13th iteration of the NASCAR All-Star Race
Motor car race
The 1997 edition of
The Winston
was a
stock car racing
competition that took place on May 17, 1997. Held at
Charlotte Motor Speedway
in
Concord, North Carolina
, the 70-lap race was an exhibition race in the
1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
.
Bill Elliott
of
Bill Elliott Racing
won the pole.
Bobby Labonte
of
Joe Gibbs Racing
led the most laps with 17 of the 70 laps.
Jeff Gordon
of
Hendrick Motorsports
won the race and claimed his second All-Star Race win in a car that was nicknamed "T-Rex" after its
Jurassic Park: The Ride
paint scheme.
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The car was deemed controversial at the time due to its dominant performance in the race that NASCAR banned it from being used in further races.
[4]
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Background
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The Winston was open to winning drivers and team owners from last season through the
1997 Winston 500
at
Talladega Superspeedway
and all previous All-Star race winners and NASCAR Winston Cup champions who had attempted to qualify for every race in 1997 were eligible to compete in the All-Star Race. The winner of The Winston Open advanced to complete the starting grid. In order to fill the 20-car field, race winners from previous years were included in the race.
1997 The Winston Select drivers and eligibility
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Race winners in 1996 and 1997
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Previous winners of The Winston
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Previous NASCAR Winston Cup Champions
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Race winners from previous years, not eligible by the above criteria
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The Winston Open winner
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Race summary
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Segment 1
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Bill Elliott
won the pole for the all-star event with a lap time of 143.273 mph (230.576 km/h).
Rusty Wallace
,
Mark Martin
,
Darrell Waltrip
,
Jeff Gordon
, and Elliott served as onboard camera cars throughout the race. Elliott led the field before lap 4, when Martin accidentally spun
Bobby Labonte
on the frontstretch, triggering a caution that lasted for five laps. When the race returned to green on lap 9,
Dale Earnhardt
, sporting a special
Wheaties
paint scheme, took the lead until lap 12, when he and
Dale Jarrett
fought for the position for the rest of the segment. On lap 18,
Bobby Hamilton
and
Ernie Irvan
retired from the race due to engine problems. Jarrett took the lead back from Earnhardt and crossed the finish line on lap 30 to collect the $50,000 bonus while Gordon, who had to start at the back of the field after overshooting pit lane during qualifying,
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charged forward to a third-place finish.
- Segment results
- 88-
Dale Jarrett
($50,000)
- 3-
Dale Earnhardt
($15,000)
- 24-
Jeff Gordon
($7,500)
Segment 2
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During the 10-minute break between segments, the fan balloting on whether or not to invert the field for the second 30-lap segment was unveiled. The fans had spoken and the result flashed on the Winston Cup scoreboard ? INVERT!
Jarrett was sent to the rear of the field, while
Terry Labonte
and Bobby Labonte assumed the front row. By lap 44, Bobby Labonte overtook his brother and held the lead until the end of the caution-free Segment 2 to collect his $50,000 bonus. Terry Labonte crossed the line second and
Ricky Craven
finished third. Meanwhile, Gordon, who was shuffled toward the back of the field, finished fourth.
- Segment results
- 18-
Bobby Labonte
($50,000)
- 5-
Terry Labonte
($15,000)
- 25-
Ricky Craven
($7,500)
Segment 3
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For the final 10-lap shootout, Terry Labonte led the field, but on lap 62, Wallace's day ended after his engine expired. Meanwhile, on the same lap, Gordon overtook Terry Labonte for the lead and kept it to win the caution-free segment and earn $200,000. Bobby and Terry Labonte finished out the top-three.
Aftermath
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Following the race, NASCAR modified the rule book to ban the "T-Rex" chassis from further competition. Crew chief
Ray Evernham
had tweaked the car's aerodynamics and unsprung weight, resulting in a very fast car that nevertheless passed inspection. The car is currently on display at the Hendrick Motorsports Museum.
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References
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- ^
a
b
"1997 The Winston"
.
Racing-Reference
. Retrieved
September 24,
2023
.
- ^
"Weather information for the
1997 The Winston
"
. The Old Farmers' Almanac
. Retrieved
September 24,
2023
.
- ^
Caldwell, Gray (May 16, 2018).
"The true story behind the legendary 'T-Rex'
"
.
Hendrick Motorsports
. Retrieved
September 24,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
c
Walters, Shane (August 2, 2020).
"T-Rex: The car that was banned by NASCAR; Evernham details why"
.
RacingNews.co
. Retrieved
September 24,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
George, Dhruv (January 2, 2022).
"How Jeff Gordon's Banned T-Rex Car Was Accidentally Produced by Hendrick Motorsports"
.
Essentially Sports
. Retrieved
September 24,
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Benton, Jack (November 27, 2008).
"
"Jeff Gordon Flashback": T-Rex Set NASCAR On Its Ear With 1997 "Winston" Win"
.
Bleacher Report
. Retrieved
September 24,
2023
.
- ^
Jensen, Tom (May 19, 2023).
"10 Historic NASCAR All-Star Races"
.
NASCAR Hall of Fame
. Retrieved
September 27,
2023
.
External links
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