1997 California 500

1997 California 500
Race details[1]
Race 15 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway
Date June 22, 1997 (1997-06-22)
Location California Speedway, Fontana, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2 mi (3.22 km)
Distance 250 laps, 500 mi (804.67 km)
Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 91.9 °F (33.3 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)
Average speed 155.12 miles per hour (249.64 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Felix Sabates
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 113
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ABC Sports

The 1997 California 500 presented by NAPA was the inaugural NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held at California Speedway in Fontana, California. The race was the 15th in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Though Greg Sacks was the fastest qualifier, he had to start 26th due to not being a first day qualifier, and the pole position was instead given to Felix Sabates driver Joe Nemechek, who ran with an average speed of 183.015 miles per hour (294.534 km/h).[2] The inaugural California 500 was won by Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports, who also led the most laps with 113.[3] A crowd of 85,000 attended the race, the first race in southern California since 1988, when Riverside International Raceway held the Budweiser 400.[4]

The national anthem was performed by 20th Century Fox Records recording arists Ambrosia but it was not shown on ABC, NAPA vice president Wayne Wells gave the command for drivers to start their engines, and track executive Les Richter was the grand marshal.[5]

Background

The track, Auto Club Speedway, is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long.[6] The track's turns are banked from fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at eleven degrees. Unlike the front stretch, the backstraightaway is banked at three degrees.

Race

On lap 29, Hut Stricklin hit the turn four wall, and was later treated for abrasions. Later in the race, Greg Sacks hit the turn two wall. Much of the race was dominated by Jeff Gordon, who led the most laps with 113 laps, though heading into the final 16 laps Mark Martin was able to pass Gordon, but had to pit to refuel three laps later. On the final lap, Gordon ran out of fuel, and with Hendrick teammate Terry Labonte closing in, Gordon coasted across the finish line to beat Labonte by 1.074 seconds[5] and claim his fifth victory of the season. Ricky Rudd, Ted Musgrave, Jimmy Spencer and Bobby Labonte closed out the top five.[4]

Timeline

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[3] Differential
1 Jeff Gordon 2295 0
2 Mark Martin 2203 -92
3 Terry Labonte 2176 -119
4 Dale Jarrett 2123 -172
5 Jeff Burton 1971 -324
6 Dale Earnhardt 1948 -347
7 Bobby Labonte 1895 -400
8 Ricky Rudd 1875 -420
9 Michael Waltrip 1753 -542
10 Jeremy Mayfield 1726 -569

References

  1. ↑ "1997 California 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2013-05-24.
  2. ↑ Glick, Shav (1997-06-21). "Nemechek Is California 500's First Pole Cat". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
  3. 1 2 "1997 California 500". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  4. 1 2 "The Callahan Report: Jeff Gordon Wins Inaugural Race at California Speedway". The Auto Channel. 1997-06-22. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  5. 1 2 Downey, Mike (1997-06-23). "Not Your Average Sunday Drive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-05-17.
  6. ↑ "Auto Club Speedway Track Facts". Auto Club Speedway. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
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