The 1998 Pocono 500 was the 15th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 21, 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. Within the last 25 laps, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield was able to defend against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to complete a dominant run to win the race, securing his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Gordon and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.

1998 Pocono 500
Race details
Race 15 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1998 Pocono 500 program cover, featuring Richard Petty.
The 1998 Pocono 500 program cover, featuring Richard Petty.
Date June 21, 1998
Official name 17th Annual Pocono 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 134.389 miles per hour (216.278 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 53.558
Most laps led
Driver Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing
Laps 122
Winner
No. 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing
Television in the United States
Network TNN
Announcers Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

Background

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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

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
00 Buckshot Jones Buckshot Racing Pontiac Aquafresh
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 Lake Speed 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, Penn State Nittany Lions
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 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac Tabasco
36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Skittles
40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet Coors Light
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 Wally Dallenbach Jr. 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
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 Kevin Lepage (R) 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

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, June 19. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.639 and an average speed of 167.788 mph (270.029 km/h).[3]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 53.639 167.788
2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 53.771 167.376
3 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.773 167.370
Full first practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 20. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.681 and an average speed of 164.591 mph (264.884 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 54.681 164.591
2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 54.803 164.225
3 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.816 164.186
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, 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, June 20, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[5] 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.[6] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.558 and an average speed of 168.042 miles per hour (270.437 km/h).[7]

Two drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis and Buckshot Jones.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 53.558 168.042
2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 53.752 167.436
3 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 53.832 167.187
4 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 53.944 166.840
5 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 53.950 166.821
6 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 53.959 166.793
7 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 53.972 166.753
8 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 54.052 166.506
9 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 54.058 166.488
10 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 54.079 166.423
11 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 54.089 166.392
12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.106 166.340
13 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 54.136 166.248
14 50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 54.145 166.220
15 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 54.252 165.893
16 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 54.254 165.886
17 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 54.263 165.859
18 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 54.277 165.816
19 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 54.293 165.767
20 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 54.326 165.667
21 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 54.339 165.627
22 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 54.344 165.612
23 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 54.383 165.493
24 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 54.398 165.447
25 96 Hut Stricklin American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 54.405 165.426
26 46 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 54.066 166.463
27 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 54.169 166.147
28 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 54.267 165.847
29 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 54.287 165.786
30 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 54.309 165.718
31 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 54.331 165.651
32 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 54.429 165.353
33 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 54.485 165.183
34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 54.618 164.780
35 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 54.595 164.850
36 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 54.612 164.799
Provisionals
37 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford -* -*
38 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
39 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford -* -*
40 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford -* -*
41 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac -* -*
42 91 Kevin Lepage (R) LJ Racing Chevrolet -* -*
43 35 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 54.634 164.733
45 00 Buckshot Jones Buckshot Racing Pontiac 54.995 163.651
Official qualifying results

Race results

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Fin[8] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 3 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 200 122 running 185 $111,580
2 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 17 running 175 $79,500
3 9 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 26 running 170 $62,220
4 28 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 200 1 running 165 $49,080
5 6 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 200 3 running 160 $40,645
6 18 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 200 10 running 155 $28,725
7 14 50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 9 running 151 $34,575
8 11 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 200 1 running 147 $34,625
9 15 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 200 0 running 138 $23,825
10 34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 200 0 running 134 $41,975
11 36 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 200 0 running 130 $33,175
12 12 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 127 $32,025
13 19 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 200 0 running 124 $31,425
14 29 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 200 0 running 121 $27,575
15 23 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 200 8 running 123 $31,675
16 32 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 200 1 running 120 $20,275
17 8 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 200 0 running 112 $25,825
18 35 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 200 1 running 114 $25,525
19 42 91 Kevin Lepage (R) LJ Racing Chevrolet 200 0 running 106 $18,925
20 16 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 200 0 running 103 $32,400
21 30 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 200 0 running 100 $17,755
22 43 35 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac 199 0 running 97 $14,355
23 38 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 199 0 running 94 $24,430
24 5 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 198 0 running 91 $24,280
25 40 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 198 0 running 88 $17,105
26 41 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 194 0 running 85 $23,955
27 21 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 192 0 transmission 82 $23,805
28 25 96 Hut Stricklin American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 184 0 engine 79 $16,655
29 20 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 180 0 running 76 $16,580
30 10 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 173 1 crash 78 $16,030
31 17 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 163 0 engine 70 $20,480
32 27 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 161 0 transmission 67 $20,430
33 26 46 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 157 0 transmission 64 $13,830
34 31 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 148 0 running 61 $20,255
35 7 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 147 0 transmission 58 $20,180
36 37 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 142 0 running 55 $20,105
37 22 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 130 0 engine 52 $20,040
38 24 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 86 0 engine 49 $12,915
39 13 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 85 0 engine 46 $12,915
40 39 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 76 0 engine 43 $19,915
41 33 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 49 0 engine 40 $29,315
42 2 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 13 0 engine 37 $27,915
43 4 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 5 0 crash 34 $22,415
Failed to qualify
44 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
45 00 Buckshot Jones Buckshot Racing Pontiac
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (June 21, 1998). "Victory Lane no longer just a dream for Mayfield". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  2. ^ Brinster, Dick (June 22, 1998). "Focused Mayfield wins race". The State. p. 23. Retrieved September 8, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Pocono practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 19, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  4. ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Your Guide to the Pocono 500". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  6. ^ "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  7. ^ Poole, David (June 19, 1998). "Gordon takes bumpy ride to pole". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
  8. ^ "1998 Pocono 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
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1998 Miller Lite 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1998 season
Next race:
1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350