Race 3 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1997 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover.
Date
March 2, 1997
Official name
43rd Annual Pontiac Excitement 400
Location
Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway
Course
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km)
Distance
400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Scheduled Distance
400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Average speed
108.499 miles per hour (174.612 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Terry Labonte
Hendrick Motorsports
Time
Set by 1996 owner's points
Most laps led
Driver
Dale Jarrett
Robert Yates Racing
Laps
172
Winner
No. 2
Rusty Wallace
Penske Racing South
Television in the United States
Network
ESPN
Announcers
Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett
Radio in the United States
Radio
Motor Racing Network
Motor car race
The 1997 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the third stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 2, 1997, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In a controversial victory, Penske Racing South driver Rusty Wallace would manage to hold off the field on the final restart with three to go, scoring his 47th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Geoff Bodine Racing driver Geoff Bodine and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
In post-race technical inspection, Wallace's engine was found to had failed to "meet compression ratio specifications" according to NASCAR technical inspector Kevin Triplett. At the time, the engine compression ratio was 14:1.[1] On Monday, March 3, NASCAR would run another test. The official test results came to 14.001:1, which while slightly over, was within the guidelines and would allow Wallace to keep his victory.[3]
^ abPoole, David (March 2, 1997). "Wallace leaves questions". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
^"Wallace's hard-fought victory not yet official at Pontiac 400". The Kansas City Star. March 3, 1997. p. 60. Retrieved September 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^McCollister, Tom (March 4, 1997). "Wallace declared Richmond winner". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 94. Retrieved September 23, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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