1998 Pocono 500
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Pocono 500 program cover, featuring Richard Petty. | |||
| Date | June 21, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 17th Annual Pocono 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania, Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.0 km (2.5 miles) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 134.389 miles per hour (216.278 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 53.558 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Laps | 122 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| 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 Pocono 500 was the 15th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 21, 1998, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Within the last 25 laps, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield was able to defend against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to complete a dominant run to win the race, securing his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Gordon and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, June 19. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.639 and an average speed of 167.788 mph (270.029 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 53.639 | 167.788 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.771 | 167.376 |
| 3 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.773 | 167.370 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 20. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.681 and an average speed of 164.591 mph (264.884 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.681 | 164.591 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.803 | 164.225 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.816 | 164.186 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
