1998 Food City 500
The 1998 Food City 500 was the sixth stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 29, 1998, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. With the help of a fast pit crew, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to dominate the last 63 laps of the race to take his 31st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Terry Labonte and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 6 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Food City 500 program cover, with artwork by Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | March 29, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 38th Annual Food City 500 | ||
| Location | Bristol, Tennessee, Bristol Motor Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
| Average speed | 82.85 miles per hour (133.33 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | ||
| Time | 15.440 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Laps | 220 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Performance Racing Network | ||
Background
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
The only practice session was held on Friday, March 27. Rick Mast, driving for Butch Mock Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.564 and an average speed of 123.285 mph (198.408 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 15.564 | 123.285 |
| 2 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 15.567 | 123.261 |
| 3 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 15.588 | 123.095 |
| Full practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 27, at 2:00 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, March 28. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[4] 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]
Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.440 and an average speed of 124.275 miles per hour (200.001 km/h).[6]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Jeff Green, Joe Nemechek, Gary Bradberry, and Dave Marcis.
Full qualifying results
*Time not available.
Race results
References
- Poole, David (March 29, 1998). "Pit power gives Gordon edge in victory". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on July 12, 2001. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- Macenka, Joe (March 30, 1998). "Crew pushes Gordon to victory in Bristol race". Morning Sentinel. p. 20. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Bristol practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 27, 1998. Archived from the original on May 1, 2001. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- "NASCAR Winston Cup". The Daily Oklahoman. March 26, 1998. p. 68. Retrieved September 2, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- Poole, David (March 27, 1998). "Rusty Wallace on the pole at Bristol". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 1, 2001. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- "1998 Food City 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 1, 2022.