1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 - NASCAR Race

Name of Race:	1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300
Name of Track:	Infineon Raceway
Date:	May 5th

Infineon Raceway, formerly Sears Point Raceway, is a NASCAR sanctioned road course and drag strip in the hills of northern California, near Sonoma, north of San Francisco.

One Of Two NASCAR Road Courses NASCAR On The West Coast

With the closure of Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California after the 1988 season, NASCAR, wanting a west coast road course event to replace it, chose the Sears Point facility. Riverside International was razed for a shopping center development.

In 2002, Sears Point Raceway was renamed after a corporation, Infineon. However, as with many renamings of sports complexes, many people still call it by its original name. Despite its name, it was in no ways affiliated with Sears.The Chute

The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 2.52 mile, 12 turn course, however the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypasses turns 5 and 6, shortening course to 1.95 miles. The Chute is only used for NASCAR events such as the Dodge/Save Mart 350, and is criticised by many drivers, who prefer the full layout; most races, including the Grand American Road Racing Association's Grand Prix of Sonoma, use the full course, while American Motorcyclist Association and Indy Racing League events use a modified 2.22 mile, 12 turn course.

This layout, opened in 2003, skips much of the Esses and run from Turn 10 to Turn 11 (the hairpin) for additional safety for motorcyclists, including runoff available in the motorcycle Turn 11 (the main Turn 11 has no runoff, and is a very slow turn, similar to the Mirabeau hairpin at Monaco). The raceway also has a quarter mile drag strip used for NHRA drag racing events.

Courtesy of Wikipedia.

1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 NASCAR Race Results

Below are the race results for 1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300, in order of finishing place.

Fin	Driver	Num	Start	Money	Laps	Status	Sponsor
1	Mark Martin	6	1	$113,995	74	running	Valvoline
2	Jeff Gordon	24	3	$66,065	74	running	DuPont Refinishes
3	Terry Labonte	5	4	$63,700	74	running	Kellogg's Corn Flakes
4	Dale Jarrett	88	8	$50,135	74	running	Quality Care / Ford Credit
5	Darrell Waltrip	17	26	$35,920	74	running	Parts America
6	Brett Bodine	11	5	$40,795	74	running	Close Call Phone Card
7	Michael Waltrip	21	6	$37,345	74	running	Citgo
8	Ernie Irvan	28	24	$40,145	74	running	Texaco Havoline
9	Jeff Burton	99	20	$39,595	74	running	Exide Batteries
10	Ward Burton	22	14	$32,440	74	running	MBNA America
11	Ted Musgrave	16	12	$34,880	74	running	Family Channel / Primestar
12	Dale Earnhardt	3	32	$39,580	74	running	GM Goodwrench Service
13	Kyle Petty	44	11	$22,980	74	running	Hot Wheels
14	Jimmy Spencer	23	25	$33,680	74	running	Camel Cigarettes
16	Mike Skinner	31	19	$22,830	74	running	Lowe's
17	Steve Grissom	41	33	$32,855	74	running	Kodiak
18	Derrike Cope	36	21	$21,705	74	running	Skittles
19	Bobby Hamilton	43	23	$36,680	74	running	STP
20	Bobby Labonte	18	29	$41,105	74	running	Interstate Batteries
21	Johnny Benson, Jr.	30	35	$0	74	running	Pennzoil
22	Mike Wallace	91	34	$23,505	74	running	Spam
23	Morgan Shepherd	1	41	$32,280	74	running	Cruisin' America Phone Card
24	Butch Gilliland	38	28	$21,410	74	running	Stroppe Motorsports
25	Dave Marcis	71	30	$25,350	74	running	RealTree Camouflage
26	Sterling Marlin	4	16	$37,380	74	running	Kodak Film
27	Jeremy Mayfield	37	39	$24,965	73	running	Kmart / RC Cola
28	Tom Hubert	78	27	$21,350	73	running	Hanes / Diamond Rio
30	John Andretti	98	17	$31,710	73	running	RCA
31	Ken Schrader	33	15	$31,290	73	running	Skoal Bandit
32	Bill Elliott	94	13	$31,140	70	running	McDonald's
34	Ricky Rudd	10	10	$45,890	66	running	Tide
35	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	77	31	$0	64	running	Jasper Engines / Federal Mogul
36	Kenny Wallace	81	36	$30,850	61	crash	Square D
37	Jeff Davis	9	42	$30,745	60	crash	Ultra Shield
38	Larry Gunselman	35	44	$20,720	60	rear end	Caterpillar
39	Ricky Craven	25	40	$30,220	58	running	Budweiser
40	Rusty Wallace	2	2	$38,720	47	engine	Miller Lite
41	Robby Gordon	40	18	$27,720	43	engine	Coors Light
42	Lance Hooper	20	37	$21,820	40	engine	Hardee's
43	Gary Bradberry	19	38	$20,720	31	engine	Child Support Recovery
44	Geoffrey Bodine	7	7	$29,220	10	engine	QVC