1997 Craftsman Truck Series Results

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #23 - Dodge California Truckstop 300

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series made their 23rd stop of 1997 at the Mesa Marin Raceway, in Bakersfield, California, for the Dodge California Truckstop 300.

Jay Sauter led the field to the green flag on a clear day as for the second week in a row the truck series was in southern California but this time however at the half-mile track at Mesa Marin as the championship battle is heating up with only four events left in the season as Sprague and Bickle continued their intense battle for the championship. Pole sitter Jay Sauter would channel his inner Dale Earnhardt as he drove the GM Goodwrench Service Chevrolet to a dominating performance, leading 181 of the possible 300 laps however after a round of late race pit stops Sauter would lose the lead to points leader Rich Bickle and it seemed like Bickle would score the win.

However a late caution with less then thirty laps to go would bunch up the field and allowed rookie of the year contender Kevin Harvick to use lap traffic and drove past the points leader and would hold off Sauter for the remaining laps and score his second career win in NASCAR.

Other Noticeables:
Kevin Harvick won his 2nd race of the year,
Harvick led 1 time for 22 laps, including the final 22 laps,
It was the 2nd win of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his first since Louisville 11 races ago,
Donny Ling Jr.(12th) and Milan Garrett(27th) made their NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debuts,
Rich Bickle, who finished 4th, kept his points lead, leading Jack Sprague by 104 points

1.75-Kevin Harvick (22 laps led)
2.3-Jay Sauter (181 laps led)
3.86-Stacy Compton
4.17-Rich Bickle-1 lap (89 laps led)
5.61-Randy Tolsma-1 lap
6.2-Mike Bliss-2 laps
7.18-Kevin Cywinski-2 laps
8.24-Jack Sprague-2 laps (8 laps led)
9.6-Rick Carelli-2 laps
10.99-Chuck Bown-2 laps
11.27-Rob Rizzo-2 laps
12.68-Donny Ling Jr.-3 laps
13.19-Tony Raines-3 laps
14.44-Boris Said-3 laps
15.29-Bob Keselowski-3 laps
16.48-Ron Fellows-3 laps
17.20-Butch Miller-4 laps
18.52-Mike Wallace-4 laps
19.9-Ron Esau-4 laps
20.31-Tony Roper-5 laps
21.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.-5 laps
22.98-Kenny Irwin Jr.-5 laps
23.12-Tony Toste-5 laps
24.90-Lance Norick-5 laps
25.46-Joe Bean-5 laps
26.35-Kelly Denton-6 laps
27.85-Milan Garrett-7 laps
28.66-Bryan Reffner-7 laps
29.4-Bill Sedgwick-7 laps
30.34-Doug George-7 laps
31.43-Jimmy Hensley-122 laps (Valve)
32.14-Rick Crawford-187 laps (Accident)
33.55-Dave Rezendes-217 laps (Accident)
34.80-Joe Ruttman-258 laps (Accident)

Jay Sauter-1-61
Rich Bickle-62-85
Jay Sauter-86
Jack Sprague-87-94
Jay Sauter-95-213
Rich Bickle-214-278
Kevin Harvick-279-300

6 Lead Changes among 4 drivers

Caution Flags: 4 for 20 laps
Lap 39 (Truck #52 Spin Turn 3),
Lap 51 (Trucks #98 and 18 Spin Frontstretch),
Lap 85 (Truck #99 Spin Frontstretch),
Lap 269 (Truck #6 Spin Frontstretch)

Margin of Victory: 2.640 Seconds

Time of Race: 2 Hours, 3 Minutes and 26 Seconds

[Blaise Zebrataur]

The field has finished qualifying for the 24th race of the season the inaugural The No Fear Challenge at the brand new California Speedway.

Mike Wallace won the pole, with a time of 44.515 seconds, beating Jack Sprague by 0.158 seconds.

Other Noticeables:
Mike Wallace won his 1st pole of the year,
Wallace won the 1st pole of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in his 14th start,
Rich Bickle, who will start 16th, will be trying to improve on his 104 point lead over Jack Sprague

1.52-Mike Wallace
2.24-Jack Sprague
3.19-Tony Raines
4.61-Randy Tolsma
5.29-Bob Keselowski
6.14-Rick Crawford
7.1-Michael Waltrip
8.7-Barry Bodine
9.98-Kenny Irwin Jr.
10.6-Rick Carelli
11.28-Ernie Irvan
12.2-Mike Bliss
13.20-Butch Miller
14.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
15.86-Stacy Compton
16.17-Rich Bickle
17.57-Brian Cunningham
18.31-Tony Roper
19.3-Jay Sauter
20.27-Rob Rizzo
21.90-Lance Norick
22.42-Kyle Petty
23.80-Joe Ruttman
24.35-Ron Barfield Jr.
25.75-Kevin Harvick
26.99-Chuck Bown
27.4-Wayne Grubb
28.43-Jimmy Hensley
29.02-Eric Norris
30.74-Tammy Jo Kirk
31.41-Bill Sedgwick
32.44-Boris Said
33.88-Terry Cook
34.65-Doug George
35.18-Robby Gordon
36.66-Bryan Reffner

Did Not Qualify
37.9-Ron Esau
38.46-Joe Bean
39.63-Rick Johnson
40.82-Randy Nelson

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #24 - The No Fear Challenge

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series made their 24th stop of 1997 at the California Speedway, in Fontana, California, for the inaugural The No Fear Challenge.

Mike Wallace led the field to the green flag on a clear day as for the third week in a row the truck series was in California but this time however at the brand new two mile track at California Speedway as the championship battle is heating up with only two events left in the season as Rich Bickle and Jack Sprague are the only two drivers that can mathematically win the championship. Mike Wallace would make history and write his name in the history books as leading the first laps at the track as it would be a race long battle between Wallace, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Mike Bliss to determine who would be the first winner at the track.

During the only round of pit stops, Mike Bliss's crew got him out first and he held a five second lead with the laps counting down, Irwin and Randy Tolsma hooked up and drafted up to Bliss with less then ten laps to go Irwin and Bliss swapped the lead twice in the final laps, with Bliss finally passing Irwin back with two laps to go and scored the closest margin of victory in the three year history of the truck series.

Other Noticeables:
Mike Bliss scored his 1st win of the year,
Bliss led 6 times for 48 laps, including the final 3 laps,
It was the 5th win of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his first since 1996 at Flemington; 35 races ago,
Kyle Petty, who finished 9th, made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut,
Rich Bickle, who finished 30th, kept his points lead, leading Jack Sprague by 22 points

1.2-Mike Bliss (48 laps led)
2.98-Kenny Irwin Jr. (21 laps led)
3.61-Randy Tolsma
4.52-Mike Wallace (30 laps led)
5.24-Jack Sprague
6.1-Michael Waltrip
7.28-Ernie Irvan
8.29-Bob Keselowski
9.42-Kyle Petty (1 lap led)
10.14-Rick Crawford
11.6-Rick Carelli-1 lap
12.19-Tony Raines-1 lap
13.31-Tony Roper-1 lap
14.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.-1 lap
15.7-Barry Bodine-1 lap
16.99-Chuck Bown-1 lap
17.4-Wayne Grubb-1 lap
18.20-Butch Miller-1 lap
19.75-Kevin Harvick-1 lap
20.3-Jay Sauter-1 lap
21.41-Bill Sedgwick-1 lap
22.86-Stacy Compton-2 laps
23.35-Ron Barfield Jr.-2 laps
24.88-Terry Cook-2 laps
25.57-Brian Cunningham-2 laps
26.27-Rob Rizzo-2 laps
27.90-Lance Norick-2 laps
28.43-Jimmy Hensley-2 laps
29.80-Joe Ruttman-2 laps
30.17-Rich Bickle-2 laps
31.18-Robby Gordon-3 laps
32.02-Eric Norris-3 laps
33.65-Doug George-3 laps
34.66-Bryan Reffner-4 laps
35.44-Boris Said-5 laps
36.74-Tammy Jo Kirk-100 laps (Clutch)

Mike Wallace-1-6
Kenny Irwin Jr.-7-11
Mike Wallace-12-13
Mike Bliss-14-16
Kenny Irwin Jr.-17-21
Mike Wallace-22-24
Mike Bliss-25
Kenny Irwin Jr.-26-30
Mike Bliss-31
Mike Wallace-32-36
Mike Bliss-37-38
Mike Wallace-39-52
Kenny Irwin Jr.-53-55
Kyle Petty-56
Mike Bliss-57-94
Kenny Irwin Jr.-95-97
Mike Bliss-98-100

16 Lead Changes among 4 drivers

Caution Flags: 0 for 0 laps

Margin of Victory: 0.102 Seconds

Time of Race: 1 Hour, 23 Minutes and 54 Seconds

[Blaise Zebrataur]

The field has finished qualifying for the 25th race of the season the GM Goodwrench / Delco 300 at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Chuck Bown won the pole, with a time of 35.068 seconds, beating Rick Carelli by 0.054 seconds.

Other Noticeables:
Chuck Bown won his 3rd pole of the year,
Bown won the 3rd pole of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his first since Milwaukee Mile; 14 races ago,
Mike Skinner, the winner of this race one year ago, is not entered in this event,
Rich Bickle, who will start 10th, will be trying to improve on his 22 point lead over Jack Sprague

1.99-Chuck Bown
2.6-Rick Carelli
3.2-Mike Bliss
4.24-Jack Sprague
5.98-Kenny Irwin Jr.
6.55-Dave Rezendes
7.80-Joe Ruttman
8.14-Rick Crawford
9.60-Tobey Butler
10.17-Rich Bickle
11.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
12.31-Tony Roper
13.7-Barry Bodine
14.52-Mike Wallace
15.43-Jimmy Hensley
16.86-Stacy Compton
17.20-Butch Miller
18.3-Jay Sauter
19.76-Steve Park
20.18-Tom Hubert
21.10-Lonnie Rush Jr.
22.35-Ron Barfield Jr.
23.44-Boris Said
24.68-Bobby Dotter
25.19-Tony Raines
26.75-Kevin Harvick
27.33-Mike Dillon
28.29-Bob Keselowski
29.57-Brian Cunningham
30.92-Doug George
31.02-Rick McCray
32.88-Terry Cook
33.66-Bryan Reffner
34.61-Randy Tolsma
35.65-Andy Houston
36.50-Joe Bessey

Did Not Qualify
37.06-Billy Pauch
38.27-Rob Rizzo
39.40-Eddie Sharp
40.77-Rob Morgan
41.82-Randy Nelson
42.84-Billy Wilburn
43.85-Milan Garrett
44.90-Lance Norick

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #25 - GM Goodwrench / Delco 300

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series made their 25th stop of 1997 at the Phoenix International Raceway, in Avondale, Arizona, for the GM Goodwrench / Delco 300.

Chuck Bown led the field to the green flag on a clear day as the drivers in the truck series raced in the second to last race of the season as Jack Sprague and Rich Bickle have a very tight battle for the championship while others are still looking for good runs to end their season. For the second year in a row, the #99 truck of Roush Racing dominated as Bown led much of the early laps, however he was stuck on pit road for multiple laps as well as other drivers, shuffling many drivers including Jack Sprague who went from 2nd to 20th in the final results and cost Sprague from being the points leader heading into the final race of the season as Las Vegas.

Meanwhile up front, fellow Roush Racing driver Joe Ruttman once again showed he was one of the best, holding off Mike Wallace and Butch Miller for the final forty laps to score his fourth win of the season and the record tying eighth career truck win in the three year history of the truck series.

Other Noticeables:
Joe Ruttman scored his 4th win of the year,
Ruttman led 1 time for 41 laps, including the final 41 laps,
It was the 8th win of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his first since Sears Point; 4 races ago,
Mike Dillon(33rd) made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut,
Rich Bickle, who finished 13th, kept his points lead, leading Jack Sprague by 43 points

Heading into the final race of the season, mathematically two drivers have a shot of winning the championship:
1.17-Rich Bickle: 3,447 points
2.24-Jack Sprague-43 points

1.80-Joe Ruttman (41 laps led)
2.52-Mike Wallace (2 laps led)
3.20-Butch Miller
4.98-Kenny Irwin Jr.-1 lap (58 laps led)
5.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.-1 lap
6.18-Tom Hubert-1 lap
7.60-Tobey Butler-1 lap
8.86-Stacy Compton-1 lap
9.7-Barry Bodine-2 laps
10.68-Bobby Dotter-2 laps
11.43-Jimmy Hensley-2 laps
12.44-Boris Said-2 laps
13.17-Rich Bickle-2 laps
14.3-Jay Sauter-2 laps
15.29-Bob Keselowski-3 laps
16.92-Doug George-3 laps
17.14-Rick Crawford-3 laps
18.55-Dave Rezendes-3 laps
19.76-Steve Park-3 laps
20.24-Jack Sprague-4 laps
21.57-Brian Cunningham-4 laps
22.6-Rick Carelli-4 laps
23.88-Terry Cook-4 laps
24.35-Ron Barfield Jr.-4 laps
25.66-Bryan Reffner-5 laps
26.19-Tony Raines-5 laps
27.31-Tony Roper-5 laps
28.2-Mike Bliss-5 laps
29.61-Randy Tolsma-6 laps
30.99-Chuck Bown-7 laps (85 laps led)
31.50-Joe Bessey-7 laps
32.75-Kevin Harvick-8 laps
33.33-Mike Dillon-50 laps (Ignition)
34.10-Lonnie Rush Jr.-111 laps (Clutch)
35.65-Andy Houston-149 laps (Ignition)
36.02-Rick McCray-186 laps (Camshaft)

Chuck Bown-1-85
Mike Wallace-86-87
Kenny Irwin Jr.-88-145
Joe Ruttman-146-186

3 Lead Changes among 4 drivers

Caution Flags: 2 for 8 laps
Lap 10 (Trucks #33 and 19 Spin Turn 1),
Lap 149 (Debris in Turn 3)

Margin of Victory: 0.333 Seconds

Time of Race: 2 Hours, 4 Minutes and 32 Seconds

[Blaise Zebrataur]

The field has finished qualifying for the 26th and final race of the season the Carquest Auto Parts 420K at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Mike Bliss won the pole, with a time of 37.862 seconds, beating Chuck Bown by 0.005 seconds.

Other Noticeables:
Mike Bliss won his 3rd pole of the year,
Bliss won the 7th pole of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his first since Watkins Glen; 8 races ago,
Bill Elliott, the winner of this race one year ago, will be starting 39th,
Rich Bickle, who will start 13th, will be trying to wrap up the championship as he has a 43 point lead over Jack Sprague

1.2-Mike Bliss
2.99-Chuck Bown
3.24-Jack Sprague
4.6-Rick Carelli
5.80-Joe Ruttman
6.75-Kevin Harvick
7.3-Jay Sauter
8.52-Mike Wallace
9.29-Bob Keselowski
10.43-Jimmy Hensley
11.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.
12.19-Tony Raines
13.17-Rich Bickle
14.14-Rick Crawford
15.35-Ron Barfield Jr.
16.61-Randy Tolsma
17.7-Barry Bodine
18.50-Ken Schrader
19.71-Butch Gilliland
20.32-Curtis Markham
21.21-Butch Miller
22.86-Stacy Compton
23.93-Mike Skinner
24.92-Doug George
25.77-Ken Bouchard
26.97-Wayne Anderson
27.98-Kenny Irwin Jr.
28.10-Lonnie Rush Jr.
29.06-Troy Beebe
30.63-Rick Johnson
31.66-Bryan Reffner
32.9-Ron Esau
33.20-Brendan Gaughan
34.31-Tony Roper
35.90-Lance Norick
36.68-Frank Kimmel
37.55-Dave Rezendes
38.44-Boris Said
39.94-Bill Elliott
40.57-Brian Cunningham

Did Not Qualify
41.01-Dave Goulet
42.02-Rick McCray
43.4-Tim Buckley
44.11-Brett Bodine
45.12-Tony Toste
46.15-Rob Morgan
47.18-Kevin Cywinski
48.22-Kenny Hendrick
49.23-T.J. Clark
50.26-Perry Tripp
51.27-Tammy Jo Kirk
52.36-Jerry Robertson
53.40-Eddie Sharp
54.46-Joe Bean
55.58-Wayne Jacks
56.60-Tobey Butler
57.65-Andy Houston
58.69-Jimmy Davis
59.82-Randy Nelson
60.84-Billy Wilburn
61.85-Milan Garrett
62.88-Terry Cook

[Blaise Zebrataur]

Race #26 - GM Goodwrench / Delco 300

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series made their 26th and final stop of 1997 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the Carquest Auto Parts 420K.

Mike Bliss led the field to the green flag on a clear day as the 40 drivers in the field looked to make a statement and end the year on a good note as Jack Sprague and Rich Bickle, who had battled all year long, had one final chance to get the best finish possible and get the championship. Jack Sprague stayed in the Top 10 all day but Bickle struggled to stay in the Top 20, but when pit stops happened, Bickle's team hit the right setup and Bickle would lead laps before the unthinkable happened, Bickle was caught up in a four truck wreck, ending Bickle's championship hopes and handing the title to Sprague.

With the title wrapped up, Sprague stayed in the Top 5 the rest of the race as Ron Hornaday Jr. led with less then ten to go but was forced to pit after running out of gas, handing the lead over to Jay Sauter, who would hold off Chuck Bown in the remaining laps and scored his third win of the season.

Other Noticeables:
Jay Sauter scored his 3rd win of the year,
Sauter led 6 times for 65 laps, including the final 5 laps,
It was the 3rd win of his career in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his first since Bristol; 17 races ago,
Brendan Gaughan(9th) made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut,
Rick Crawford, who finished 7th, is the 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rookie of the Year; beating Boris Said by 8 points,
Jack Sprague, who finished 3rd, won the 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship, beating Rich Bickle by 58 points

1.3-Jay Sauter (65 laps led)
2.99-Chuck Bown
3.24-Jack Sprague (31 laps led)
4.52-Mike Wallace
5.90-Lance Norick (7 laps led)
6.2-Mike Bliss (20 laps led)
7.14-Rick Crawford
8.6-Rick Carelli
9.20-Brendan Gaughan (6 laps led)
10.61-Randy Tolsma
11.75-Kevin Harvick (4 laps led)
12.29-Bob Keselowski
13.16-Ron Hornaday Jr.-1 lap (16 laps led)
14.43-Jimmy Hensley-1 lap
15.32-Curtis Markham-1 lap
16.35-Ron Barfield Jr.-1 lap
17.71-Butch Gilliland-1 lap
18.77-Ken Bouchard-1 lap
19.86-Stacy Compton-1 lap
20.97-Wayne Anderson-1 lap
21.50-Ken Schrader-2 laps
22.9-Ron Esau-2 laps
23.92-Doug George-2 laps
24.19-Tony Raines-2 laps
25.31-Tony Roper-3 laps
26.21-Butch Miller-3 laps
27.7-Barry Bodine-3 laps
28.66-Bryan Reffner-3 laps
29.68-Frank Kimmel-4 laps (Tire)
30.55-Dave Rezendes-4 laps
31.10-Lonnie Rush Jr.-4 laps
32.57-Brian Cunningham-6 laps
33.17-Rich Bickle-22 laps (Accident) (8 laps led)
34.63-Rick Johnson-25 laps (Accident)
35.44-Boris Said-26 laps (Accident)
36.80-Joe Ruttman-97 laps (Accident) (18 laps led)
37.98-Kenny Irwin Jr.-98 laps (Tire)
38.94-Bill Elliott-146 laps (Camshaft)
39.06-Troy Beebe-157 laps (Piston)
40.93-Mike Skinner-161 laps (Accident)

Mike Bliss-1-20
Jay Sauter-21-33
Joe Ruttman-34-51
Jay Sauter-52-86
Jack Sprague-87-90
Kevin Harvick-91
Jack Sprague-92-113
Jay Sauter-114-120
Jack Sprague-121-122
Jay Sauter-123-124
Jack Sprague-125-127
Jay Sauter-128-130
Ron Hornaday Jr.-131-135
Kevin Harvick-136-138
Rich Bickle-139-142
Brendan Gaughan-143-148
Rich Bickle-149-152
Lance Norick-153-159
Ron Hornaday Jr.-160-170
Jay Sauter-171-175

19 Lead Changes among 9 drivers

Caution Flags: 6 for 24 laps
Lap 15 (Trucks #90, 92 and 93 Accident Turn 3),
Lap 26 (Trucks #10 and 98 Spin Turn 3),
Lap 33 (Trucks #97 and 32 Spin Turn 3),
Lap 79 (Truck #80 Accident Turn 3),
Lap 137 (Trucks #9 and 19 Spin Turn 3),
Lap 152 (Trucks #17, 63, 44 and 86 Accident Turn 3)

Margin of Victory: 0.755 Seconds

Time of Race: 2 Hours, 23 Minutes and 28 Seconds

Below are the stats for the entire 1997 Truck Season.

1997 Truck Stats.txt (8.51 KB)