1997 The Bud At The Glen
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
| Date | August 10, 1997 | ||
| Location | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.45 mi (3.942 km) | ||
| Distance | 90 laps, 220.5 mi (354.86 km) | ||
| Average speed | 91.294 mph (146.923 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team 34 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 32 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett | ||
The 1997 The Bud At The Glen, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 10, 1997, at Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps on the 2.45-mile (3.942 km) road course, it was the 20th race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race. This is his 1st career victory on a road course, beginning a streak of 6 consecutive road course wins that lasted until 2000.
Background
Watkins Glen International, nicknamed "The Glen", is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York, at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. The sports car racing facility is owned by the International Speedway Corporation. It was long known around the world as the home of the United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for 20 consecutive years (1961–1980) but since 1948, it has been home to road racing of nearly every class, such as Formula One, the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the Verizon IndyCar Series. Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956, a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968, the race was extended to six hours, earning the nickname "6 Hours of Watkins Glen". The circuit's current layout has more/less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after a fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event. The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers.
Top 10 results
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 2 | 7 | Geoffrey Bodine | Geoff Bodine Racing | Ford |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske Racing South | Ford |
| 4 | 40 | Robby Gordon | Team SABCO | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford |
| 7 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | Ford |
| 8 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet |
Race statistics
- Time of race: 2:24:55
- Average Speed: 91.294 miles per hour (146.923 km/h)
- Pole Speed: 120.505
- Cautions: 5 for 11 laps
- Margin of Victory: 1.350
- Lead changes: 10
- Percent of race run under caution: 12.2%
- Average green flag run: 13.2 laps