The 1997 Hanes 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 49th iteration of the event.

[1] The race took place in Ridgeway, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track.

In the late stages of the race, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would manage to take advantage of a penalty-stricken Rusty Wallace to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third and final victory of the season.

Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.272 and an average speed of 93.410 miles per hour (150.329 km/h).

[4] Three drivers would fail to qualify: Gary Bradberry, Morgan Shepherd, and Dave Marcis.