1998 Coca-Cola 500

February 2025 CUST Exhibition race in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season Coca-Cola 500 1998 11 22 1998 Twin Ring Motegi oval map.svg Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi, Japan 1.5 2.5 201 311.3 500.9 Temperatures ranging between 5 C F and 10 C FWeather information for the Coca-Cola 500 at Weather Underground 112.558 mph km/h on Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South 35.116 seconds Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing 94 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing TBS Ken Squier, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren 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.http://www.dalejr.com/about/mydad/intimidator/default.aspx RACING WITH THE INTIMIDATOR Dale Earnhardt Jr. March 5, 2014 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. Background Located 60 mi km northeast of Tokyo,Macur Juliet https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1998/11/23/skinner-again-wins-exhibition-in-japan/ Skinner Again Wins Exhibition In Japan Orlando Sentinel November 23, 1998 March 6, 2014 Twin Ring Motegi opened on August 1, 1997.http://world.honda.com/news/1997/c970731.html Twin Ring Motegi to Start Operation on August 1st, 1997 Honda July 31, 1997 March 5, 2014 In early 1998, plans to continue hosting the NASCAR Thunder 100 at Suzuka Circuit were cancelled, and as a result, the NASCAR race in Japan was moved to the 1.5 mi km on Motegi oval.Borden Brett http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/motegi-post-race-notes/ Motegi Post Race Notes Motorsport November 23, 1998 March 5, 2014 March 6, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140306090327/http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/motegi-post-race-notes/ dead 28 cars traveled to Japan for the race,http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/japan.htm JAPAN TRACK/RACE NEWS/RUMORS Jayski's Silly Season Site March 5, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140427100010/http://www.jayski.com/pages/tracks/japan.htm April 27, 2014 dead and a total of 31 drivers competed in the race, 13 from the Winston Cup Series, 11 from the Winston West Series, two from the Busch Series, one from the Craftsman Truck Series and four from Japan.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1998/11/22/thunder_nascar/ https://archive.today/20140306050747/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1998/11/22/thunder_nascar/ dead March 6, 2014 Double victory CNN Sports Illustrated November 22, 1998 March 5, 2014 Qualifying Qualifying took place on November 21. Jeremy Mayfield won the pole position for the race with a lap time of 35.116 seconds, and a speed of 158.799 mph km/h, his second pole of 1998. Three-time and reigning Cup champion Jeff Gordonhttps://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/23/sports/plus-auto-racing-nascar-thunder-special-skinner-edges-gordon-in-japan.html PLUS: AUTO RACING -- NASCAR THUNDER SPECIAL; Skinner Edges Gordon in Japan The New York Times November 23, 1998 March 5, 2014 qualified second with 35.122 seconds and 158.772 mph km/h on, followed by Mike Skinner with 35.162 seconds and 158.592 mph km/h on.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1998/11/21/nascar_thunder/ https://archive.today/20140306050817/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1998/11/21/nascar_thunder/ dead March 6, 2014 Battling with Gordon CNN Sports Illustrated November 21, 1998 March 5, 2014 Elliott Sadler and Darrell Waltrip, filling in for the injured Dale Jarrett, rounded out the top five, while Jeff Burton, Bill Elliott, Rusty Wallace, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Lance Norick closed out the top ten.Borden Brett http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/motegi-qualifying-report/ Motegi Qualifying Report Motorsport November 21, 1998 March 5, 2014 March 6, 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140306090827/http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/motegi-qualifying-report/ dead Race Although Jeremy Mayfield led the first lap, Jeff Gordon claimed the lead on the ensuing lap and led until lap 21, relinquishing first to Jeff Burton. From laps 28 to 49, the lead would be exchanged by Mike Skinner and Rusty Wallace, with Sterling Marlin, Burton and Mayfield also gaining the lead afterwards. Skinner, Wallace, Burton and Mayfield would all lead laps until lap 90, when Gordon took the lead, holding it for 49 laps. On lap 139, Dale Earnhardt took the lead, but Skinner passed him and Gordon on the following lap, and led for the remainder of the race, defeating Gordon by 0.153 seconds. Gordon, Mayfield, Burton and Wallace comprised the remainder of the top five, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., Bill Elliott, Dale Earnhardt, Sterling Marlin and Michael Waltrip finished in the top ten. Scott Gaylord was the highest-finishing Winston West driver, finishing 13th.http://www.racingwest.com/news/1998/11-22japan_story.shtml CALIFORNIA NATIVE MIKE SKINNER WINS MOTEGI RacingWest November 22, 1998 March 6, 2014 Aftermath In the post-race press conference, NASCAR president Mike Helton stated that since the three-year Cup Series contract to run in Japan expired after the 1998 race, the Winston West Series would hold the event as the series' season-ending race in 1999;http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1999/11/17/winstonwest_japan/ https://web.archive.org/web/20140306083346/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/motorsports/news/1999/11/17/winstonwest_japan/ dead March 6, 2014 Way west CNN Sports Illustrated November 17, 1999 March 5, 2014 Kevin Richards won the race.http://www.racingwest.com/news/articles/389-austin-cameron-motegi-was-the-ww-race-of-1999.html AUSTIN CAMERON - MOTEGI WAS THE WW RACE OF 1999 RacingWest December 28, 1999 March 5, 2014 However, due to high costs for transport to the event and poor attendance, the series did not return after the 1999 race. Later in the conference, Helton was asked whether Japanese manufacturer Honda would join NASCAR, but stated that it did not "have a motor that meets specifications for NASCAR racing." National rivals Toyota would eventually join the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2004 and eventually the Cup Series in 2007. In 2024, reports of Honda's potential entry began to resurface, amidst questions on the future of their IndyCar Series program.Massie Michael Fire on Fridays: Honda in NASCAR? No, Really https://frontstretch.com/2024/02/29/fire-on-fridays-honda-in-nascar-no-really/ Frontstretch March 6, 2024 February 29, 2024 The international exhibition race was later speculated to be moved to EuroSpeedway Lausitz in Germany. As of 2013, NASCAR has not expressed any interest in having its national series run an international exhibition race; senior vice president Steve O'Donnell stated, "We've had 20 groups approach us from China. But most of them are one-offs. We keep pushing back and saying we're going to do this but in a smart way. If you can show us how we build stock-car racing, that's something we want to pursue."Ryan Nate https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nascar/2013/11/20/nascar-international-expansion-continues-in-germany-france/3656131/ NASCAR has plan to build an international presence USA Today November 21, 2013 March 7, 2014 The second-tier series did hold international races (albeit for championship points) in Mexico and Canada in the 2000s, and NASCAR considered a Canadian race for the 2024 Cup Series schedule,https://www.jayski.com/2023/06/07/nascar-considering-a-return-to-montreal/ NASCAR considering a return to Montreal? Jayski's Silly Season Site NASCAR Digital Media June 7, 2023 July 19, 2023 but the proposal fell through and a race at Iowa Speedway took its place in the final 2024 schedule.https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nascar/nascar-adds-iowa-speedway-to-2024-cup-series-schedule NASCAR adds Iowa Speedway to 2024 Cup Series schedule Pockrass Bob October 3, 2023 FOX Sports (A points-paying Cup race in the country was previously held in 1958, the Jim Mideon 500, at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Ontario.) The first points-paying international NASCAR Cup Series race since 1958 was finally held in 2025, at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico, which previously hosted second-tier series races.https://www.nascar.com/news-media/2024/08/27/cup-series-to-make-history-with-mexico-city-event-in-2025/ Cup Series to make history with Mexico City event in 2025 Zack Albert NASCAR August 27, 2024 August 27, 2024 Results Qualifying thumb|Jeremy Mayfield won the pole position. Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Time in seconds Speed Speed in MPH 1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford 35.116 158.779 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35.122 158.772 3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 35.162 158.592 4 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 35.259 158.155 5 88 Darrell Waltrip Robert Yates Racing Ford 35.371 157.654 6 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 35.399 157.530 7 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 35.499 157.086 8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 35.500 157.082 9 1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 35.524 156.975 10 60 Lance Norick L & R Motorsports Ford 35.840 155.591 11 7 Michael Waltrip Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 35.883 155.405 12 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 35.983 154.973 13 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 35.987 154.956 14 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 36.028 154.780 15 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 36.053 154.672 16 58 Ricky Craven SBIII Motorsports Ford 36.225 153.938 17 67 Scott Gaylord SMS Motorsports Ford 36.480 152.862 18 16 Brendan Gaughan Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet 36.664 152.178 19 11 Austin Cameron AC Motorsports Chevrolet 36.794 151.557 20 26 Ron Burns Advance Motorsports Ford 36.879 151.208 21 98 Hideo Fukuyama Davis Racing Enterprises Ford 37.045 150.530 22 8 Jeff Davis Davis Racing Enterprises Ford 37.123 150.214 23 82 Randy Nelson Core Motorsports Ford 37.164 150.048 24 44 Kelly Tanner Tanner Racing Pontiac 37.172 150.016 25 08 Ron Hornaday Jr. Midgley Motorsports Chevrolet 37.295 149.521 26 10 Butch Gilliland Jenn West Motorsports Ford 37.388 149.149 27 95 Gary Smith Wade Racing Ford 37.629 148.194 28 09 Motohiro Nakaji Midgley Motorsports Pontiac 38.194 146.002 29 28 Kazuteru Wakida Collins Motorsports Chevrolet 38.677 144.179 30 00 Keiichi Tsuchiya Team DD Ford 38.711 144.052 31 86 Rich Woodland Jr. Woodland Racing Chevrolet N/A .000Source:http://www.racing-reference.info/getqualify/1998-01/X 1998 NASCAR Thunder Special Motegi qualifying results Racing-Reference March 6, 2014 Race results thumb|Mike Skinner (seen in 2011) won the race. Pos Grid No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Led Laps led 1 3 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 201 94 2 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 201 69 3 1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske Racing South Ford 201 10 4 6 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 201 14 5 8 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 201 11 6 9 1 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 201 0 7 7 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 201 0 8 15 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 201 1 9 12 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 201 2 10 11 7 Michael Waltrip Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 199 0 11 14 55 Kenny Wallace Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 199 0 12 10 60 Lance Norick L & R Motorsports Ford 199 0 13 17 67 Scott Gaylord SMS Motorsports Ford 199 0 14 22 8 Jeff Davis Davis Racing Enterprises Ford 198 0 15 25 08 Ron Hornaday Jr. Midgley Motorsports Chevrolet 197 0 16 26 10 Butch Gilliland Jenn West Motorsports Ford 195 0 17 21 98 Hideo Fukuyama Davis Racing Enterprises Ford 194 0 18 13 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 188 0 19 18 16 Brendan Gaughan Bill McAnally Racing Chevrolet 185 0 20 4 21 Elliott Sadler Wood Brothers Racing Ford 170 0 21 20 26 Ron Burns Advance Motorsports Ford 144 0 22 16 58 Ricky Craven SBIII Motorsports Ford 108 0 23 19 11 Austin Cameron AC Motorsports Chevrolet 105 0 24 5 88 Darrell Waltrip Robert Yates Racing Ford 84 0 25 27 95 Gary Smith Wade Racing Ford 54 0 26 30 00 Keiichi Tsuchiya Team DD Ford 49 0 27 29 82 Randy Nelson Core Motorsports Ford 44 0 28 29 28 Kazuteru Wakida Collins Motorsports Chevrolet 40 0 29 24 44 Kelly Tanner Tanner Racing Pontiac 27 0 30 28 09 Motohiro Nakaji Midgley Motorsports Pontiac 23 0 31 31 86 Rich Woodland Jr. Woodland Racing Chevrolet 3 0Source:http://www.racing-reference.info/race?id=1998-01&series=X 1998 NASCAR Thunder Special Motegi Racing-Reference March 5, 2014 References 2 Category:1998 in Japanese motorsport Category:1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Category:Former NASCAR races Category:NASCAR races at Twin Ring Motegi Category:Sport in Tochigi Prefecture