| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 32 in the1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1997 DieHard 500 program cover, featuringJeff Gordon. | |||
| Date | October 12, 1997 | ||
| Official name | 29th Annual DieHard 500 | ||
| Location | Lincoln, Alabama,Talladega Superspeedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.66 miles (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 156.601 miles per hour (252.025 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 49.547 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 70 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy,Ned Jarrett,Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The1997 DieHard 500 was the 29thstock car race of the1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, October 12, 1997, inLincoln, Alabama atTalladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shapedsuperspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the final three laps of the race, with help from brotherBobby Labonte,Hendrick Motorsports driverTerry Labonte would make a late-race charge through the field to take his 19th careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementionedJoe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte andCale Yarborough Motorsports driverJohn Andretti would finish second and third, respectively.
The drivers who finished in the top five (Terry Labonte,Bobby Labonte,John Andretti,Ken Schrader, andErnie Irvan) qualified for the newWinston No Bull 5 program for the1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. If either of these drivers won the next season's1998 Daytona 500, they would win a $1 million dollar bonus. The Winston No Bull 5 essentially replaced theWinston Million.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is atri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by theInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts theNASCAR series such as theNASCAR Cup Series,Xfinity Series and theCamping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longestNASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like theDaytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 10, at 3:00 PMEST. 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, October 11, at 10:45 AMEST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] 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 theNASCAR 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.
Ernie Irvan, driving forRobert Yates Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 49.547 and an average speed of 193.271 miles per hour (311.040 km/h).[4]
Five drivers would fail to qualify:Ward Burton,Hut Stricklin,Gary Bradberry,Jeff Green, andEd Berrier.
*Time not available.
The Diehard 500 was covered byCBS in the United States for the twenty third and final time.Mike Joy, two-timeNASCAR Cup Series championNed Jarrett and1975 race winnerBuddy Baker called the race from the broadcast booth.Dick Berggren,Ralph Sheheen andBill Stephens handled pit road for the television side. Joy replacedKen Squier in the booth because Squier would serve as host which he would continue till the end of 2000.
| CBS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Booth announcers | Pit reporters | |
| Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | ||
| Ken Squier | Mike Joy | Ned Jarrett Buddy Baker | Dick Berggren Ralph Sheheen Bill Stephens |
| Previous race: 1997 UAW-GM Quality 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1997 season | Next race: 1997 AC Delco 400 |