1998 Farm Aid on CMT 300
The 1998 Farm Aid on CMT 300 was the 23rd stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 30, 1998, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the final laps of the race to take his 38th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his eighth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 23 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Farm Aid on CMT 300 program cover. | |||
| Date | August 30, 1998 | ||
| Official name | Second Annual Farm Aid on CMT 300 | ||
| Location | Loudon, New Hampshire, New Hampshire International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.058 mi (1.703 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Average speed | 112.078 miles per hour (180.372 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 29.518 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 193 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, August 28, at 2:00 PM EST. The session would last for one hour.[3] Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.815 and an average speed of 127.748 mph (205.590 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 29.815 | 127.748 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.853 | 127.585 |
| 3 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.900 | 127.385 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 28, at 4:00 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, August 29, at 11:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] 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.[5]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.518 and an average speed of 129.033 miles per hour (207.658 km/h).[6]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Derrike Cope, Buckshot Jones, and Dan Pardus.
Full qualifying results
Race results
References
- Poole, David (August 30, 1998). "It's deja victory for Gordon". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- Vega, Michael (August 31, 1998). "Silence golden for Gordon". The Boston Globe. p. 49. Retrieved September 14, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Schedule for New Hampshire". That's Racin'. August 25, 1998. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- "Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. August 28, 1998. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- Poole, David (August 28, 1998). "Top drivers get handle on NHIS". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
- "1998 Farm Aid on CMT 300 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 13, 2022.