The best place for the 02 sensor is at the turn out, where all 5 cylinders come together. The sensor was relocated from the turn out, to one tube in the Belanger headers in 2000. People were getting check engine lights for "O2 sensor heater" when the O2 sensor was placed in the turn out. The reason was, Dodge changed the computer calibration and way it looked at how fast the O2 sensor warmed up. The quicker the sensor warmed up, the sooner it could control the emissions. Being that the sensor was now mounted down in the collector with headers, about 20 inches further downstream that the stock sensor location, it warmed up slower and set the check engine light. Changing the sensor location to one tube was just a band aid fix, but caused other issues. The car would run fine but fuel control was off, just reading one cylinder. Vehicles would fail smog and cars with bigger cams had terrible "closed loop fuel control" with surging and jerking.
We developed a sensor that would warm up faster "quick fire 02" that would solve the check engine light problem and allow you to relocate the sensor back to the turnout, we also were able to calibrate the engine controller for a not so sensitive O2 heater monitor for off road use cars if needed.
Your 1997 will be fine with the 02 in the turnout as the heater monitor is not very sensitive.
Hope this helps,