Hanes 500 de 1997

La Hanes 500 de 1997 fue la 27.ª carrera de autos de serie de la NASCAR Winston Cup Series de 1997 y la 49.ª edición del evento . La carrera estaba programada originalmente para el domingo 28 de septiembre de 1997, pero se pospuso hasta el lunes 29 de septiembre debido al mal tiempo. ^{[ 1 ]} La carrera tuvo lugar en Ridgeway, Virginia , en Martinsville Speedway , una pista corta ovalada permanente de 0,526 millas (0,847 km) . La carrera tomó las 500 vueltas programadas para completarse. En las últimas etapas de la carrera, el piloto de Roush Racing, Jeff Burton, logró aprovechar una penalización de Rusty Wallace para obtener su tercera victoria en la NASCAR Winston Cup Series y su tercera y última victoria de la temporada. ^{[ 2 ] [ 3 ]} Para completar los tres primeros puestos, el piloto de Richard Childress Racing , Dale Earnhardt , y el piloto de Petty Enterprises, Bobby Hamilton, terminarían segundo y tercero, respectivamente. 

El Martinsville Speedway es un circuito de carreras de autos de serie propiedad de NASCAR , ubicado en el condado de Henry , en Ridgeway, Virginia , justo al sur de Martinsville . Con una longitud de 0,847 km (0,526 millas  ), es el circuito más corto de la NASCAR Cup Series . Fue uno de los primeros óvalos pavimentados de NASCAR, construido en 1947 por H. Clay Earles . Además, es el único circuito que ha formado parte de la NASCAR desde sus inicios en 1948.

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 26. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, September 27. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. Positions 26-38 would be decided on time, and depending on who needed it, the 39th thru either the 42nd, 43rd, or 44th position would be based on provisionals. Four spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The fifth is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the field would be limited to 42 cars. If a champion needed it, the field would expand to 43 cars. If the race was a companion race with the NASCAR Winston West Series, four spots would be determined by NASCAR Winston Cup Series provisionals, while the final two spots would be given to teams in the Winston West Series, leaving the field at 44 cars.

Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.272 and an average speed of 93.410 miles per hour (150.329 km/h).^[4]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Gary Bradberry, Morgan Shepherd, and Dave Marcis.