Originally published on Dec. 24, 2024
By Zane
Miller
First
round
(8) #94
Bill Elliott v. (1) #24 Jeff Gordon
(7) #18
Bobby Labonte v. (2) #2 Rusty Wallace
(6) #3
Dale Earnhardt v. (3) #88 Dale Jarrett
(5) #99
Jeff Burton v. (4) #5 Terry Labonte
The first
round got underway at Richmond, which would be no trouble for Jeff Gordon as he
came in third, while Bill Elliott came in 30th despite starting on the pole and
leading 43 laps early. Having a disastrous weekend at the Virginia track would
be Bobby Labonte, who started at the rear of the field and only went downhill
from there, finishing 34th. This allowed Rusty Wallace to take the early
advantage in the series with a fifth-place finish. Also with a disappointing
run was Dale Earnhardt, who finished in 15th after also starting
towards the back, in stark contrast to Dale Jarrett, who led a sizable chunk of
laps on the way to the race win. Finally, breakout star Jeff Burton grabbed the
runner-up spot ahead of veteran racer Terry Labonte in 17th.
The 1997
season also saw the addition of the New Hampshire International Speedway (now
New Hampshire Motor Speedway) to the playoffs, where Jarrett would knock out
the four-time champ with a sixth-place finish while Earnhardt ended up eighth. Also
falling out of championship contention would be Elliott, who finished 11th as
Gordon brought another strong car to a race win. One more driver would also deliver
the finishing blow with a top-15 result, this being Burton who took the 14th
spot after leading a race-high 235 laps, as this was more than enough to do in
Terry Labonte, who crashed out with less than 40 laps to go. Bobby Labonte
would keep every series from being a sweep, however. On the final restart,
Wallace was a handful of spots ahead of Labonte, but appeared to have it well
in hand once the white flag flew. However, just past the start-finish line,
Wallace moved down the track in front of Hut Stricklin, causing Wallace to spin
off the bumper into the inside wall. Thanks to the almost unbelievable luck,
Labonte scooted by for a 15th-place finish, while Wallace dragged
his battered #2 car across the line in 21st, though he would have
likely finished inside the top-10 had the incident not occurred.
In the
first-round finale at Dover, all eyes were initially focused on the battle
between Labonte and Wallace. However, as the race went on, it became clear that
the only thing that would take Labonte out of the semifinal round would be
either a mistake or a mechanical failure from the #18 team, as Labonte stayed
inside the top-five and Wallace was stuck on the outside looking in. Alas, no
mistake was forthcoming as Labonte grabbed fourth, with Wallace coming several
laps down in 16th.
Semifinal
(7) #18
Bobby Labonte v. (1) #24 Jeff Gordon
(5) #99
Jeff Burton v. (3) #88 Dale Jarrett
In the
semifinal opener at Martinsville, Labonte was out to prove that his stunning
upset over Wallace was not just a fluke. However, this endeavor would not get
off to a good start as he finished a rough afternoon multiple laps down in 27th,
while Gordon continued his hot streak by taking the fourth spot. Meanwhile,
Burton had a point of his own to prove, nabbing the race win after leading 92
laps, as Jarrett finished outside the top-10. However, the fortunes of each of
the four drivers would flip at Charlotte, starting with Jarrett taking home the
race win in dominating fashion after leading the final 58 laps. Despite
Burton’s solid sixth-place run, his championship fate would lie in the hands of
the sport’s largest track a week later. Following behind Jarrett was Labonte in
the runner-up spot, keeping Gordon at bay, at least temporarily, in spite of
the latter’s fifth-place finish.
One of NASCAR’s
most famous, and most controversial, tracks is undoubtedly Talladega
Superspeedway, holding such a reputation ever since its first race on the
schedule in 1969. However, 1997 would be the first year a Talladega race was moved
to the fall and, consequently, into the playoffs. The “Big One” is bluntly
defined as an enormous multi-car pileup often seen at superspeedways, and such
a wreck would undo Gordon’s masterful playoff campaign. With just 41 laps to
go, he was involved in a 23-car accident, while Labonte was well ahead of the
carnage. While Burton was also a part of the accident, he only sustained minor
damage and was able to continue, though Gordon was not so lucky as he was
credited with a 35th-place finish. Most importantly in his case,
Jarrett was also in the incident and lost a lap during repairs. As Labonte
pushed his brother Terry to the race win, Burton made it to the line in 14th
with Jarrett in 21st. It was now clear that two relative newcomers
would be duking it out in the finals.
Final
(7) #18
Bobby Labonte v. (5) #99 Jeff Burton
Rockingham
would be the new start of the finals following the schedule realignment, which
Labonte took advantage of by leading 93 laps on the day. Although he eventually
fell back to 11th by the end of the race, this was still more than
enough to best Burton, who dropped well out of contention after an accident
near the two-thirds mark and finished a disappointing 38th.
All
Labonte needed at Phoenix was a solid run to cap off his unlikely championship
run, as he was one of the favorites due to his strong fourth-place starting
spot while Burton started near the back of the pack. However, this would not
come so easily, as Burton clawed his way to a 13th-place finish while
Labonte was not a significant threat once race day actually began, falling to
23rd by the checkered flag.
The
championship fight would be decided at the newly-reconfigured Atlanta Motor
Speedway, though the incredibly competitive and unpredictable postseason would
end anticlimactically. Burton was nowhere to be found at the front as he
struggled to find any pace at all, eventually finishing several laps down in 34th.
Meanwhile, Labonte left no doubt that this chilly November day would see his
first career Cup Series championship, winning the race as well with 168 laps
led.
Bobby
Labonte’s stats for 1997 included one win, nine top-fives and 18 top-10s,
finishing seventh in the real-life standings to champion Jeff Gordon.
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