34°17′50.5″N 79°54′18.4″W / 34.297361°N 79.905111°W
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 23 of 32 in the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 1997 Southern 500 program cover | |||
| Date | August 31, 1997 | ||
| Official name | Mountain Dew Southern 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.3 mi (806.7 km) | ||
| Weather | Extremely hot with temperatures approaching 91.4 °F (33.0 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 121.149 miles per hour (194.970 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bill Elliott | Bill Elliott Racing | |
| Laps | 181 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
The 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500, the 48th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on August 31, 1997, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Bobby Labonte won the pole position and Jeff Gordon won the race for the third time in his career and clinched the Winston Million.
- ^ Weather information for the 1997 Mountain Dew Southern 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac