1997 Phoenix 200
| Race details | ||
|---|---|---|
| 4th Round of the 1996–97 Indy Racing League. | ||
| Date | March 23, 1997 | |
| Official name | Phoenix 200 | |
| Location | Phoenix International Raceway | |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.000 / 1.609 km | |
| Distance | 200 laps, 200.000 mi / 321.869 km | |
| Weather | Dry with temperatures reaching up to 89.6 °F (32.0 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 15.9 miles per hour (25.6 km/h)[1] | |
| Pole | ||
| Driver |  Tony Stewart |
Team Menard |
| Time | 21.175 | |
| Fastest Lap | ||
| Driver | Tony Stewart |
Team Menard |
| Time | 22.135 (on lap 11 of 200) | |
| Podium | ||
| First | Jim Guthrie | Blueprint Racing |
| Second | Tony Stewart | Team Menard |
| Third | Davey Hamilton | A. J. Foyt Enterprises |
The 1997 Phoenix 200 was the fourth round of the 1996–1997 Indy Racing League. The race was held on March 23, 1997 at the 1.000 mi (1.609 km) Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona.
Race
| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time/Retired | Grid | Laps Led | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 27 | Jim Guthrie |
Blueprint Racing | 200 | 1:33:30.748 | 2 | 74 | 35 |
| 2 | 2 | Tony Stewart |
Team Menard | 200 | + 0.854 sec | 1 | 85 | 36 |
| 3 | 4 | Davey Hamilton |
A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 200 | Running | 14 | 0 | 32 |
| 4 | 22 |  Marco Greco |
Team Scandia | 199 | + 1 lap | 8 | 0 | 31 |
| 5 | 77 |  Stephan Gregoire |
Chastain Motorsports | 199 | + 1 lap | 19 | 0 | 30 |
| 6 | 10 | Mike Groff |
Byrd-Cunningham Racing | 195 | + 5 laps | 16 | 0 | 29 |
| 7 | 21 |  Roberto Guerrero |
Pagan Racing | 194 | + 6 laps | 10 | 0 | 28 |
| 8 | 12 | Buzz Calkins |
Bradley Motorsports | 187 | + 13 laps | 22 | 0 | 27 |
| 9 | 18 | John Paul, Jr. |
PDM Racing | 179 | + 21 laps | 11 | 0 | 26 |
| 10 | 16 | Sam Schmidt |
Blueprint Racing | 176 | Accident T4 | 6 | 0 | 25 |
| 11 | 4 |  Kenny Bräck |
Galles Racing | 145 | Accident T4 | 9 | 24 | 24 |
| 12 | 51 | Eddie Cheever |
Team Cheever | 120 | Overheating | 7 | 0 | 23 |
| 13 | 17 | Affonso Giaffone |
Chitwood Motorsports | 114 | Half Shaft | 21 | 13 | 22 |
| 14 | 33 |  Fermin Velez |
Team Scandia | 94 | Electrical | 15 | 0 | 21 |
| 15 | 50 | Billy Roe |
Eurointernational | 82 | Accident T3 due to Engine | 17 | 0 | 20 |
| 16 | 1 | Scott Sharp |
A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 65 | Engine | 20 | 4 | 19 |
| 17 | 6 |  Scott Goodyear |
Treadway Racing | 52 | Engine | 3 | 0 | 18 |
| 18 | 3 | Robbie Buhl |
Team Menard | 51 | Accident T2 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
| 19 | 30 | Jeret Schroeder |
McCormack Motorsports | 51 | Accident T2 | 12 | 0 | 16 |
| 20 | 40 | Jack Miller |
Arizona Motorsport | 33 | Fuel Pickup | 18 | 0 | 15 |
| 21 | 91 | Buddy Lazier |
Hemelgarn Racing | 31 | Engine | 13 | 0 | 14 |
| 22 | 5 |  Arie Luyendyk |
Treadway Racing | 11 | Mechanical | 4 | 0 | 13 |
Race Leaders
|
Caution Periods
There were 9 caution periods during the race, with a total of 86 laps under caution.
| Laps | Cause |
|---|---|
| 2-6 | Roberto Guerrero tow-in for electrical problems |
| 13-18 | Aire Luyendyk accident |
| 36-44 | Buddy Lazier oiling |
| 52-60 | Robbie Buhl and Jeret Schroeder accident, turn 2 |
| 69-75 | Oil on track |
| 85-98 | Billy Roe accident, turn 3; before the crash his engine blew up oiling the track. |
| 117-132 | Oil on track |
| 146-154 | Kenny Bräck accident, turn 4 |
| 180-190 | Sam Schmidt accident, turn 4; the wall sustained damage and Schmidt needed medical attention. |
Standings after the race
References
External links
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