1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350
The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 28, 1998, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Sears Point Raceway, a 1.949 miles (3.137 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 112 laps to complete. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would lead a charge from 20th to the lead within the closing laps of the race to take his 33rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Bobby Hamilton and Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon. | |||
| Date | June 28, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 10th Annual Save Mart/Kragen 350 | ||
| Location | Sonoma, California, Sears Point Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.949 mi (3.137 km) | ||
| Distance | 112 laps, 218.288 mi (351.3 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 112 laps, 218.288 mi (351.3 km) | ||
| Average speed | 72.387 miles per hour (116.496 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 1:11.080 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 48 | ||
| 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
_with_emphasis_on_NASCAR_track.png.webp)
Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[5]
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, June 23, at 10:00 AM PST. The session would last for three hours.[8] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.209 and an average speed of 98.532 mph (158.572 km/h).[9]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.209 | 98.532 |
| 2 | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:11.556 | 98.055 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:11.624 | 97.962 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 24, at 8:00 AM PST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[8] Jerry Nadeau, driving for Elliott-Marino Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.230 and an average speed of 97.140 mph (156.332 km/h).[10]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:12.230 | 97.140 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.377 | 96.942 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:12.567 | 96.689 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, at 2:00 PM PST. 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, June 20, at 10:00 AM PST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[8] 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.[11]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:11.080 and an average speed of 98.711 miles per hour (158.860 km/h).[12]
Six drivers would fail to qualify: Tommy Kendall, Dave Marcis, Todd Bodine, Rick Ware, and Chris Raudman.
Full qualifying results
*Time not available.
Race results
Notes
- Was replaced by Winston West Series driver Butch Gilliland after Speed injuring his ribs himself in a practice session.[6]
- Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
- Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
- Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
- Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
References
- Poole, David (June 28, 1998). "Gordon scrapes by". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- "Gordon passes test on Sears Point road course". The Desert Sun. June 29, 1998. p. 17. Retrieved September 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". 2007-09-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
- Poole, David (June 26, 1998). "Roush reportedly has deal with Lepage". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- Poole, David (June 27, 1998). "Lepage finished in No. 91 car". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- "Save Mart/Kragen 350". That's Racin'. June 28, 1998. Archived from the original on May 1, 2001. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- "Practice speeds for Sears Point". That's Racin'. June 26, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- "Saturday Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 27, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- Poole, David (June 26, 1998). "No change here ... Gordon on pole again". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
- "1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 8, 2022.