1997 Desert Star Classic - NASCAR Race
| Name of Race: | 1997 Desert Star Classic |
| Name of Track: | Phoenix International Raceway |
| Date: | April 20th |
Phoenix International Raceway or just PIR, is a one mile tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It opened in 1964, but wasn't used by NASCAR until 1988, with the first race won by the late Alan Kulwicki, where he debuted his Polish Victory Lap).
It is an unusual tri-oval shape, more like a "D" shape. This is because the owner did not wish to alter the infield road course to accommodate a traditional NASCAR oval. It has since been used by the Indy Racing League and an infield road course has been used by the Grand American Road Racing Association.
In 2005, the track hosted a second NASCAR race, replacing the spring race formerly held at Darlington Raceway, in South Carolina.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.1997 Desert Star Classic NASCAR Race Results
Below are the race results for 1997 Desert Star Classic, in order of finishing place.
| Fin | Driver | Num | Start | Money | Laps | Pts | Status | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Sprague | 24 | 1 | $43,936 | 150 | 0 | running | Quaker State |
| 2 | Joe Ruttman | 80 | 7 | $22,785 | 150 | 0 | running | LCI Telecommunications |
| 3 | Mike Bliss | 2 | 2 | $18,286 | 150 | 0 | running | Team ASE Racing |
| 4 | Ron Hornaday, Jr. | 16 | 8 | $0 | 150 | 0 | running | NAPA Brakes |
| 5 | Rich Bickle | 17 | 4 | $8,136 | 150 | 0 | running | Sears DieHard |
| 6 | Bob Keselowski | 29 | 20 | $8,436 | 150 | 0 | running | Mopar Performance |
| 7 | Dave Rezendes | 35 | 16 | $8,386 | 150 | 0 | running | Ortho Lawn & Garden |
| 8 | Chuck Bown | 99 | 31 | $5,875 | 150 | 0 | running | Exide Batteries |
| 10 | Rick Carelli | 6 | 13 | $8,486 | 150 | 0 | running | RE/MAX International |
| 11 | Jay Sauter | 3 | 24 | $6,536 | 150 | 0 | running | GM Goodwrench Service |
| 12 | Tammy Jo Kirk | 7 | 11 | $5,525 | 150 | 0 | running | Lovable |
| 14 | Jimmy Hensley | 43 | 25 | $6,286 | 149 | 0 | running | Cummins Engines |
| 16 | Kelly Denton | 30 | 26 | $5,075 | 149 | 0 | running | Grandaddy Racing |
| 17 | Kenny Irwin, Jr. | 98 | 6 | $0 | 149 | 0 | running | Raybestos |
| 18 | Tobey Butler | 52 | 5 | $4,975 | 148 | 0 | running | Purolator PureOne Filters |
| 19 | Terry Cook | 88 | 29 | $4,925 | 148 | 0 | running | Koch XP |
| 20 | Doug George | 12 | 17 | $6,068 | 147 | 0 | running | ENKEI |
| 21 | Rick Crawford | 14 | 14 | $4,800 | 147 | 0 | running | Circle Bar Motel & RV Park |
| 22 | Brian Cunningham | 57 | 32 | $4,750 | 147 | 0 | running | CSG Racing |
| 23 | Kenny Allen | 65 | 34 | $5,761 | 144 | 0 | running | AAG Racing |
| 24 | Boris Said | 44 | 10 | $4,550 | 141 | 0 | running | Federated Auto Parts |
| 26 | T.J. Clark | 23 | 21 | $5,461 | 104 | 0 | running | American Racing Wheels |
| 28 | Michael Dokken | 18 | 12 | $5,261 | 83 | 0 | engine | Dana Corporation |
| 29 | Brandon Butler | 56 | 28 | $4,050 | 82 | 0 | engine | Husky Power Tools |
| 30 | Butch Miller | 20 | 18 | $5,061 | 80 | 0 | engine | Orleans Hotel & Casino |
| 31 | Bobby Dotter | 68 | 30 | $3,850 | 59 | 0 | mechanical | Lub-Tek Shock Oil |
| 32 | Jerry Glanville | 81 | 9 | $3,750 | 32 | 0 | crash | Ceres Trading Group |
| 33 | Stacy Compton | 86 | 27 | $3,750 | 31 | 0 | crash | Valvoline Instant Oil Change |
| 34 | Bryan Reffner | 66 | 23 | $4,861 | 30 | 0 | crash | Carlin Burners & Controls |
| 35 | Bob Brevak | 34 | 33 | $4,861 | 11 | 0 | engine | Concor Tool & Machine |
