac20.32993.148994Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord20.33193.1391044Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac20.34593.0741123Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord20.34693.0701216Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord20.35093.0521329Robert PressleyDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet20.35193.0471418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac20.35693.024152Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord20.36692.9781631Mike Skinner (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet20.37792.9281717Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet20.38692.8871822Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac20.44092.6421999Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord20.44592.619209Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord20.45692.569211Morgan ShepherdPrecision Products RacingPontiac20.46192.5472230Johnny Benson Jr.Bahari RacingPontiac20.46692.5242388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord20.46792.5202436Derrike CopeMB2 MotorsportsPontiac20.47492.488253Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet20.49192.4112633Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet20.33093.1432798John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord20.40092.8242841Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet20.49392.4022937Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord20.49692.3893028Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord20.49692.3893190Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord20.49892.3803275Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord20.50092.3713397Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsPontiac20.51192.3213421Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord20.51292.3173525Ricky CravenHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet20.52692.2543691Mike WallaceLJ RacingChevrolet20.53392.2223711Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord20.53792.204384Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet20.55892.110Provisionals396Mark MartinRoush RacingFord -* -*4040Robby Gordon (R)Team SABCOChevrolet -* -*4171Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet -* -*4277Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord -* -*Failed to qualify4379Randy MacDonaldT.R.I.X. RacingChevrolet -* -*4478Billy StandridgeTriad MotorsportsFord -* -*4596David Green (R)American Equipment RacingChevrolet -* -*4620Lance HooperRanier-Walsh RacingFord -* -*4719Gary BradberryTriStar MotorsportsFord -* -*Official qualifying results

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1424Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet500431running185$99,2252843Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac50048running175$50,5753396Mark MartinRoush RacingFord5000running165$42,375475Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet5000running160$42,9255152Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord5000running155$33,8756181Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord5000running150$35,37572937Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord5000running146$19,77581418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac5000running142$29,65091717Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet5000running138$25,445102633Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet5000running134$30,945111123Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord5000running130$23,68512253Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet5000running127$28,40013510Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord5000running124$27,0651468Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord5000running121$22,765151999Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord5000running118$28,215162388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord4990running115$28,265172230Johnny Benson Jr.Bahari RacingPontiac4990running112$22,365181822Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac4990running109$14,77019242Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet49921running111$15,865202841Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet4980running103$23,11521384Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet4980running100$25,965223525Ricky CravenHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4980running97$20,415231329Robert PressleyDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet4980running94$13,265241216Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord4970running91$20,11525209Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord4970running88$20,215263421Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord4960running85$19,815273711Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord4960running82$19,665282798John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord4960running79$19,6152937Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord4950crash76$20,065303190Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord4950running73$9,515313028Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord4940running70$24,465321631Mike Skinner (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet4900running67$10,440334277Bobby Hillin Jr.Jasper MotorsportsFord4890running64$9,415342436Derrike CopeMB2 MotorsportsPontiac4810running61$11,14035211Morgan ShepherdPrecision Products RacingPontiac4790running58$16,365363275Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord4770running55$16,34037994Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord4540running52$14,075384171Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet4170running49$7,075393691Mike WallaceLJ RacingChevrolet4140running46$7,075401044Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac3980handling43$7,075414040Robby Gordon (R)Team SABCOChevrolet3950crash40$7,075423397Chad LittleMark Rypien MotorsportsPontiac3940running37$7,075Official race results

References