|| *Comments on the 1997 UAW-GM Quality 500:* View the most recent comment <#38> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. JeffGordonMAN posted: 12.04.2005 - 3:33 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell Waltrip DNQ that Race 2. Darrell posted: 01.01.2006 - 12:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry Labonte's time was too slow to make the field, and he had a desicion to make. He could have taken a regular provisional, and knocked his teammate Ricky Craven out of the race, or take a Past Champion's Provisional, which would keep Craven in the race and force DW to DNQ. He chose the latter. 3. Matt posted: 03.19.2006 - 10:47 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cup debut for Kevin Lepage. 4. MOST posted: 05.07.2006 - 3:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) I think this was Rick Wilson's last Cup race. DJ lost a spring rubber late in the race, they found it after the event was over. Bobby Labonte had a dominant car and was on his way to lap the field and got in the big crash of the day. 5. Darrell posted: 06.03.2006 - 11:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was Rick Wilson's last start yes. He tried to make a few races in 98 with Larry Hedrick but didn't qualify for any of them. 6. Matthew Sullivan posted: 09.28.2006 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Good call Texas Terry. 7. most posted: 12.16.2006 - 7:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mike Skinner also had a DNQ for this one, poor DW had many DNQ's left in his career after this one. 8. biffle16 posted: 02.13.2007 - 12:52 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) First start for the dreadful Team Tabasco. (shudder) 9. SK posted: 06.25.2007 - 11:09 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First start for Joe Falk's LJ Racing #91 as well, one of three starts for the team and Lepage in preparation for running the full schedule in 1998. 10. The Real Thomas posted: 08.03.2007 - 9:06 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The big crash with Bobby Labonte occured in the 1998 edition of this race. He finished 2nd in the 1997 race. 11. Anonymous posted: 08.19.2007 - 9:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) No, he spun out in the big crash in this race. 12. SK posted: 10.19.2007 - 10:26 pm Rate this comment: (2) (0) An oddity I just noticed...in both Rick Wilson's debut and final race in Winston Cup, the pole-sitter ended up last: Cale Yarborough at Daytona in 1980 when his engine blew on lap 6, and Geoff Bodine here at Charlotte because of his crash. The more you know... 13. most posted: 10.24.2007 - 3:48 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes, Bobby spun in both, his car was that good this day that he came back up for second, he didn't just spin but was really in the crash, his car was just that stellar that day! 14. Clayton posted: 06.04.2008 - 12:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Elliott Sadler failed to qualify for the first race of his career, driving for oddly, Felix Sabates! 15. Dodge posted: 07.16.2008 - 12:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First start for Joe Falk's LJ Racing #91 as well, one of three starts for the team and Lepage in preparation for running the full schedule in 1998. SK | 06.25.07 - 11:09 pm No, this was the team that SPAM was sponsoring and left. The Lepage part is right, though. 16. Pat posted: 08.05.2008 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Terry Labonte's Spooky Loops Chevrolet with Frankenstein on the hood. 17. The Real Thomas posted: 12.31.2008 - 4:20 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) What was the big wreck in this one? 18. Schroeder51 posted: 03.24.2011 - 5:56 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The big wreck happened because Kevin Lepage had a problem, slid up into pole-sitter Geoff Bodine, and they both pounded the wall in between turns 1 and 2. Behind them, first Gary Bradberry and then Jimmy Spencer slammed the wall. Hut Stricklin slowed up for the crash, and Ricky Rudd rear ended the #8 and destroyed the front end on his car. Leader Bobby Labonte spun trying to avoid them. 19. sk posted: 04.22.2011 - 12:32 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) todd qualified 36th, not 16th. 20. Rotor77 posted: 05.05.2011 - 2:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Seem to recall that after qualifying or happy hour (forget which), TBS put together a "highlight film" of DW's races at Charlotte. After the clip ended, a teary Waltrip was shown on camera with Ken Squier wishing him well "back home in Franklin, TN". 21. jwdog posted: 06.25.2011 - 10:57 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was weird seeing Kyle Petty and Terry Labonte tear through the field early on only to be so off the pace near the end. 22. RaceFanX posted: 02.28.2012 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor: #5 Terry Labonte- Spooky Fruit Loops Terry's car had his normal paint pattern but with the car's normal red-and-yellow look swapped for purple-and-green. Keeping with his 1997 25th anniversary theme of retro paint jobs Darrell Waltrip was going to run his old DiGard Gatorade colors on the #17 Western Auto Chevy in this race. When he DNQed they instead ran that scheme at Talladega. 23. 18fan posted: 11.15.2012 - 3:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) It was mentioned on the broadcast of the Atlanta race that Labonte dropped a cylinder late in this race. The car he ran in this race was also run at Atlanta and Bobby dominated that race as well, holding a lead of 20 seconds in that Atlanta race at one point. 24. RaceFanX posted: 08.28.2013 - 11:44 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor: #5 Terry Labonte- Kellogg's Spooky Froot Loops (I have to correct myself for leaving Kellogg's off the first time) Spooky Froot Loops differed from the regular ones by adding marshmellow ghosts. Given Terry's ghoulish qualifying run, although he came back for a solid race, it's not a surprise they only ran this scheme once. Labonte's car featured Frankenstein's monster on the hood, ironically his younger brother Bobby would win this race in 2000 with a car featuring the same character. 25. Anonymous posted: 08.28.2013 - 7:48 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) In response to comment #2, Terry Labonte didn't actually "choose" to take a past champion's provisional instead of a points provisional. The rule at the time was if more than one past champion failed to qualify on speed, the most recent champion would automatically take the past champion's provisional. 26. Evan posted: 01.01.2014 - 10:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is what began the decline of Terry Labonte and Darrell Waltrip. Darrell Waltrip would miss a race which canned his starts streak and unfortunately became a user of the past champions provisional. Terry Labonte however would win 2 more races one in 1998 and one in 1999 and he would later win one in 2003. Terry Labonte would see his stats and qualifying drop significantly in 1997 and 1998, but he still at least raced pretty good. Darrell on the other hand would lose his team the next year and his sponsor would fail to pay its end of the deal and Darrell had to sell his teamm, Tim Beverly allowed him to drive the 35 Tabasco Pontiac in 1998, as well as driving in relief. 27. ii posted: 09.05.2014 - 8:51 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Darrell Waltrip's crew chief for this race was Jeff Hammond. 28. Evan posted: 11.11.2015 - 8:37 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors #29 Jeff Green Cartoon Network Wacky Racing Source:I have a 1/24 scale of Green's car. #18 Bobby Labonte Interstate Batteries/Shell-Should be for all races for '97. Labonte had Shell on the decklid. #10 Ricky Rudd Tide Mountain Spring Source:He crashed it during the race, TBS coverage. #21 Michael Waltrip CITGO Retro 1970's-Waltrip drove a Retro scheme of when David Pearson drove the 21 car. Source:Michael Waltrip announced it the week of the Martinsville fall race and there is a Hot Wheels diecast of the scheme. 29. Anonymous posted: 11.11.2015 - 8:56 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) (usually we don't list the decklid sponsor, Shell being on the car there was par for the course for Bobby in 1997) 30. Anonymous posted: 11.11.2015 - 9:10 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) (Great catch on Rudd though. I forgot about he Mountain Spring car.) 31. Awesomebillfan9 posted: 10.05.2016 - 1:42 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) Jeff Purvis' team had Coors Light on the hood. My guess is they jumped onboard after Sadler DNQ'd. This race featured over 143k fans, most of which stood on their feet and cheered when Earnhardt took the lead. The crowd would equal the 4th biggest city in North Carolina. A very odd incident happened with Ernie Irvan in this race. Irvan had a fire in the igniition and the team wanted to use a backup car after qualifying. NASCAR decided that wasn't a good enough reason for the team to use a backup and they had to run the car. Irvan's troubles continued on lap one when he spun as they took the green after it got congested on the restart. 32. Anthony posted: 12.29.2016 - 5:50 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Bobby Labonte was so fast in this race, he was able to pass cars after getting caught up in that lap 100 incident. A stark contrast to today's aero sensitive rubbish, where if you're back in the field, there's not a hope. 33. CJ posted: 04.24.2018 - 12:11 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Rick Wilson's season best finish in what would be his final Cup start. Final start in the 12 for Jeff Purvis. First Cup Series start for Kevin Lepage. 34. Larry posted: 04.28.2018 - 10:23 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This was the second time (that I know of) that Bobby was involved in a wreck while leading. The other was the first race at Dover. I think he was also wrecked while leading races in 1998 and 1999. 35. jp posted: 04.20.2019 - 8:01 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor update: #12-Jeff Purvis: Coors Light/Opryland USA Source: https://imgur.com/a/Ht68S3j 36. Yahboi posted: 08.20.2019 - 8:52 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ironic how Bobby's luck here at Charlotte in the fall was. I mean, this race, and 1998, he spins out, but then comes back. Then he finishes 2nd in 99 here, and has quite the frustration. Then in his championship year in 2000 he finally breaks through and wins here. Kind of cool. 37. SweetRich posted: 03.12.2020 - 9:38 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators for the race were Ken Squier and Buddy Baker. The pit road reporters were Steve Byrnes, Randy Pemberton, Allen Bestwick and Mike Hogewood. 38. Anonymous posted: 11.26.2020 - 7:41 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) The last time Darrell Waltrip entered a race weekend in the top 20 in points. He had spent much of the season in the mid-to-late teens. The final 11 races in 97 were brutal for him, dropping from 15th to 26th. This DNQ is the straw that broke the camel's back for his race team. In the team's final nine races he had one finish better than 29th, a 12th at Phoenix. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: