1998 Pennsylvania 500
Race details
Race 18 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1998 Pennsylvania 500 program cover, featuring Jeremy Mayfield.
The 1998 Pennsylvania 500 program cover, featuring Jeremy Mayfield.
Date July 26, 1998
Official name 26th Annual Pennsylvania 500
Location Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.0 km)
Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Scheduled Distance 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Average speed 134.66 miles per hour (216.71 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Bill Davis Racing
Time 53.316
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 164
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1998 Pennsylvania 500 was the 18th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 26th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 26, 1998, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would dominate the majority of the race to take his 34th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Mark Martin and Jeff Burton, both drivers for Roush Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

The layout of Pocono Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.

Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.

Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

Entry list

  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet Pennzoil
2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Miller Lite
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service Plus
4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet Kodak
5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kellogg's Frosted Flakes
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Valvoline
7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford Philips
9 Jerry Nadeau (R) Melling Racing Ford Cartoon Network "Happy Birthday NASCAR!"
10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford Tide
11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford Paychex
12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford Mobil 1
13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford FirstPlus Financial Group
16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford PrimeStar
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac MBNA
23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford Winston No Bull
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet DuPont
26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford Cheerios, Pop Secret
28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford Texaco, Havoline
30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac Gumout
31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Lowe's
33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet Skoal
35 Jimmy Horton ISM Racing Pontiac Tabasco
36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Skittles
40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet Coors Non-Alcoholic
41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet Kodiak
42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet BellSouth
43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
46 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet First Union
50 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Team Realtree Camouflage
75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford Remington Arms
77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford Jasper Engines & Transmissions
78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford Pilot Travel Centers
79 Randy MacDonald T.R.I.X. Racing Chevrolet Big Daddy's BBQ Sauce
81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford Square D
88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford Quality Care Service, Ford Credit
90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford Heilig-Meyers
91 Morgan Shepherd LJ Racing Chevrolet LJ Racing
94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford McDonald's
96 Hut Stricklin American Equipment Racing Chevrolet Caterpillar
97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford John Deere
98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford Thorn Apple Valley
99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford Exide Batteries

Practice

First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, July 24, at 10:35 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 25 minutes.[3] Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.956 and an average speed of 166.809 mph (268.453 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 53.956 166.809
2 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 54.049 166.516
3 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 54.172 166.137
Full first practice results

Second practice

The second practice session was held on Saturday, July 25, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 30 minutes.[3] Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.637 and an average speed of 167.795 mph (270.040 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.637 167.795
2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 53.699 167.601
3 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 53.704 167.585
Full second practice results

Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 25, after the preliminary 1998 ARCA Pepsi 400k. The session would last for one hour.[3] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.285 and an average speed of 165.792 mph (266.816 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.285 165.792
2 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 54.288 165.782
3 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 54.316 165.697
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 24, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, July 25, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] On January 24, 1998, NASCAR would announce that the amount of provisionals given would be increased from last season. Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]

Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.316 and an average speed of 168.805 miles per hour (271.665 km/h).[8]

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Randy MacDonald, Gary Bradberry, and Jimmy Horton.

Full qualifying results

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 53.316 168.805
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.492 168.249
3 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 53.592 167.936
4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 53.623 167.838
5 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.640 167.785
6 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.668 167.698
7 91 Morgan Shepherd LJ Racing Chevrolet 53.706 167.579
8 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 53.763 167.401
9 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 53.790 167.317
10 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 53.814 167.243
11 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.816 167.237
12 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 53.861 167.097
13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 53.867 167.078
14 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.930 166.883
15 46 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.932 166.877
16 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 53.942 166.846
17 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 53.986 166.710
18 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 53.990 166.698
19 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 54.010 166.636
20 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.038 166.549
21 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 54.047 166.522
22 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.053 166.503
23 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 54.080 166.420
24 50 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.084 166.408
25 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 54.111 166.325
26 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 54.039 166.546
27 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 54.112 166.322
28 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 54.129 166.269
29 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 54.143 166.226
30 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 54.152 166.199
31 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 54.162 166.168
32 96 Hut Stricklin American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 54.173 166.134
33 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 54.208 166.027
34 9 Jerry Nadeau (R) Melling Racing Ford 54.229 165.963
35 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 54.286 165.789
36 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 54.311 165.712
Provisionals
37 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
38 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford -* -*
39 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford -* -*
40 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford -* -*
41 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac -* -*
42 13 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Elliott-Marino Racing Ford -* -*
43 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 79 Randy MacDonald T.R.I.X. Racing Chevrolet 55.252 162.890
45 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 54.913 163.896
46 35 Jimmy Horton ISM Racing Pontiac 55.708 161.557
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

Fin[9] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 164 running 185 $162,770
2 6 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 2 running 175 $89,220
3 19 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 1 running 170 $73,170
4 4 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 0 running 160 $75,545
5 11 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 155 $63,815
6 3 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 200 3 running 155 $49,990
7 9 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 14 running 151 $49,890
8 17 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 142 $52,290
9 16 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 200 0 running 138 $42,390
10 10 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 1 running 139 $47,440
11 31 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 200 0 running 130 $33,890
12 18 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 200 0 running 127 $44,740
13 27 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 0 running 124 $30,890
14 40 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 200 0 running 121 $39,090
15 12 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 118 $39,015
16 23 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 115 $29,665
17 5 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 200 0 running 112 $36,065
18 29 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 200 0 running 109 $35,765
19 21 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 199 0 running 106 $37,715
20 37 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 103 $41,740
21 35 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 199 0 running 100 $34,865
22 14 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 199 0 running 97 $41,165
23 41 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 199 0 running 94 $34,340
24 15 46 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 198 0 running 91 $23,715
25 42 13 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 198 0 running 88 $26,890
26 34 9 Jerry Nadeau (R) Melling Racing Ford 198 0 running 85 $26,640
27 32 96 Hut Stricklin American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 198 0 running 82 $26,890
28 43 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 197 0 running 79 $30,140
29 26 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 196 0 running 76 $33,465
30 28 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 195 0 running 73 $25,815
31 22 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 192 0 running 70 $38,685
32 39 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 180 0 running 67 $25,015
33 36 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 175 0 running 64 $29,315
34 1 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 171 15 crash 66 $36,815
35 8 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 168 0 valve 58 $21,490
36 33 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 166 0 crash 55 $28,390
37 30 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 165 0 running 52 $21,300
38 38 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 153 0 running 49 $28,150
39 20 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 151 0 engine 46 $28,125
40 7 91 Morgan Shepherd LJ Racing Chevrolet 143 0 rear end 43 $21,100
41 24 50 Ricky Craven Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 142 0 running 40 $28,075
42 13 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 136 0 radiator 37 $37,450
43 25 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 110 0 crash 34 $21,025
Failed to qualify
44 79 Randy MacDonald T.R.I.X. Racing Chevrolet
45 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford
46 35 Jimmy Horton ISM Racing Pontiac
Official race results

References

  1. Utter, Jim (July 26, 1998). "Gordon perseveres for Pennsylvania 500 victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  2. "Gordon avoids calamity, cruises to win at Pocono". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. July 27, 1998. p. 30. Retrieved September 10, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Schedule for July 26 race at Pocono". That's Racin'. July 20, 1998. Archived from the original on November 24, 2001. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  4. "Ward Burton fastest in practice". That's Racin'. July 24, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  5. "Mark Martin fastest in 2nd round of practice". That's Racin'. July 24, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  6. "Gordon tops in Happy Hour practice". That's Racin'. July 25, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  7. "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  8. Utter, Jim (July 24, 1998). "Revenge sweetens pole for Ward Burton". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
  9. "1998 Pennsylvania 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
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