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While Rick Hendrick had already fielded cars in NASCAR for a decade-plus, Hendrick Motorsports vaulted to the top of the NASCAR world in the mid-1990s. Leading the charge Jeff Gordon, the 1995 NASCAR Cup Series champion and foil to Dale Earnhardt, racing the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet.
Terry Labonte, racing the No. 5 Kellogg’s Chevrolet, was the reigning champion in 1996 despite winning two races compared to Gordon’s 10.
Hendrick’s third driver, Ricky Craven, took a different trajectory than the dominant Gordon and consistent Labonte. The Newburgh, Maine, native drove for Larry Hedrick in the No. 41 in 1995 and ‘96, when he returned to NASCAR’s highest division after a cup of coffee in 1991. His most notable moment was his severe accident at Talladega Superspeedway in 1996, when he flipped into the turn 1 catchfence with seven cars driving underneath him on his ascent.
Hendrick signed Craven in the off season to drive the No. 25, and this three-car operation looked unmatched heading into 1997. After 1996, none of these drivers had ever won the Daytona 500. Hendrick himself was diagnosed with leukemia in the 1996 off season, which added extra pressure to continue his team’s dominance in later seasons.
And then there was Earnhardt.
The Intimidator had won everything there was to win heading into 1997 except the Great American Race. He was already a seven-time champion, and he had lost prior Daytona 500s in seemingly impossible circumstances. No defeat stung worse than the 1990 running, when he cut a tire going into turn 3 just 1 mile from the checkered flag, which resulted in Derrike Cope winning in an all-time upset. The 1997 Daytona 500 was Earnhardt’s 19th try at claiming the Harley J. Earl trophy, and nothing was going to stop him.
The front row for the 1997 season opener contained two surprising names. Mike Skinner had previously raced in the Cup Series, but never full time. He drove for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series the previous two seasons, and he won eight times each year. This earned him a promotion to the Cup Series in 1997, and he put the car on the pole in his first full-time start. On the outside pole was Steve Grissom in Hedrick’s No. 41, Craven’s replacement.
The Hendrick trio had mixed fortunes in the Gatorade Twin 125s. All three were in the second…
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