1997 Winston 500

The 1997 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on May 10, 1997, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama. Heavy rain and prior NASCAR commitments forced this race to be rescheduled from April 27, 1997.

This race would be last time that the number 20 would be used on a Winston Cup Series vehicle until Tony Stewart came along and revived the number as a part of Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart was asked to drive the vehicle just prior to qualifying but had to turn it down due to prior commitments.

Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 mi, and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators.

Race report
There were 43 American-born drivers in this race. Those who failed to qualify were: Billy Standridge, Mike Wallace, Gary Bradberry, Joe Nemechek, Phil Barkdoll (in his final NASCAR attempt), and Ed Berrier. Geoffrey Bodine finished last due to an engine problem on lap 78 of 188 laps. Mark Martin defeated Dale Earnhardt by 0.150 seconds; ending the caution-free race. This was Martin's second consecutive victory. The aero package allowed for 26 changes in first-place during the race. Bobby Hillin had his best finish of the 1997 season by finishing 20th after qualifying in second place. This race would be the final start for Greg Sacks in the 20 and Robert Pressley in the 29.

John Andretti, driving Cale Yarborough's car, would finish in the top five. This race was actually rain-delayed from its original date, was attempted on Monday, then set back to the Saturday before Mother's Day.

Joe Nemechek ran the #40 car in this race because Robby Gordon had activities for the Indy 500 that were conflicting with the Winston 500.

It took more than two and a half hours for Martin to record his average speed of 188.354 mph; one of the fastest average speeds recorded. Despite being twice the distance this race was only 32 minutes longer than the 2017 I Love New York 355 at The Glen. John Andretti earned the pole position of the race with a speed of 193.627 mph. This race brought to a close the existence of Harry Ranier's race team.

This race was a restrictor plate race per NASCAR's policy on racing at Talladega and its sister track at Daytona Beach, Florida during that time. Lake Speed's ACE Hardware sponsorship in this race was fabricated so that he would resemble the villain in Fox's made-for-TV movie Steel Chariots.

Mark Martin's race speed record still stands due to this race going caution free; it is unlikely the record will be broken anytime soon since NASCAR has added mandatory stage break cautions to all races (which has since been removed at road courses, but those tracks do not approach the average speeds of superspeedways).

After this race, Labonte would take the championship points away from Dale Jarrett. The total prize purse for this race was $1,317,496 ($0 when considering inflation); Martin would earn $92,220 ($0 when considering inflation).

Top 10 finishers
Section reference:
 * 1) Mark Martin (No. 6)
 * 2) Dale Earnhardt (No. 3)
 * 3) Bobby Labonte (No. 18)
 * 4) John Andretti (No. 98)
 * 5) Jeff Gordon (No. 24)
 * 6) Terry Labonte (No. 5)
 * 7) Jimmy Spencer (No. 23)
 * 8) Jeff Burton (No. 99)
 * 9) Johnny Benson Jr. (No. 30)
 * 10) Ernie Irvan (No. 28)