1998 NAPA 500

February 2025 CUST Race 33 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season NAPA 500 1998 Official Race Results : NAPA 500 http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/1998/33/data/results_official.html https://web.archive.org/web/20040111130922/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/1998/33/data/results_official.html 2004-01-11 2017-12-25 NASCAR.com Turner Sports 1998 11 08 1998 33 33 Atlanta Motor Speedway.svg Atlanta Motor Speedway (1997-present configuration) NAPA 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, Georgia 1.54 2.502 221 340.34 547.724 325 500.5 805.477 114.915 mi/h Kenny Irwin Jr. Robert Yates Racing 28.657 seconds Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports 113 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports ESPN Bob Jenkins Benny Parsons Ned Jarrett The 1998 NAPA 500 was the 33rd and final championship event of the 1998 season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, held on November 8, 1998, at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Won by series champion Jeff Gordon, the race was delayed both before its start and twice during the race due to rain showers, causing it to be shortened to 221 laps from its scheduled distance of 325 laps. Background Atlanta Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate to hold NASCAR races.NASCAR Race Tracks http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ September 2, 2011 NASCAR dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110628180503/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ June 28, 2011 The standard track at Atlanta Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.54 mi km long.NASCAR Tracks—The Atlanta Motor Speedway http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/media/facts/ Atlanta Motor Speedway September 2, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20110721061215/http://www.atlantamotorspeedway.com/media/facts/ 2011-07-21 dead The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five. The scheduled race distance was 325 laps, totalling 500.5 mi.https://lasvegassun.com/news/1998/nov/05/auto-racing-glance/ Auto Racing Glance Nicholson John November 5, 1998 Las Vegas Sun Las Vegas, NV 2017-12-25 Going into the race, Jeff Gordon had clinched the 1998 Winston Cup Series championship the previous weekend at Rockingham Speedway, winning the AC Delco 400 for his 12th win of the season.https://www.upi.com/Archives/1998/11/07/Kenny-Irwin-on-pole-at-Atlanta/7122910414800/ Kenny Irwin on pole at Atlanta November 7, 1998 UPI 2017-12-25 Rookie driver Harris DeVane, a regular on the ARCA Racing Series, attempted to make his Winston Cup Series debut at the event.http://www.jayski.com/past/1998/981019.htm JAYSKI'S SILLY SEASON SITE: PAST NEWS OCTOBER 19-25, 1998 Adamczyk Jay Jay Adamczyk October 21, 1998 Jayski's Silly Season Site ESPN 2017-12-25 https://web.archive.org/web/20180124100730/http://www.jayski.com/past/1998/981019.htm January 24, 2018 dead The support race for the event, run on Saturday afternoon, was a 102-lap event sanctioned by the ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series; Mike Swaim Jr. was the winner of the race.https://www.dailypress.com/1998/11/10/motorsports-notes-irwin-proves-best-of-rookie-crop/ Motorsports Notes: Irwin Proves Best Of Rookie Crop November 10, 1998 Pierce Al Daily Press Newport News, VA 2017-12-25 Qualifying thumb|left|125px|Race polesitter Kenny Irwin Jr. Series rookie Kenny Irwin Jr., driving the No. 28 Ford Taurus for Robert Yates Racing, led 48 drivers in qualifying on Friday, November 6, winning his first pole position in the Winston Cup Series. Irwin's qualifying time was 193.461 mph. Ward Burton qualified second in the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Pontiac; Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, and Mike Skinner filled out the remainder of the top five positions in qualifying; the top 25 drivers in the session were locked into the field, with Ted Musgrave as the 25th and final driver guaranteed a starting spot at the end of the first day of time trials.https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/atlanta-friday-qualifying-results/?s=1 Atlanta Friday Qualifying Results November 6, 1998 Motorsport.com 2017-12-25 December 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171225203123/https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/atlanta-friday-qualifying-results/?s=1 dead Second round qualifying, to set starting positions 26th through 36th on the grid, was held on Saturday, November 7. Gary Bradberry set the fastest time in the session at a speed of 189.922 mph km/h on; he had crashed in the first round of qualifying, and was forced to use a backup car for the rest of the race weekend.Bradberry first on second day; Grissom fails to make field November 8, 1998 The Anniston Star Anniston, AL 27 The only other driver to make an attempt in second round qualifying and move into the top 36 positions, qualifying for the race, was Kevin Lepage, whose time placed him 31st overall. Dale Earnhardt, Terry Labonte, Ricky Craven, Johnny Benson Jr., Kyle Petty, and Rusty Wallace were forced to take provisional starting positions to start the race. Darrell Waltrip received a provisional as a past series champion and started 43rd; it was the 20th provisional he had used over the course of the season, resulting in a change to eligibility rules for the 1999 series season. Failing to qualify for the race were Rick Mast, Rich Bickle, Steve Grissom, Andy Hillenburg, and Harris DeVane; DeVane was injured in a crash on his qualifying lap and had to be cut from his car, being taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure. Race The start of the race, scheduled for 12:40PM, was delayed 49 minutes due to rain.NAPA 500; Gordon Ends Year With 13th Victory November 9, 1998 https://www.nytimes.com/1998/11/09/sports/plus-auto-racing-napa-500-gordon-ends-year-with-13th-victory.html The New York Times New York 2017-12-25 During the race two additional red flags for rain caused delays of 6 hours and 39 minutes. The delays resulted in the race being the first night race held at the speedway. Due to the delays, during a yellow flag thrown on lap 190 to allow teams to pit under caution on the still-damp pit road, NASCAR announced that once the race resumed, there would be only 25 laps remaining from that point, citing a desire for fans to be able to return home at a safe hour; the race concluded at 11:07pm, a crowd of 50,000 having remained to watch the race to its conclusion.Gordon reigns over Atlanta, NASCAR The Index-Journal Greenwood, SC November 9, 1998 3B From a starting position of 21st, Gordon led 113 of the race's 221 laps; he beat Dale Jarrett for the race win by 0.739 second. His victory, the 13th on the season, tied Richard Petty for the most wins by a driver in a single season.https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeff-gordons-king-of-the-world/ Jeff Gordon's King of The World November 10, 1998 CBS News CBS Interactive 2017-12-25 Including the rain delays, there were a total of five caution periods during the race, with 68 laps being run under the yellow flag. Gordon's average speed was 114.915 mph km/h on, and he received $164,450 (about $US 164,450 1998 0 C today) for the victory.http://racing-reference.info/race/1998_NAPA_500/W 1998 NAPA 500 Racing-Reference NASCAR Digital Media Group 2017-12-25 Gordon's career victory total stood at 42 after the race; at the time, he was the youngest driver to pass 40 career wins, and the youngest to win a third series title.https://www.si.com/vault/1998/11/16/252052/inside-motor-sports Inside Motor Sports Hinton Ed Ed Hinton (sportswriter) Sports Illustrated November 16, 1998 2017-12-25 Gordon topped Mark Martin for the series title by 364 points; Irwin was named the series' Rookie of the Year immediately following the race, beating Kevin Lepage by 14 rookie points. While the race was the final points event of the season for the Winston Cup Series, an exhibition race at Mobility Resort Motegi in Japan was held two weeks later,https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/atlanta-post-race-notes-2001-05-08/ Atlanta Post Race Notes November 8, 1998 Motorsport.com 2017-12-25 December 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171225203104/https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/atlanta-post-race-notes-2001-05-08/ dead won by Mike Skinner over Gordon.http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1998/11/23/oth_245570.shtml Gordon falls to Skinner November 23, 1998 The Augusta Chronicle Augusta, GA 2017-12-25 Results Qualifying No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Time in seconds Speed Speed in MPH Grid Starting position 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. # Robert Yates Racing Ford 28.657 193.461 1 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 28.666 193.400 2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 28.713 193.083 3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 28.858 192.113 4 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.859 192.106 5 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 28.886 191.927 6 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 28.936 191.595 7 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 28.940 191.569 8 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 28.950 191.503 10 42 Joe Nemechek Team Sabco Chevrolet 28.999 191.179 11 46 Jeff Green Team Sabco Chevrolet 29.028 190.988 12 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.041 190.903 13 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.101 190.509 14 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.112 190.437 15 41 David Green Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.114 190.424 16 1 Steve Park # Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.158 190.136 17 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 29.177 190.013 18 9 Jerry Nadeau # Melling Racing Ford 29.180 189.993 19 91 Todd Bodine LJ Racing Chevrolet 29.180 189.993 20 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.182 189.980 21 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 29.220 189.733 22 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 29.230 189.668 23 40 Sterling Marlin Team Sabco Chevrolet 29.233 189.649 24 13 Ted Musgrave Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 29.250 189.538 25 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 29.191 189.922 26‡ 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 29.257 189.493 27 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.261 189.467 28 50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.265 189.441 29 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 29.273 189.390 30 16 Kevin Lepage # Roush Racing Ford 29.284 189.318 31 8 Morgan Shepherd Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet 29.302 189.202 32 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 29.311 189.144 33 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.314 189.125 34 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.322 189.073 35 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.340 188.957 36 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Provisional 37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Provisional 38 36 Ricky Craven MB2 Motorsports Pontiac Provisional 39 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford Provisional 40 44 Kyle Petty PE2 Pontiac Provisional 41 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford Provisional 42 35 Darrell Waltrip Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac Past Champion 43 Failed to Qualify 75 Rick Mast RahMoc Enterprises Ford 29.356 188.854 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Racing T-Bird 29.477 188.079 96 Steve Grissom American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 29.935 185.201 80 Andy Hillenburg Hover Motorsports Ford 30.298 182.982 08 Harris DeVane Highland Timber Racing Chevrolet Crash # Rookie of the Year candidate / ‡ Fastest second round qualifierSource:https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/atlanta-starting-grid-6/ Atlanta Starting Grid November 7, 1998 Motorsport.com 2017-12-25 December 25, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171225203140/https://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cup/news/atlanta-starting-grid-6/ dead Race results Pos Finishing position Grid Starting position No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Laps completed Points 121 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 221 1852 23 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 221 1751 34 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 221 165 435 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 221 160 520 91 Todd Bodine LJ Racing Chevrolet 221 155 614 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan-McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 221 150 713 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 221 146 838 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 221 142 95 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 221 1431 1010 7 Geoff Bodine Geoff Bodine Racing Ford 221 134 1122 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 221 130 128 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 221 127 1337 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 221 124 142 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 221 1261 159 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 221 118 161 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. # Robert Yates Racing Ford 221 1201 1717 1 Steve Park # Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 221 112 1831 16 Kevin Lepage # Roush Racing Ford 221 109 1925 13 Ted Musgrave Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 221 106 2018 2 Rusty Wallace Penske Racing South Ford 221 103 2123 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 221 100 2228 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 221 97 2340 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 221 94 2434 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 221 91 2539 36 Ricky Craven MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 221 88 2627 94 Bill Elliott Bill Elliott Racing Ford 221 85 2730 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 221 871 2833 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 221 79 2941 44 Kyle Petty PE2 Pontiac 221 76 306 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 221 73 3115 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 221 751 3236 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 221 721 3326 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 219 64 3442 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 218 61 3529 50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 218 58 3612 46 Jeff Green Team Sabco Chevrolet 216 55 3719 9 Jerry Nadeau # Melling Racing Ford 217 52 3843 35 Darrell Waltrip Tyler Jet Motorsports Pontiac 213 49 3932 8 Morgan Shepherd Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet 197 46 4011 42 Joe Nemechek Team Sabco Chevrolet 179 43 4116 41 David Green Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 155 40 4224 40 Sterling Marlin Team Sabco Chevrolet 139 37 437 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 134 34# Rookie of the Year candidate / Source:1 Includes five bonus points for leading a lap2 Includes ten bonus points for leading the most laps References NAPA 500 NAPA 500 Category:NASCAR races at Atlanta Motor Speedway