1997 The Winston

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. 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.

Background
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.

Race winners in 1996 and 1997

 * 2-Rusty Wallace (2 wins in 1996)
 * 3-Dale Earnhardt (1 win in 1996)
 * 4-Sterling Marlin (1 win in 1996)
 * 5-Terry Labonte (2 wins in 1996)
 * 6-Mark Martin (2 wins in 1997)
 * 7-Geoff Bodine (1 win in 1996)
 * 10-Ricky Rudd (1 win in 1996)
 * 18-Bobby Labonte (1 win in 1996)
 * 24-Jeff Gordon (14 wins from 1996 and 1997, including the 1997 Daytona 500)
 * 28-Ernie Irvan (2 wins in 1996)
 * 43-Bobby Hamilton (1 win in 1996)
 * 88-Dale Jarrett (6 wins from 1996 and 1997, including the 1996 Daytona 500)
 * 99-Jeff Burton (1 win in 1997)

Previous winners of The Winston

 * 21-Michael Waltrip (1996 The Winston Select winner)

Previous NASCAR Winston Cup Champions

 * 17-Darrell Waltrip (3-time NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion)
 * 94-Bill Elliott (1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion)

Race winners from previous years, not eligible by the above criteria

 * 22-Ward Burton (1 win in 1995)
 * 23-Jimmy Spencer (2 wins in 1994)
 * 44-Kyle Petty (1 win in 1995)

The Winston Open winner

 * 25-Ricky Craven

Segment 1
Bill Elliott won the pole for the all-star event with a lap time of 143.273 mph. 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, charged forward to a third-place finish.


 * Segment results
 * 1) 88-Dale Jarrett ($50,000)
 * 2) 3-Dale Earnhardt ($15,000)
 * 3) 24-Jeff Gordon ($7,500)

Segment 2
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
 * 1) 18-Bobby Labonte ($50,000)
 * 2) 5-Terry Labonte ($15,000)
 * 3) 25-Ricky Craven ($7,500)

Segment 3
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
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.