1997 Pepsi 400
# 1997 Pepsi 400

The 1997 Pepsi 400 was the 16th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 5, 1997, in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. In a one-lap restart to the finish, Cale Yarborough Motorsports driver John Andretti would manage to defend the field in a close finish to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Sterling Marlin would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Jerry Nadeau | 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 | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | QVC |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Melling Racing |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Close Call Phone Card |
| 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, Scooby-Doo |
| 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 |
| 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Skittles |
| 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | Kmart, RC Cola |
| 40 | Greg Sacks | 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 | Stren Fishing Lines, Remington Arms |
| 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions, Federal-Mogul |
| 78 | Billy Standridge | 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 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 91 | Loy Allen Jr. | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | Spam |
| 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 Thursday, July 3, 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 Friday, July 4. 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.

Mike Skinner, driving for Richard Childress Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 47.424 and an average speed of 189.777 miles per hour (305.416 km/h).

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Loy Allen Jr., Geoff Bodine, and Jeff Green.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.424 | 189.777 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.428 | 189.761 |
| 3 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 47.513 | 189.422 |
| 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.529 | 189.358 |
| 5 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 47.618 | 189.004 |
| 6 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 47.656 | 188.853 |
| 7 | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 47.672 | 188.790 |
| 8 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 47.673 | 188.786 |
| 9 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 47.678 | 188.766 |
| 10 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 47.720 | 188.600 |
| 11 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 47.751 | 188.478 |
| 12 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 47.755 | 188.462 |
| 13 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 47.815 | 188.225 |
| 14 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 47.854 | 188.072 |
| 15 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 47.859 | 188.052 |
| 16 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 47.878 | 187.978 |
| 17 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 47.913 | 187.840 |
| 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 47.915 | 187.833 |
| 19 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 47.954 | 187.680 |
| 20 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 47.958 | 187.664 |
| 21 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 47.971 | 187.613 |
| 22 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 48.020 | 187.422 |
| 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 48.027 | 187.395 |
| 24 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 48.027 | 187.395 |
| 25 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 48.066 | 187.243 |
| 26 | 40 | Robby Gordon | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 48.071 | 187.223 |
| 27 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 48.095 | 187.130 |
| 28 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 48.124 | 187.017 |
| 29 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 48.171 | 186.834 |
| 30 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.177 | 186.811 |
| 31 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 48.187 | 186.772 |
| 32 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 48.208 | 186.691 |
| 33 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 48.271 | 186.447 |
| 34 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.318 | 186.266 |
| 35 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.334 | 186.204 |
| 36 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 48.345 | 186.162 |
| 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 48.377 | 186.039 |
| 38 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 48.393 | 185.977 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 39 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 1 | Jerry Nadeau | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 91 | Loy Allen Jr. | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 44 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 45 | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | 98 | John Andretti | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 113 | running | 185 | $109,525 |
| 2 | 35 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 170 | $74,975 |
| 3 | 30 | 4 | Sterling Marlin | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 165 | $53,775 |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 7 | running | 165 | $52,475 |
| 5 | 16 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 155 | $45,975 |
| 6 | 6 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 150 | $40,850 |
| 7 | 38 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 160 | 2 | running | 151 | $30,550 |
| 8 | 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 142 | $36,500 |
| 9 | 24 | 28 | Ernie Irvan | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 138 | $35,500 |
| 10 | 20 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 134 | $40,000 |
| 11 | 27 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 130 | $30,565 |
| 12 | 22 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 127 | $29,975 |
| 13 | 31 | 37 | Jeremy Mayfield | Kranefuss-Haas Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 124 | $22,585 |
| 14 | 34 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 1 | running | 126 | $29,245 |
| 15 | 14 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 118 | $30,455 |
| 16 | 15 | 30 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 115 | $28,615 |
| 17 | 37 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 112 | $23,175 |
| 18 | 9 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 160 | 0 | running | 109 | $27,860 |
| 19 | 36 | 96 | David Green (R) | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 106 | $17,920 |
| 20 | 25 | 43 | Bobby Hamilton | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 160 | 0 | running | 103 | $32,655 |
| 21 | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 1 | running | 105 | $85,135 |
| 22 | 26 | 40 | Robby Gordon | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 97 | $26,915 |
| 23 | 40 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 160 | 1 | running | 99 | $26,545 |
| 24 | 11 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 91 | $19,325 |
| 25 | 12 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 | crash | 88 | $19,080 |
| 26 | 21 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 4 | crash | 90 | $25,820 |
| 27 | 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 159 | 26 | crash | 87 | $30,465 |
| 28 | 28 | 36 | Derrike Cope | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | crash | 79 | $18,445 |
| 29 | 10 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 | crash | 76 | $18,225 |
| 30 | 41 | 1 | Jerry Nadeau | Precision Products Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | crash | 73 | $25,130 |
| 31 | 5 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 159 | 0 | running | 70 | $24,575 |
| 32 | 32 | 77 | Morgan Shepherd | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 159 | 0 | running | 67 | $15,045 |
| 33 | 17 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford | 158 | 2 | running | 69 | $22,015 |
| 34 | 13 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 155 | 0 | crash | 61 | $29,985 |
| 35 | 8 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 155 | 1 | crash | 63 | $21,955 |
| 36 | 19 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Ford | 155 | 0 | crash | 55 | $21,925 |
| 37 | 39 | 25 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 155 | 0 | running | 52 | $21,896 |
| 38 | 42 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 153 | 0 | running | 49 | $21,850 |
| 39 | 33 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 149 | 0 | running | 46 | $14,850 |
| 40 | 7 | 78 | Billy Standridge | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 39 | 0 | crash | 43 | $14,850 |
| 41 | 1 | 31 | Mike Skinner (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 37 | 2 | crash | 45 | $21,850 |
| 42 | 29 | 97 | Chad Little | Mark Rypien Motorsports | Pontiac | 32 | 0 | crash | 37 | $15,350 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 91 | Loy Allen Jr. | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 45 | | 29 | Jeff Green (R) | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
