Boby Hamilton on Pole for Pocono 500
7 June 1997
LONG POND, PA -- "From the minute we unloaded we was fast", said Bobby Hamilton of his STP Pontiac. And fast he was as he has won the pole for Sunday's Pocono 500. Hamilton cruised the triangle shaped 2.5 mile, essentially flat track, with a 53.543 second (168.089 mph) lap.Hamilton said after his lap, "This is a brand new car. For them to build something like this from scratch and not have to touch nothing on it. We changed the right front spring on it; I think. Then we went back to the original and that is all we touched since we got here."
Hamilton talking about Pocono's three turns separated with long drag strips said, "Everybody goes out the first time and they're off a little bit because the place is so dog-gone fast. It takes a while to get your nerve up. You don't make a lot of changes the driver just gets better."
Sitting on the outside of row one is Dale Jarrett in the Ford Quality Care Thunderbird. Jarrett toured the track with a 53.563 second lap at 168.026 miles per hour. After his run Jarrett said, "I left a little in turn three. I got through turns one and two so good that I was so excited and then I got to turn three. I got in there a little harder than I needed to and a little bit wider and the car slid up in the center. I was a little late picking the throttle up. It's the best we've run, the best I've run here and we're pretty happy with that.
The drivers that round out the top-five are Ward Burton, Greg Sacks who is subbing for he injured Robby Gordon, and Bill Elliott.
This years Winston Cup rookie crop carry a mixed bag as far as Pocono experience goes. Chad Little, who had attempted a Winston Cup career several years back, hasn't been on the track since 1991. Mike Skinner's only runs were in an ARCA car. And David Green had never run the track. Green made the show in the 25th spot. Skinner and Little will have to do something tomorrow as they sit in 28th and 27th respectively.
Dick Trickle had what he calls a 'tough day at the office'. Trickle first slapped the wall coming out of turn three during morning practice dinging up the nose on the Healing-Meyers Ford. Then he lost a motor on his second lap out after the body word had been straightened. Trickle will also face the clocks tomorrow as he only ran good enough for the 35th spot in today's session.
The only incident during qualifying was Joe Nemechek who lost a motor before he even got the Bell South Chevrolet up to speed.
Positions one to 25 are locked in for Sunday's race. Second round qualifying to round out the field will take place tomorrow at 11:30 with a 1:00 Sunday start time for the Pocono 500 13th event of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup series. Race coverage will be live by MRN on radio and TNN on TV.
Mike Snow -- The Auto Channel