NASCAR Winston Cup Exide Select Batteries 400: Fact Sheet

2 September 1997

           1997 NASCAR WINSTON CUP SERIES FACT SHEET

WHAT: Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400
      NASCAR Winston Cup Series Race #24 of 32

WHERE: Richmond International Raceway
       Richmond, VA
       0.750-Mile Paved Speedway

WHEN: Saturday, September 6, 1997
       7:40 pm EDT

DISTANCE: 400 Laps/300 Miles

POSTED AWARDS: $1,689,618

FIELD: 43 cars possible. Fastest 38 cars through time trials. Four
provisional starting positions based on 1997 NWC owner points and one
past champion provisional.

SANCTION: National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc.

PROMOTER: Richmond International Raceway, Inc.

TV: ESPN (Live)
    Airtime: 7:40 pm (EDT)
    Announcers: Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons and Ned Jarrett
    Pit Reporters: Dr. Jerry Punch, John Kernan and Bill Weber

RADIO: MRN (Live)
       Airtime: 7:15 pm (EDT)
       Announcers: Allen Bestwick and Barney Hall

SCHEDULE:
          Friday, September 5
             6:00 am : Team Haulers Enter
             8:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens
            10:30 am : Rookie Drivers' Meeting
            11:00 am : Qualifying Draw
  11:30 am - 2:30 pm : Practice
      3:00 - 4:00 pm : Practice
             5:30 pm : Qualifying (Positions 1-25)

          Saturday, September 6
            11:00 am : NASCAR Garage Opens
     12:00 - 1:30 pm : Practice
             2:00 pm : Qualifying (Positions 26-38)
                 TBD : Final Practice following time trials until 3:00 pm

PARTICIPATING AWARDS SPONSORS: Winston, AE Clevite Engine Parts, Aeroquip,
Auto Meter Products, Bowman Distribution, Busch Beer, Champion Spark Plugs,
Competition Cams, Craftsman Tools, Crane Cams, DuPont Automotive Finishes,
Edelbrock Manifolds, Fram Fuel Filters, Gatorade Sports Beverage, Goodyear
Tires, Goody's Headache Powders, Holley Carburetors, Hurst Shifters, JE
Pistons, Jesel Rocker Arms, Longacre Computerscales, MCI, Mac Tools, Mechanix
Wear, Moog Chassis Parts, Motorcraft Batteries, Opryland, Plasti-Kote Spray
Paint, RCA, Raybestos Brakes, Simpson Helmets, Spicer Drive Shafts, Stant
Radiator Caps, STP Oil Treatment & Oil Filters, 3M Automotive Products, True
Value Hardware, Unocal Gasoline, 76/NASCAR High Performance Motor Oil,
Western Auto Stores, Wiseco Pistons, Wix Air Filters
 
 RECORDS: Qualifying: Jeff Gordon; Chevrolet; 124.757 mph;
                       21.642 seconds; 3/3/95
 
          Race (300 Miles): Rusty Wallace; Ford; 108.499 mph
                2 hours, 45 minutes, 54 seconds; 3/2/97
 
 THE TRACK:
 D-Shaped Oval
 Degree of Banking in Corners - 14 degrees
 Degree of Banking on Front Straight - 8 degrees
 Degree of Banking on Back Straight - 2 degrees
 Length of Frontstretch - 1290 feet
 Length of Backstretch - 860 feet
 
 1996 REVIEW: Ernie Irvan led the final 19 laps to pick up his second win of
the season, beating Jeff Gordon to the line by 0.10-second. Jeff Burton, Dale
Jarrett and Terry Labonte rounded out the top five. Gordon trimmed Labonte's
point lead to just four (3542-3538) with seven races left in the season.