1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | February 22, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 33rd Annual GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 | ||
| Location | Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.637 km (1.017 miles) | ||
| Distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 393 laps, 399.681 mi (643.224 km) | ||
| Average speed | 117.065 miles per hour (188.398 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Butch Mock Motorsports | ||
| Time | 23.415 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 104 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 was the second stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 33rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 22, 1998, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to claw his way after an initial bad start to the race within the closing laps to take his 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.[3]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, February 20. Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.654 and an average speed of 154.781 mph (249.096 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.654 | 154.781 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.772 | 154.013 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.791 | 153.890 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, February 21. Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.346 and an average speed of 150.382 mph (242.016 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.346 | 150.382 |
| 2 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.367 | 150.252 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 24.380 | 150.172 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
