The Cup series takes a break from the points chase to run The Winston All Star Race from the Charlotte Motor Speedway. It's a star studded event with special paint schemes, different rules, and a 10 lap dash for the cash. Bill Elliott and Dale Earnhardt are on the front row and both are hungry for victory. Can Jeff Gordon make it 2 wins in the past 3 Winston's? Will it be a surprise winner like the '96 running when Michael Waltrip went to victory lane? Does Mark Martin keep his hot streak going? It's a bring home the steering wheel or the checkered flag kind of a race. Take a listen and find out who goes to victory lane and cashes the big check. 

The postponed Winston 500 is the 10th stop on the 1997 Winston Cup Tour. Both races in 1996 at Talladega had massive wrecks that shook up the points standings. Can Mark Martin make it two wins in a row after breaking a long Cup losing streak at Sonoma last week? Will Jeff Gordon capture his second restrictor plate win of the season along with the second leg of the Winston Million? How will Dale Jarrett fare at a track he has been very close to victory multiple times? Earnhardt was strong at Daytona can he break a long losing streak with a win at one of his best tracks? Will Talladega produce another surprise winner? Take a listen and find out who comes out on top at NASCAR’s fastest tracks.

The 9th stop on the '97 NASCAR Winston Cup tour was Sonoma for some road racing. Which driver would be able to best negotiate around the over 2.5 mile 11 turn road course in the beautiful Napa Valley? Will Mark Martin break a long losing streak and finally get to victory lane? Can Jeff Gordon pick up his first career win on a road course? Is Dale Jarrett able to bounce back from a disappointing finish at Martinsville? How would the road course aces like Rusty Wallace, Ricky Rudd, Terry Labonte, Ernie Irvan, and Robby Gordon perform? Take a listen and find out which drivers comes out on top at turning both left and right for the first of two road course races this season. 

It's more short track racing as Martinsville is the 8th stop on the 1997 Winston Cup Tour. The shortest and tightest track will conclude the Spring short track season. Can Jeff Gordon win back-to-back races for the 2nd time in 1997? Will Rusty Wallace get his second short track win of the season? How will Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek fare after starting on the front row? Can the points leader Dale Jarrett find success at a track he has struggled at of late? Will Dale Earnhardt keep the momentum rolling and score a good finish at Martinsville?  Listen in and find out who goes to victory lane and takes home the grandfather clock. 

The Winston Cup Series heads to Bristol for the running of the Food City 500. This is the seventh race of 1997 Winston Cup Season. The world’s fastest half mile track and the largest starting field in history at Bristol equals a ton of action, tight close quarter racing, crumpled sheet metal, and some tempers flaring as well. Can Jeff Gordon get back on track after 2 poor finishes in the past three races? Will Rusty Wallace bounce back from disappointment at Texas and win his second short track of the season? Is Dale Jarrett able to keep his strong start to season going at Bristol? Will a driver who has not won in 1997 like Terry Labonte, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt, or Ricky Rudd pull into victory lane? Take a listen to find who wins the Bristol slugfest and make sure you listen all the way to the final lap (hint/hint).

The next stop on the 1997 Winston Cup tour was the inaugural running of the Interstate Batteries 500 at the Texas Motor Speedway near Forth Worth. This was the sixth race of the season. Drivers were concerned about the design of the track especially the tricky transition off of turn four. The race had a major wreck on the first lap and plenty of action throughout the race. Will the points leader Dale Jarrett continue his hot streak and win his third consecutive race? Can team Hendrick break his momentum with a win for home state favorite Terry Labonte or Jeff Gordon? Due to all drivers having very little experience on the track could the inaugural race at Texas produce a first time winner? Listen in as we take a look back at a wild day in Texas. 

The Winston Cup Series heads to historic Darlington Raceway in South Carolina for the 5th race of '97 Winston Cup Season. The Track known as "Too Tough To Tame" lived up to it's reputation with a rash of early race crashes and cautions flags. Can Jeff Gordon get back on track and win for the fourth consecutive time at Darlington after a poor finish at Atlanta? Will Dale Jarrett win back-to-back races and get revenge on the track that cost him a chance at a million dollars last year at the Southern 500? Does Dale Earnhardt build on the momentum of Atlanta and record back-to-back strong runs? The final laps featured a classic duel between a driver who was having a strong season and a driver looking for his first career Winston Cup win. Take a listen and find which driver comes home victorious on the final race run at Darlington before they flip-flopped the front and backstretch. One programming note, there will not be a new episode next week as I'm on vacation. We'll be back with a new episode on April 9th reviewing the inaugural Winston Cup race at the Texas Motor Speedway. 

The Winston Cup drivers had an off weekend after 4 consecutive races to the start the season. In this episode, we'll discuss what media options were available for race fans especially when many did not have internet access 25 years ago. Next week we'll get back to our race reviews and discuss the 1997 Transouth Financial 400 from Darlington. 

The Winston Cup Series heads to the Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia for the 4th race of '97 Winston Cup Season. This would be the final race on the oval configuration with the long corners and short straightaways before the track would be reconfigured to look similar to Charlotte and Texas. Will the defending champion of the race Dale Earnhardt get on track after missing the top 10 in the first three races of the season? Can Dale Jarrett break through with his first win of the season after leading the most laps at Rockingham and Richmond but coming up short in the win column? Which won of the points leader will suffer an early mechanical problem and shake up the points standings? Can a veteran with a strong record at Atlanta in a new ride for '97 score a top 5 finish? This was an action packed race especially in the final third of the race. Take a listen and find out who wins at Atlanta.