We close out season 1 of the podcast with Part 3 of the 1997 Winston Cup Year-in-Review. In this episode, the drivers who placed 5th through 1st in the points standings are discussed. These drivers won 24 of the 32 races run in '97 Cup Season. Jeff Gordon continued an amazing run of success winning his 2nd Cup title in 3 years and winning 10 races. Dale Jarrett picked up a career high 7 wins and narrowly lost out on the championship finishing in the runner-up spot. Mark Martin had a big bounce back season after failing to win a Cup race in the prior season. Jeff Burton was the breakout star-- he had never visited victory lane or finished in the top 10 points in Cup competition before 1997. He won three times and finished an impressive 4th in points for the '97 Cup Season. Earnhardt failed to break his long Cup losing streak in '97, but was much more competitive the 2nd half of the '97 Season. Take a listen as we look back one final time on the '97 season. 

It's Part Two of the '97 Winston Cup Year in Review. In today's episode, we take a look back at the drivers who finished 6th-10th in the season point standings. Three drivers who failed to capture a top 10 points position in '96 got the job done in '97. There were three pleasant surprises among the drivers who finished in back half of the top 10 in points. Two drivers had more disappointing seasons based upon expectations going into the season. These five drivers combined for 3 wins on the season. Join us for a comprehensive review of the highs and lows for these five drivers.

It's time to take a look back at the '97 Winston Cup Season. This episode will review the drivers who finished outside the top 10 in points. We'll discuss the drivers who finished outside the top 10 in points and went to victory lane. Who were the surprises and disappointments in 1997? How do the rookie drivers perform? We'll review the best moments for each driver. 

The Winston Cup Series brings down the curtain on the '97 season with season finale at the re-configured Atlanta Motor Speedway. Jeff Gordon leads Dale Jarrett and Mark Martin by 77 and 87 points respectively. Gordon's task to win the championship became much more difficult after a bizarre pit road accident during practice and a poor qualifying effort. Jarrett and Martin need a strong run and hope that Gordon has a poor finish. Dale Earnhardt is still trying to break that long Cup losing streak. Can Bobby Labonte win the season finale in back-to-back years? There are so many unknowns at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway such as race pace, tire wear, and will the track have only one racing groove. Take a listen and find out who wins the race and championship. 

Two races remain in the '97 Winston Cup season as the series visits Phoenix. Jeff Gordon has a comfortable points lead over Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett, but it is still within the margin that Gordon could lose the points lead with a very poor finish and strong runs by Martin and Jarrett. Bobby Hamilton won the pole and is defending champion of the event and has momentum after a winning last week at Rockingham. Martin is a former winner at Phoenix. Other favorites include Jeff Burton who has two flat track wins this season (Martinsville and Loudon) and Rusty Wallace who is always good on flat tracks. Dale Earnhardt is still winless in '97 and trying to break that lengthy losing streak. He's finished 2nd this season at both Loudon and Martinsville. Find out who goes to victory lane in the Valley of the Sun and if there is shake up in the points standings. 

Just three races remain in the '97 Winston Cup Season. The Cup series makes its fall visit to Rockingham. lJeff Gordon won the spring race at "The Rock" and is hoping to extend his points lead. Mark Martin picked up his first career win at Rockingham and is looking to gain ground on points leader Jeff Gordon. Dale Jarrett has three consecutive 2nd place finishes at "The Rock", but has never won at the track. In spring event, he dominated the race only to have Gordon pass him late and he had to settle for a runner-up finish. Geoff Bodine, Bobby Labonte, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Hamilton, and Sterling Marlin all won last season and have failed to win in '97.  The race was forced to be run on Monday due to rainy weather postponing event on Sunday. Find out who comes out on top at Rockingham and if there is shake up in the points chase. 

The 1997 Winston Cup season is winding down. 28 races have been completed and three drivers-- Gordon, Martin, and Dale Jarrett still have a legitimate chance at the championship. The latest restrictor plate race on the schedule has all of the points leaders on edge. 2 of the last 3 races the "Big One" that large multi-car accident shook up the points race.  Mark Martin was victorious in the caution free May race at Talladega. Earnhardt and Elliott are both still looking to break long Cup losing streaks. Both have run strong in the restrictor place races this season. Can one of the Labonte brothers pick up their best win of the season? Talladega has had it's fair share of underdog winners. Will a surprise winner go to victory lane in Alabama? Take a listen and find out who gets the win and if there is a shake up in points standings. 

Just five races remain to determine the 1997 Winston Cup Champion. This week it’s UAW-GM Quality 500 from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett are both hoping to gain ground on points leader Jeff Gordon. The Fall race at Charlotte has not been kind to Gordon in the past. Last season a 31st place finish in this event coupled with a win by teammate Terry Labonte resulted in a big points lead for Gordon being shrunk to a single point. Gordon never regained the momentum he lost and Labonte captured the 1996 Winston Cup Championship. Gordon comes into the ’97 race with similar points cushion over Mark Martin. Martin has to be among the favorites as he captured victory at this event in 1995. DJ has been strong on the intermediate tracks this season and has two career wins at Charlotte. Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt have been running well of late and both are looking to break long Cup losing streaks. It’s been a struggle for Terry Labonte in the 2nd half of the season and he is still looking for his 1st Cup win of ’97. Bobby Labonte is starting 2nd and had a strong car in practice. His first career win came at the 1995 Coca-Cola 600. Can Gordon overcome the Fall Charlotte race hurdle and maintain his comfortable points lead? Will DJ and Martin get a strong finish and gain ground on Gordon? Will a driver not in the championship chase play spoiler? Take a listen and found out who comes out on top at Charlotte. 

It's the final short track race of the 1997 Winston Cup Season. Just six races remained before the Winston Cup Champion would be crowned. Mark Martin won at Dover from the pole last week and was hoping to cut into 105 point deficit to Jeff Gordon. That could prove difficult as Gordon has won back-to-back races at Martinsville and took home the victory in the Spring race leading 431 laps. 3rd in points Dale Jarrett struggled to 16th place finish in the Spring and he desperately needed to gain points on both Gordon and Martin. Although Rusty Wallace was having a difficult '97 season, he is always a favorite at the short track races. Also, don't count out Bobby Hamilton who finished 2nd in the Spring at Martinsville and is excellent on the flat tracks. Ward Burton is on the pole in his home state and looking for a strong finish. His brother Jeff Burton is feeling heathier and would love to snag his 3rd win of season. Elliott and Earnhardt have had some strong recent runs and both would love to snap long Cup losing streaks. Take a listen and find out who grabs the victory at the Cup Series' shortest track. 

The '97 Winston Cup Tour makes it second visit to Dover.  This was a wild caution filled race in the Spring in which three different drivers leaders experienced problems in the final 75 laps of the race. Ricky Rudd edged out Mark Martin for a narrow victory. Dale Jarrett, Jeff Gordon, and Ernie Irvan all looked contenders for the win until accidents or mechanical problems ended their chance of the victory at the first Dover race. Mark Martin is looking to win from the pole and gain on points leader Jeff Gordon. He's lost points to Gordon in three consecutive races. Kyle Petty had a top 5 in the Spring at Dover and his car was very strong in practice. Dale Earnhardt and Bill Elliott are attempting to break long Cup Series winless streaks. Take a listen and find out who goes to victory lane and slays the Monster.