Track: Pikes Peak International Raceway
Date: Saturday, June 29, 1997
Start time: 3:00 PM EST
Weather: Hot, sunny
Serial: #7 of 10 in 1996-1997 season
History: IRL race #1, Indycar race #1 at this track
Config: 1 mile D-oval, flat track
Wing package: Short track
Tony Stewart came into this race having just missed victory in the past three IRL races. And while he had been competitive in those races, he put the issue beyond doubt by dominating this race, leading all but seven of the 200 laps. The race started off badly with polesitter Scott Sharp wrecking on the first lap. He backed the car into the wall exiting turn 4 and suffered a non-contact brain injury, despite relatively minor damage to the rear of the car. The accident (following on the heels of a similar accident the week before which forced Stewart's teammate Robbie Buhl to miss the race) revived concern about the cars' inability to absorb energy in a rear-end accident, leading to changes in the gearbox case and bellhousing. Sharp would miss the rest of the season as the result of the injury. Turns 2 and 4 were treacherous all day, and several early crashes resulted in lengthly cleanups and many laps under caution. Roberto Guerrero was surprisingly competitive, perhaps as a result of a change of engine makes in the Pagan car, but he got collected when Billy Boat spun in front of him on lap 87. Eddie Cheever dogged Stewart all day long, and Stephan Gregoire led his first-ever laps in an IRL race. In the end neither of them had enough for Stewart, but after a late caution Cheever, Davey Hamilton, and Gregoire dueled three-wide for second. Gregoire broke out and made it interesting by attempting to slingshot Stewart at the finish line, missing by about a car length. Cheever and Hamilton finished side-by-side with Hamilton taking third. The win was Stewart's first in a stellar Indycar career, and the first win for team owner John Menard after 18 years of Indycar competition. Seven cars finished the race on the lead lap, an IRL record.
Fin St Qual Car C/E/T Driver Entrant Laps Status Laps Pts
Spd # Led
1 2 175.021 2 G/A/F Tony Stewart Menard 200 Running 193 36
2 11 171.608 77 D/A/G Stephan Gregoire Chastain 200 Running 5 33
3 4 173.879 14 G/A/G Davey Hamilton Foyt 200 Running 32
4 13 171.282 51 G/A/G Eddie Cheever Cheever 200 Running 31
5 7 172.496 12 G/A/G Buzz Calkins Bradley 200 Running 30
6 18 169.356 22 D/A/G Vincenzo Sospiri Scandia 200 Running 29
7 3 174.224 6 G/A/F Scott Goodyear Treadway 200 Running 1 28
8 12 171.551 91 D/A/F Buddy Lazier Hemelgarn 198 Running 27
9 10 171.608 17 D/A/G Affonso Giaffone Chitwood 196 Running 26
10 16 170.438 30 G/A/G Robbie Groff McCormack 193 Crash T2 25
11 21 162.602 28 D/A/G Mark Dismore Kelley 192 Running 24
12 14 171.682 7 D/A/G Eliseo Salazar Scandia 190 Running 23
13 22 No Spd. 70 G/A/G Marco Greco Galles 190 Running 22
14 6 173.553 4 G/A/G Kenny Brack Galles 179 Crash T4 21
15 8 172.364 5 G/A/F Arie Luyendyk Treadway 163 Crash T2 1 20
16 20 165.320 40 D/I/F Jack Miller Sinden 141 Crash T4 19
17 17 169.988 97 D/A/F Greg Ray Knapp 108 Crash T4 18
18 5 173.770 21 D/A/G Roberto Guerrero Pagan 85 Crash T2 17
19 15 171.103 1 G/A/G Billy Boat PDM 83 Crash T4 16
20 9 171.731 33 D/A/G Jimmy Kite Scandia 39 Crash T4 15
21 19 165.487 10 G/I/F Johnny Unser Byrd-C'ham 23 Crash T2 14
22 1 176.117 1 G/A/G Scott Sharp Foyt 0 Crash T2 15
Laps under green: 112 of 200 laps (56.0%)
Caution flags: 9 for 88 laps (44.0%)
#1: lap 1, crash (Sharp), T2, 11 laps
#2: lap 25, crash (Unser), T2, 13 laps
#3: lap 41, crash (Kite), T4, 16 laps
#4: lap 87, crash (Boat, Guerrero), T4, 12 laps
#5: lap 113, crash (Ray), T4, 7 laps
#6: lap 146, crash (Miller), T4, 11 laps
#7: lap 165, crash (Luyendyk), T2, 7 laps
#8: lap 181, crash (Brack), T4, 7 laps
#9: lap 194, crash (R. Groff), T2, 4 laps
Red flags: 0 for 0 minutes
Lead changes: 5
St: Stewart 1-89
#1: Luyendyk 90
#2: Gregoire 91-95
#3: Stewart 96-148
#4: Goodyear 149
#5: Stewart 150-200
C/E/T finish averages (# started / avg finish):
Dallara: 10 / 11.9
G-Force: 12 / 11.0
Aurora: 20 / 10.8
Infiniti: 2 / 18.8
Firestone: 7 / 11.0
Goodyear: 15 / 11.2