1998 Pontiac Excitement 400

Last updated • 3 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
1998 Pontiac Excitement 400
Race details
Race 13 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1998 Pontiac Excitement 400.jpg
The 1998 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass.
DateJune 6, 1998
Official name 44th Annual Pontiac Excitement 400
Location Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
0.75 mi (1.21 km)
Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Average speed 97.044 miles per hour (156.177 km/h)
Attendance 103,000
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 21.504
Most laps led
Driver Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing
Laps 108
Winner
No. 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Benny Parsons, Ned Jarrett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1998 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the 13th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 44th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, June 6, 1998, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. With two laps to go, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte would make a final pass in a battle with Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett. On the fourth turn of the penultimate lap, the caution would come out for Johnny Benson Jr. Labonte was able to defend Jarrett and complete the penultimate lap to take his 20th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. [1] [2] To fill out the podium, Jarrett and Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively. The event was overshadowed when Rusty Wallace completely took out Jeff Gordon in turn 2 with 29 laps to go. Gordon in his interview when asked what happened, he replied "well, that's pretty obvious you tell me you know. You got on video. I think it's pretty simple you know I uh- I had the position on him. He just drove into the left rear. I don't know what happened." [3]

Contents

Background

The layout of Richmond International Raceway, the venue where the race was at. Richmond International Speedway.png
The layout of Richmond International Raceway, the venue where the race was at.

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

Entry list

#DriverTeamMakeSponsor
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
8 Buckshot Jones Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet Circuit City
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
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 Randy LaJoie 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 David Green* 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

*Replaced by Kevin Lepage for Green to recover from a bruised shoulder. [4]

Practice

First practice

The first practice session was held on the early afternoon of Friday, June 5. Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.630 and an average speed of 124.827 mph (200.890 km/h). [5]

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
133 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 21.630124.827
224 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.658124.665
343 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 21.670124.596
Full first practice results

Second practice

The second practice session was held on late afternoon of Friday, June 5. Kenny Irwin Jr., driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.651 and an average speed of 124.706 mph (200.695 km/h). [6]

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
128 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 21.651124.706
246 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.672124.585
342 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.676124.562
Full second practice results

Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on the evening of Friday, June 5. Ricky Rudd, driving for Rudd Performance Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.080 and an average speed of 122.283 mph (196.795 km/h). [7]

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
110 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 22.080122.283
242 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 22.130122.006
35 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 22.200121.622
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 5, at 6:00 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 6, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. [8] 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. [9]

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.504 and an average speed of 125.558 miles per hour (202.066 km/h). [10]

Two drivers would fail to qualify: Kevin Lepage and Buckshot Jones.

Full qualifying results

Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed
124 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.504125.558
298 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 21.548125.302
340 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.604124.977
488 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 21.647124.729
581 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 21.708124.378
646 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.733124.235
733 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 21.738124.206
826 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 21.746124.161
997 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 21.748124.149
1016 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 21.758124.092
1128 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 21.765124.052
129 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 21.778123.978
1399 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 21.783123.950
1418 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 21.811123.791
1512 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 21.815123.768
165 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.818123.751
1777 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 21.823123.723
1842 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 21.823123.723
196 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 21.839123.632
2090 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 21.868123.468
2194 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 21.878123.412
222 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 21.879123.406
2336 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 21.887123.361
2422 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 21.887123.361
2511 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 21.889123.350
2610 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 21.892123.333
2744 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 21.895123.316
2850 Randy LaJoie Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.919123.181
2943 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 21.927123.136
3096 David Green American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 21.936123.085
3135 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac 21.938123.074
3241 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.944123.040
3321 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Ford 21.945123.035
3431 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.959122.956
3571 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 21.965122.923
3613 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 21.967122.912
Provisionals
3723 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford -*-*
383 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet -*-*
394 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet -*-*
4075 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford -*-*
417 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford -*-*
421 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet -*-*
4330 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac -*-*
Failed to qualify
4491 Kevin Lepage (R) LJ Racing Chevrolet 22.116122.084
458 Buckshot Jones Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet 22.756118.650
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

Fin [11] St#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings
1165 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 40096running180$99,975
2488 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 400108running180$75,625
3222 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 40027running170$56,875
4733 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 4000running160$62,075
5196 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 40073running160$65,025
61512 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 4000running150$39,075
71399 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 4000running146$42,150
81418 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 4000running142$43,750
91128 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 4000running138$41,850
10340 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 40081running139$31,300
112610 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 4000running130$41,900
121842 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 4000running127$32,750
13997 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 4000running124$26,175
143723 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 3990running121$35,675
151016 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 3990running118$33,735
16394 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 3990running115$35,500
172090 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 3990running112$30,800
18826 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 39912running114$30,450
192422 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 3990running106$30,225
202511 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 3980running103$32,150
21383 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3980running100$34,250
222943 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 3980running97$34,125
23581 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 3980running94$22,950
242744 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 3980running91$29,225
252194 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 3980running88$29,075
26129 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 3970running85$22,450
27298 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 3970running82$25,425
28417 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 3970running79$28,600
292336 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 3970running76$28,375
303431 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3960running73$21,645
312850 Randy LaJoie Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3960running70$27,975
32421 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 3950running67$20,925
333096 Kevin Lepage (R) American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 3900crash64$20,385
344330 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 3900handling61$24,850
353135 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac 3790running58$17,825
363571 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 3740running55$17,800
37124 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3722crash57$44,975
383613 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 3610handling49$17,750
393241 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3480running46$24,725
403321 Michael Waltrip Mattei Motorsports Ford 3401crash48$24,700
411777 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 2600running40$17,675
42646 Jeff Green Team SABCO Chevrolet 1830crash37$17,650
434075 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 1130engine34$17,650
Failed to qualify
4491 Kevin Lepage (R) LJ Racing Chevrolet
458 Buckshot Jones Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

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The 1998 TranSouth Financial 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 22, 1998, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 293 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to defend Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to take his 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top 3, Gordon and Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

References

  1. Poole, David (June 6, 1998). "Terry Labonte earns first '98 victory in wild finish at Richmond". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  2. Kurz Jr., Hank (June 7, 1998). "Terry Labonte wins crash-filled Richmond". The South Bend Tribune. p. 12. Retrieved September 6, 2022 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  3. "A wild finish to Pontiac 400".
  4. Poole, David; Utter, Jim (June 6, 1998). "Lepage finds ride, will race with pain". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  5. "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 5, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  6. "Winston Cup practice, second session". That's Racin'. June 5, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  7. "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 5, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  8. "Your Guide To The Pontiac Excitement 400". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  9. "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  10. Poole, David (June 5, 1998). "Gordon on pole again". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  11. "1998 MBNA Platinum 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
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1998 MBNA Platinum 400
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1998 season
Next race:
1998 Miller Lite 400