The following NASCAR national series were held in 1998:
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Ralph Dale Earnhardt was an American professional stock car driver and racing team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series, most notably driving the No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. His aggressive driving style earned him the nicknames "the Intimidator", "the Man in Black" and "Ironhead"; after his son Dale Earnhardt Jr. joined the Cup Series circuit in 1999, Earnhardt was generally known by the retronyms Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Dale Sr. He is regarded as one of the greatest drivers in NASCAR history and named as one of the NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers class in 1998.
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in the world and is one of the largest spectator sports leagues in America. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and his son, Jim France, has been the CEO since August 2018. The company is headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida. Each year, NASCAR sanctions over 1,500 races at over 100 tracks in 48 US states, as well as in Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Europe.
Adam Kyler Petty was an American professional stock car racing driver. A member of the Petty racing family, he was the fourth generation from the Petty family to drive in races in the highest division of NASCAR racing, mostly in what was then known as the NASCAR Busch Series. He was believed to be the first fourth-generation athlete in all of modern American professional sports.
Kerry Dale Earnhardt is an American former NASCAR driver and the eldest son of seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Earnhardt. He is the half-brother of former NASCAR Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kelley Earnhardt Miller. He was employed by Dale Earnhardt, Inc. as a consultant specializing in driver development until 2011. His younger son, Jeffrey Earnhardt, began racing for DEI in 2007 and currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Kerry Earnhardt is known for his physical similarity to his father.
Kyle Eugene Petty is an American former stock car racing driver and current racing commentator. He is the son of racer Richard Petty, grandson of racer Lee Petty, and father of racer Adam Petty, who was killed in a crash during practice in May 2000. Petty last drove the No. 45 Dodge Charger for Petty Enterprises, where he formerly served as CEO; his last race was in 2008.
Jerry Anthony Nadeau is an American former stock car racer. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. He started racing go-karts before moving up to car racing, driving in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the European Formula Ford Festival, and the Barber Dodge Pro Series. Nadeau arrived in NASCAR, the highest and most expensive level of stock car racing in the United States, with a limited budget. He started racing part-time in NASCAR and finished sixth in the 1996 Formula Opel Euro Series.
Michael Duane Bliss is an American professional stock car racing driver. A journeyman NASCAR competitor and the 2002 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, he has run in all three national series.
Charles Glen Little Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He holds a degree in marketing from Washington State University and a J.D. degree from Gonzaga University. While attending Washington State University, he joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity.
Waymond Lane "Hut" Stricklin Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver.
Stephen Brian Park is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He won races in NASCAR's two top Northeast touring series and all three national divisions. Park was born in East Northport, New York as the youngest of four sons.
James Harvey Hylton was an American stock car racing driver. He was a two-time winner in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition and was a long-time competitor in the ARCA Racing Series. Hylton finished second in points in NASCAR's top series three times. He holds the record for highest points finish by a rookie.
Timothy Fedewa is an American professional racing driver and spotter. He works for Team Penske as the spotter for Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Ford Mustang in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Lloyd George "Shorty" Rollins was the first official Rookie of the Year in what is now the NASCAR Cup Series.
Lance Allen Hooper is a race car driver and crew chief in NASCAR as well as several touring divisions. Hooper attended his first race when he was just two weeks old, and also came from a long line of racing champions, including his uncle, father, and brother. Hooper last served as the driver and crew chief of the No. 44 Key Motorsports Chevy in the Truck Series in 2009.
David Leon Starr is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 66 Ford Mustang for MBM Motorsports, part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 66 Chevrolet Camaro for MBM Motorsports, the No. 14 Ford Mustang/Chevrolet Camaro for SS-Green Light Racing and the No. 35 Chevrolet Camaro for Joey Gase Motorsports. He has also previously competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, where he is a four-time race winner, as well as what are now the ARCA Menards Series and ARCA Menards Series West.
Jennifer Jo Cobb is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. She competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 10 truck for her own team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing. She has also previously competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, ARCA Menards Series and the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series.
Douglas James Kennington is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 17 Dodge Challenger for his own team DJK Racing. He won the 2010 and 2012 Canada Series championships. Kennington also previously competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 99 Toyota Supra for B. J. McLeod Motorsports, and part-time in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports. He is the son of Doug Kennington, a CASCAR driver and founder of St. Thomas Raceway Park.
Scott Gaylord is an American professional stock car racing driver. He has competed in four NASCAR Winston Cup Series races, all at Sears Point Raceway, most recently in 1996. He has been a long time competitor in the NASCAR Camping World West Series. Many of his starts in NASCAR's highest levels have been on the West Coast of the United States and on road courses.
The Coca-Cola 500 was a non-championship exhibition NASCAR stock car race held on November 22, 1998, during the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The race took place on the Twin Ring Motegi oval course in the town of Motegi on the main Japanese island of Honshu. It was the third straight year that NASCAR held an exhibition race in Japan, previously hosting races on the Suzuka Circuit in 1996 and 1997. Teams from the Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Winston West Series made the trip to Japan to compete in the race. Four Japanese drivers entered the event, as well. The race was also the first in which Dale Earnhardt and his son, Dale Earnhardt Jr. competed against one another in a NASCAR race, driving Nos. 3 and 1 Chevrolets, respectively. The pole position was won by Jeremy Mayfield of Penske Racing South, while Mike Skinner of Richard Childress Racing won the race. Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon finished second, while Mayfield finished third.
The following NASCAR national series were held in 2012: