|| *Comments on the 1997 Florida Dodge Dealers 400K:* View the most recent comment <#31> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Joe posted: 07.27.2004 - 6:45 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) RIP John Nemechek 2. Darrell posted: 12.26.2005 - 6:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First career win for Kenny Irwin, who tragically, died just about the same way John did. 3. 1 posted: 01.09.2006 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RIP JOHN WE MISS YOU 4. chad richardson posted: 07.19.2006 - 2:58 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) we miss you john 5. Matt posted: 12.16.2006 - 7:47 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Jay Sauter was also in a bad crash in this race with Tobey Butler. He was listed in serious but stable condition with a concussion. 6. RaceFanX posted: 12.10.2007 - 12:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race was a real shock to me, I started watching NASCAR midway thru the 95 season. I figured NASCAR racing was a lot safer than it used to be, part of me was naive enough to think nobody could get killed anymore. After seeing John cut out of the truck I figured he'd be out a few races and then he'd be right back like it never happened. It was a real shock when he died 5 days later. This race was a wake up call that racing is and always will be dangerous. 7. SK posted: 02.20.2008 - 5:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) DNQ: (14) #00 Frank Kimmel #55 Jim Bown #88 Terry Cook #23 T.J. Clark #10 Toby Porter #73 Bob Schacht #62 Blaise Alexander #61 Randy Tolsma #54 Jon Leavy #68 Bobby Dotter #31 Bob Brevak #68 Ronnie Newman #81 Jerry Glanville #45 Michael Cohen 8. Anonymous posted: 12.20.2008 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Lance Norick's first race sponsored by the National Hockey League. The NHL may be the only major professional sports league to ever be a sponsor in NASCAR. 9. Unser1 posted: 05.30.2009 - 11:17 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Dennis Setzer's only Truck race of the 1997 season 10. Pacer posted: 11.08.2009 - 7:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The PBA sponsored Terry Cook in the Truck series but they aren't nearly the size of the NHL. 11. ii posted: 10.04.2010 - 6:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The MLB sponsored their All-Star game for Johnny Benson in 2002, and in either 07 or 08 Carl Edwards sponosored the Boston Red Sox at New Hampshire. 12. ii posted: 10.04.2010 - 6:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Clarafication: it was '07 13. Flywheel posted: 03.03.2011 - 10:24 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) NFL used to be an associate for Dale Jarrett when he drove for Gibbs back in the day. 14. SaidHead60 posted: 05.28.2011 - 7:07 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Junior won 2 races with the MLB All-Star Game on his car, as well as winning a race at Dover sponsored by Cal Ripken, Jr. 15. 1995z71 posted: 10.30.2011 - 1:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The Atlanta Falcons sponsored Jerry Glanville in 1992 in the Busch Series. Also 4 drivers from this race where killed in race crashes. Kenny Irwin, Jr. Tony Roper John Nemechek Blaise Alexander (who DNQ) 16. 10andJoe posted: 08.15.2012 - 1:40 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry McCarthy DNQ'd the No. 51 Chevrolet. 17. 44andJoe posted: 12.11.2012 - 2:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) To the back: Rob Rizzo (#27) driver change. Kenny Hendrick subbed for Rizzo in the previous day's qualifying race - and won it. 18. NoLongerAnonymous posted: 06.21.2013 - 4:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The NFL Players' Association sponsored the Petty cars in 1998 at one (or both) road course(s). 19. 23andJoe posted: 06.05.2014 - 8:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #52 crew chief: Tim Kohuth (same for all races this season) 20. 88Chris posted: 10.09.2015 - 12:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) RIP John Nemechek. Your brother Joe is mourning for you. 21. RaceFanX posted: 11.18.2017 - 12:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the last major NASCAR national touring series race on Homestead's original Indianapolis Motor Speedway-style layout. The track was building a reputation for hard hits in its stock car races, see Toby Porter's collarbone breaker in an All-Pro race and Mike Laughlin, Jr.'s inferno in a Busch series qualifier the prior fall, and John Nemechek's death was the last straw. The track's corners were all torn up and redone after this race, eliminating the squared off originals and short chutes to rebuild the track into a standard oval. John's brother Joe Nemechek scored an emotional win when the Busch series ran its first race with the new layout the following November. 22. TeamDCR fan posted: 03.06.2018 - 2:06 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) What's really sad about this was going into the race, John and his team's future was up in the air due to not having major funding. However, Martha Nemechek (Joe and Johns mom) said that a company had agreed to sponsor him for the full season. They were waiting to tell him as a surprise for after the race. Sadly, it never came together. 23. 34McDowellFan posted: 05.15.2018 - 10:16 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) One of the saddest parts about John's death was it came at the track in his homestate of Florida R.I.P. 24. MenardFan posted: 05.25.2018 - 9:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Here is how John Nemechek crashed. He was reporting he truck was getting loose, only for it to slip in turn 4, and the crew chief said "We'll come in next lap.". He unfortunately, never made it. The truck spun in turn one, and he said before he got knocked out "I'm gonna crash in this turn(his truck was so loose, he knew he couldn't make it).", and he was sideways before he got into the turn. 25. Dan posted: 05.25.2018 - 10:16 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #24 - Not to speak ill of the dead, but if that account is true and he *knew* he was going to crash in the next turn, why didn't he...y'know...slow down? Pull down to the inside? To the outside? Anything but crash? 26. Jimnsimforever posted: 04.08.2019 - 2:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) There wasn't a driver change for Rob Rizzo that caused him to start at the back. He had a broken shoulder blade and was in a lot of pain so he planned to drop to the back of the field and try to stay in the truck and on the lead lap until the first caution. Kenny Hendrick waited in the pits to finish the race for him. I guess the reason would be injury or driver choice. 27. Jimnsimforever posted: 04.08.2019 - 3:04 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) @21 They had an interview with the track owner during the halftime break of this race with the track owner. The point of the interview being that they were tearing up the track and making it an oval as soon as this race was over and John's wreck hadn't happened yet. 28. ThatGuy posted: 07.17.2019 - 3:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) Just happened to come across this race. 38 trucks made the race...and still 15 went home. 53 trucks entered. Now we fail to get 38+ entries for the Xfinity series each week and 40+ entries for Cup 29. Danish_Pie posted: 06.06.2020 - 3:19 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Skinner's 4th place marks the best finish in series history for the #93 as of this post. 30. Darrell posted: 10.03.2020 - 7:43 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Driver Changes: Kenny Hendrick No. 27 Ken Schrader No. 53 31. Rich posted: 12.28.2020 - 7:27 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Joy and Buddy Baker were the commentators. Steve Byrnes and Mike Hogewood were the pit road reporters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: