The 1997 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 was the 24th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 40th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 6, 1997, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Within the closing laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to pass the mainly dominant driver of the day, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton to take his 13th NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Burton and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. Known as "America's premier short track".

Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver.

#DriverTeamMake1Lance HooperPrecision Products RacingPontiac2Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord02Mike BlissUltra MotorsportsFord3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord8Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord9Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord17Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac21Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac23Jimmy SpencerHaas-Carter MotorsportsFord24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet25Ricky CravenHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet27Kenny Irwin Jr.David Blair MotorsportsFord28Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord29Jeff Green (R)Diamond 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 EnterprisesPontiac46Wally Dallenbach Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Morgan ShepherdJasper MotorsportsFord78Gary BradberryTriad MotorsportsFord81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord91Ron Hornaday Jr.LJ RacingChevrolet94Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord96David Green (R)American Equipment RacingChevrolet97Chad LittleRoush RacingPontiac98John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 5. 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, September 6. 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.

Bill Elliott, driving for Bill Elliott Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.648 and an average speed of .

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed194Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord21.648124.723227Kenny Irwin Jr.David Blair MotorsportsFord21.656124.677343Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac21.671124.590440Robby Gordon (R)Team SABCOChevrolet21.681124.533581Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord21.684124.516690Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord21.697124.441742Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet21.722124.298896David Green (R)American Equipment RacingChevrolet21.734124.229933Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet21.740124.1951024Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet21.760124.0811199Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord21.797123.8701222Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac21.800123.853136Mark MartinRoush RacingFord21.803123.836142Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord21.811123.791158Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord21.815123.7681637Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord21.819123.7451744Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac21.828123.6941817Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet21.832123.6721936Derrike CopeMB2 MotorsportsPontiac21.833123.6662028Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord21.845123.5982125Ricky CravenHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet21.846123.592223Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet21.850123.5702388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord21.860123.513245Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet21.861123.5082529Jeff Green (R)Diamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet21.861123.508269Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord21.866123.4792723Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord21.867123.4742846Wally Dallenbach Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet21.877123.4172921Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord21.892123.3333075Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord21.894123.321317Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord21.902123.2763298John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord21.909123.2373341Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet21.913123.2153418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac21.929123.1253510Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord21.953122.990364Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet21.969122.9003730Johnny Benson Jr.Bahari RacingPontiac21.987122.8003816Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord21.995122.755Provisionals3911Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord -* -*4031Mike Skinner (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet -* -*411Lance HooperPrecision Products RacingPontiac -* -*4297Chad LittleRoush RacingPontiac -* -*Failed to qualify4371Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet -* -*4402Mike BlissUltra MotorsportsFord -* -*4591Ron Hornaday Jr.LJ RacingChevrolet -* -*4678Gary BradberryTriad MotorsportsFord -* -*4777Morgan ShepherdJasper MotorsportsFord -* -*Official qualifying results *Time not available.

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings12388Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord40039running180$91,49021199Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord400235running180$70,24031024Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet4000running165$52,3554317Geoff BodineGeoff Bodine RacingFord4000running160$40,0055142Rusty WallacePenske Racing SouthFord4002running160$39,0506742Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet40023running155$29,32571222Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac3990running146$29,3258227Kenny Irwin Jr.David Blair MotorsportsFord39912running147$17,82593816Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord3990running138$30,725101637Jeremy MayfieldKranefuss-Haas RacingFord3990running134$24,125112723Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord3980running130$27,625123341Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet3980running127$27,325133730Johnny Benson Jr.Bahari RacingPontiac3980running124$27,12514933Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet3980running121$26,82515223Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet3980running118$33,775161936Derrike CopeMB2 MotorsportsPontiac3980running115$19,52017245Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3980running112$37,320182125Ricky CravenHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3970running109$26,27019690Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord3970running106$19,145201744Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac3970running103$20,870213911Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord3970running100$25,870223298John AndrettiCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord3970running97$25,745232028Ernie IrvanRobert Yates RacingFord3970running94$30,47024581Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord3960running91$25,54525136Mark MartinRoush RacingFord3961running93$30,395263075Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord3960running85$25,37027158Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingFord3950running82$25,345283510Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord3950running79$30,320294031Mike Skinner (R)Richard Childress RacingChevrolet3950running76$17,80030194Bill ElliottBill Elliott RacingFord39543running78$32,290312529Jeff Green (R)Diamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet3940running70$15,280321817Darrell WaltripDarrell Waltrip MotorsportsChevrolet3940running67$22,27033411Lance HooperPrecision Products RacingPontiac3940running64$22,260343418Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac3930running61$30,225352921Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord3930running58$22,21536269Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord3933running60$15,20537896David Green (R)American Equipment RacingChevrolet3920running52$15,19538343Bobby HamiltonPetty EnterprisesPontiac34742rear end54$31,68539364Sterling MarlinMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet3350running46$31,185404297Chad LittleRoush RacingPontiac3090running43$15,185412846Wally Dallenbach Jr.Team SABCOChevrolet2240brakes40$15,18542440Robby Gordon (R)Team SABCOChevrolet70engine37$22,185Official race results

References