SEASON IN REVIEW
Speedway, Indiana driver Stevie Reeves picked up his first LASTCAR Busch Series Grand National Division title in 1997, scoring two last-place finishes in twenty-eight starts during a thirty-race season. He claimed the title in the series’ first bottom-ten tiebreaker since 1984 by beating Dale Shaw 6-4.
Reeves was competing in his fourth season on the Busch Series Grand National Division tour, and his first without longtime sponsor Clabber Girl Baking Powder. Prior to the 1997 season, Reeves’ best career finish had been a 6th at Richmond on March 4, 1995. In 1997, Reeves would do no better, finishing 7th at Bristol on August 22, but failing to qualify for two races and scoring five DNFs due to accidents, including a pair of last-place finishes.
Reeves’ first last-place finish came at Gateway on July 26, when his #96 Big A Auto Parts Ford was taken out in a three-car accident after 7 laps of the Gateway 300. The other occurred five races later at Richmond during the Autolite Platinum 250 on September 5, where this time a two-car accident stopped him after the opening lap.
Reeves made just four more Busch Series Grand National Division starts in 1998 before making his 85th and final start at New Hampshire on May 9, 1998, where he came home 30th in the Gumout Long Life Formula 200. Over the next two years, he made three starts in the NASCAR Truck Series and four in what is now the IZOD IndyCar Series, but finished in the middle of the pack in all those races. He has since gained notoriety as a spotter for both Jimmie Johnson and, later, Paul Menard.
OTHER LASTCAR HEADLINES
Two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Terry Labonte scored his first Busch Series Grand National Division last-place finish in 1997 when his #5 Alka-Seltzer / Bayer Chevrolet lost the engine after 11 laps of the Hardee’s Fried Chicken 250. Labonte scored a second last-place finish when a Lap 6 engine failure left him 42nd during the Dura Lube 200 at Darlington on August 30, though 37th-place Jason Keller made an illegal driver change before the start of the race and was not awarded driver points, a starting spot, nor any prize money.
In his first year replacing Jeff Green as Dale Earnhardt, Inc.’s Busch Series Grand National Division driver, Steve Park scored his first last-place finish a week after Labonte in the March 8 running of the Stihl Outdoor Power Tools 300 at Atlanta. Park’s #3 AC-Delco Chevrolet lost the engine after he completed 72 laps of the race. Park won three races that year and finished 3rd in points, and he brought DEI into the Cup Series in 1998. An injury at Atlanta cut short Park’s season while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. drove Park’s old Busch Series Grand National Division ride to back-to-back series titles.
Short-track ace Dick Trickle scored his first Busch Series Grand National Division last-place finish in 1997 during one of Park’s wins at the Detroit Gasket 200 at Michigan on August 16. Trickle’s #64 Dura Lube Chevrolet started outside-pole and led the opening two laps before his engine let go after 44 laps. Trickle, the 1989 Cup Series Rookie of the Year, won his first Busch race at Hickory on March 29 during the Galaxy Foods 300.
A 29-year-old Johnny Chapman scored his first Busch last-place finish in 1997 when his #0 Bowl Fresh / Honeywell Chevrolet lost the engine after three laps of the Kenwood Home & Car Audio 300 at Fontana on October 19 - the inaugural Busch event at the Southern California track. Chapman’s car was owned by 1989 LASTCAR Cup Series Champion Phil Parsons, and driver and owner would reunite to form MSRP Motorsports in 2008, a combination that claimed a LASTCAR title with the very next year.
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
1st) Terry Labonte [2 B5s], Joey McCarthy [2 B5s], Stevie Reeves [3 B5s, 6 B10s],
Elton Sawyer [2 B5s], Dale Shaw [3 B5s, 4 B10s] (2)
2nd) Johnny Chapman, Robbie Crouch, Jeff Fuller, Kevin Grubb, Shane Hall, Shawn Hendricks, Bill Hoff, Dale Jarrett, Mark Krogh, Scott Lagasse, Curtis Markham, Jeff McClure, Patty Moise, Mike Olsen, Steve Park, Doug Reid, Johnny Rumley, Ed Spencer III, Dick Trickle, Perry Tripp (1)
