1997 The Bud at The Glen
# 1997 The Bud at The Glen

The 1997 The Bud at The Glen was the 20th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 12th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 10, 1997, at the shortened layout of Watkins Glen International, a 2.45 miles (3.943 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 90 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 27th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his eighth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Geoff Bodine Racing driver Geoff Bodine and Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.

Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.

The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Lance Hooper | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | R+L Carriers, Cruisin' America Phone Card |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | QVC |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Close Call Phone Card |
| 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Burger King |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | PrimeStar, The Family Channel |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Parts America |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Camel Cigarettes |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cartoon Network, Tom and Jerry, Dexter's Laboratory, Cow and Chicken |
| 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Pennzoil |
| 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 34 | Todd Bodine | Team 34 | Chevrolet | Hardinge Machine Tools |
| 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Skittles |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, RC Cola |
| 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light |
| 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth |
| 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Realtree |
| 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul |
| 78 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Hanes |
| 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | Square D |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Dorsey Schroeder | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | John Deere |
| 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | RCA |
| 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 8, at 2:00 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, August 9, at 10:45 AM 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.

Todd Bodine, driving for Team 34, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:13.192 and an average speed of 120.505 miles per hour (193.934 km/h).

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Bobby Hillin Jr., Morgan Shepherd, and Dave Marcis.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 34 | Todd Bodine | Team 34 | Chevrolet | 1:13.192 | 120.505 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:13.253 | 120.405 |
| 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.254 | 120.403 |
| 4 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 1:13.308 | 120.314 |
| 5 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:13.308 | 120.314 |
| 6 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.346 | 120.252 |
| 7 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 1:13.393 | 120.175 |
| 8 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:13.403 | 120.159 |
| 9 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:13.413 | 120.142 |
| 10 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:13.420 | 120.131 |
| 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.472 | 120.046 |
| 12 | 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 1:13.548 | 119.922 |
| 13 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 1:13.602 | 119.834 |
| 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 1:13.618 | 119.808 |
| 15 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.634 | 119.782 |
| 16 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.654 | 119.749 |
| 17 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:13.748 | 119.596 |
| 18 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 1:13.787 | 119.533 |
| 19 | 90 | Dorsey Schroeder | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 1:13.818 | 119.483 |
| 20 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 1:13.911 | 119.333 |
| 21 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 1:13.930 | 119.302 |
| 22 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:13.977 | 119.226 |
| 23 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 1:14.042 | 119.122 |
| 24 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:14.054 | 119.102 |
| 25 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 1:14.121 | 118.995 |
| 26 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.870 | 119.399 |
| 27 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 1:13.953 | 119.265 |
| 28 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 1:14.139 | 118.966 |
| 29 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:14.199 | 118.870 |
| 30 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 1:14.199 | 118.870 |
| 31 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 1:14.216 | 118.842 |
| 32 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:14.256 | 118.778 |
| 33 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:14.267 | 118.761 |
| 34 | 1 | Lance Hooper | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 1:14.279 | 118.742 |
| 35 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:14.339 | 118.646 |
| 36 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:14.375 | 118.588 |
| 37 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 1:14.392 | 118.561 |
| 38 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.491 | 118.404 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 78 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Triad Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 32 | running | 185 | $139,120 |
| 2 | 7 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | 90 | 18 | running | 175 | $71,895 |
| 3 | 13 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 90 | 2 | running | 170 | $43,810 |
| 4 | 10 | 40 | Robby Gordon (R) | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 160 | $39,200 |
| 5 | 9 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 155 | $36,700 |
| 6 | 29 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 150 | $31,500 |
| 7 | 4 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 90 | 4 | running | 151 | $28,080 |
| 8 | 16 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 1 | running | 147 | $37,505 |
| 9 | 33 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 138 | $26,575 |
| 10 | 5 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 134 | $16,585 |
| 11 | 25 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 6 | running | 135 | $25,355 |
| 12 | 8 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 90 | 10 | running | 132 | $18,015 |
| 13 | 6 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 124 | $29,725 |
| 14 | 15 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 121 | $24,485 |
| 15 | 28 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 118 | $17,995 |
| 16 | 3 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 115 | $29,575 |
| 17 | 39 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 112 | $23,755 |
| 18 | 32 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 3 | running | 114 | $23,535 |
| 19 | 26 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 106 | $16,780 |
| 20 | 30 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 103 | $24,885 |
| 21 | 22 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 100 | $24,455 |
| 22 | 38 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 97 | $12,335 |
| 23 | 40 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 94 | $22,540 |
| 24 | 34 | 1 | Lance Hooper | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 91 | $22,380 |
| 25 | 17 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 88 | $22,245 |
| 26 | 35 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 85 | $15,085 |
| 27 | 23 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | out of fuel | 82 | $21,972 |
| 28 | 24 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 89 | 0 | accident | 79 | $26,915 |
| 29 | 36 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 76 | $26,855 |
| 30 | 42 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89 | 0 | running | 73 | $14,295 |
| 31 | 19 | 90 | Dorsey Schroeder | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 70 | $11,630 |
| 32 | 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 89 | 14 | running | 72 | $28,365 |
| 33 | 12 | 14 | Steve Park | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 88 | 0 | running | 64 | $11,515 |
| 34 | 21 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 88 | 0 | running | 61 | $18,490 |
| 35 | 1 | 34 | Todd Bodine | Team 34 | Chevrolet | 87 | 0 | engine | 58 | $16,465 |
| 36 | 41 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 77 | 0 | oil leak | 55 | $18,415 |
| 37 | 14 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 65 | 0 | engine | 52 | $26,390 |
| 38 | 37 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 64 | 0 | running | 49 | $11,365 |
| 39 | 20 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 56 | 0 | rear end | 46 | $18,365 |
| 40 | 31 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 24 | 0 | transmission | 43 | $27,865 |
| 41 | 18 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 14 | 0 | engine | 40 | $18,365 |
| 42 | 27 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 8 | 0 | engine | 37 | $11,365 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 78 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
