1997 NAPA 500

{{Short description|32nd race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Avg={{convert|159.904|mph|km/h}}|Radio=Performance Racing Network|Caption=The 1997 NAPA 500 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass.|Official_name=38th Annual NAPA 500|Pole_Driver=Geoff Bodine|Pole_Time=28.074|First_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|Most_Team=Joe Gibbs Racing|First_Driver=Bobby Labonte|Most_Driver=Bobby Labonte|Most_laps=168|Car=18|Pole_Team=Geoff Bodine Racing|Date=November 16|Location=Hampton, Georgia, Atlanta Motor Speedway|Season_No=32|Race_No=32|Network=ESPN|Race_Name=NAPA 500|Year=1997|Scheduled_laps=325|Distance_laps=325|Distance_km=805.476|Scheduled_mi=500.5|Scheduled_km=805.476|Course_km=2.48|Course_mi=1.54|Distance_mi=500.5|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons|Image=1997_NAPA_500.jpeg|Attendance=}}

The 1997 NAPA 500 was the 32nd and final stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 16, 1997, in Hampton, Georgia at Atlanta Motor Speedway, a {{Convert|1.54|mi|km}} permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 325 laps to complete. At race's end, Joe Gibbs Racing driver Bobby Labonte would manage to dominate a majority of the race to take his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=November 16, 1997 |title=Just what they needed |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/97/docs/1116.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001118145100/http://www.thatsracin.com/97/docs/1116.htm |archive-date=November 18, 2000 |access-date=October 6, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Strubin |first=John |date=November 17, 1997 |title=Labonte repeats to save season |pages=42 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110817836/labonte-repeats-to-save-season/ |access-date=October 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

Needing an 18th-place finish or higher in the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to lock up the championship after staying consistently within the top 18, eventually securing a 17th-place finish to win his second career NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship, finishing 14 points ahead of runner-up Dale Jarrett.{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Mike |date=November 17, 1997 |title=Gordon wins championship; Labonte wins race |pages=47 |work=Citizens' Voice |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/110821934/gordon-wins-championship-labonte-wins/ |access-date=October 6, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

Background

File:Atlanta_Motor_Speedway.svg, the circuit where the race was held.]]

Atlanta Motor Speedway (formerly Atlanta International Raceway) is a 1.54-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.

The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of {{convert|1.54|mi|km|adj=on}} where before it was {{convert|1.522|mi|km|adj=on}}. The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.