1997 VisionAire 500

The 1997 VisionAire 500 was the eighth round of the 1996–1997 Indy Racing League. The race was held on July 26, 1997 at the 1.500 mi (2.414 km) Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina.

Report

Qualifying

Failed to qualify or withdrew

Buzz Calkins for Bradley Motorsports - suffered a concussion during testing on July 8 on New Hampshire and was unable to compete.

Robbie Buhl for Team Menard - entered for the race, but was still recovering from a concussion suffered during testing on June 4.

Jeff Ward R for Team Cheever - withdrew prior to the start of practice.

Race

Buddy Lazier beat rookie Billy Boat to take his second IRL victory in the first-ever Indy car race at this long-time stock-car racing venue. The race was dominated by Tony Stewart at the beginning, but his car developed handling problems after pitting during a caution period on lap 75 and was out of contention thereafter. Lazier stayed out during the caution and assumed the lead, but had to make a green-flag stop on lap 93 and fell a lap down.