| Summary: |
The Bud Shootout Qualifying Race
consisted of all drivers who qualified with the with
fastest speed during 2nd round qualifying in 1997. In
other words, every driver who qualified 26th last year
was in the field. The winner of qualifying race got to
transfer into The Bud Shootout. The Bud Shootout was
composed of all drivers who won a pole in 1997. At the
start of the Bud Shootout Qualifying Race, Sterling
Marlin, Dale, and Greg Sacks, respectively, grabbed the
top 3 spots. The trio of drivers separated themselves
from the rest of the pack. At lap 10, drivers stopped for
a mandatory pit stop. The rules required that a minimum
of two tires be changed on each car. The Richard
Childress crew put together a satisfactory pit stop, but
Dale's car stalled as he tried to pull out of his pit
space. As a result, Dale fell form 2nd place to 8th
place. Once the cars were back on the track, Dale stormed
forward, closing a big gap between himself and Lake
Speed. The top 5 cars were now running single file, with
Earnhardt in 5th. Then, Brett Bodine, who was running
2nd, got caught on the outside. "Hung out to
dry", Brett helplessly slipped to 5th place. Next,
Lake Speed and Dale teamed up on Sterling Marlin, who was
running in 2nd. Sterling fell to 4th. Then, Marlin lost
the draft, separating the top 3 cars from the rest of the
field. The order was Jimmy Spencer, Lake Speed, and Dale
Earnhardt. Dale tried numerous times in the last several
laps to get into the lead from 3rd spot. But without
drafting help, he ended the race in 3rd. It was the first
time since 1992 that Dale failed to make the Bud
Shootout. Dale is the winningest driver in The Bud
Shootout (formerly known as the Bush Clash) with 6
victories. |
"That was a heck of a race,"
Earnhardt said. "I played the cards but I played
them a little wrong. I think I should have bet on
Sterling instead of the 9. You've got to have a lot of
help in the draft and work with the cars. Looking back at
it I'd like to have Sterling's experience working with me
other than the 9." 
Results: Bud Shootout Qualifying
Race