1998 TranSouth Financial 400
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 TranSouth Financial 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | March 22, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 42nd Annual TranSouth Financial 400 | ||
| Location | Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.198 km (1.366 miles) | ||
| Distance | 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km) | ||
| Average speed | 127.962 miles per hour (205.935 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Racing | ||
| Time | 29.156 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 195 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1998 TranSouth Financial 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 22, 1998, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 293 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to defend Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to take his 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top 3, Gordon and Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.
Entry list
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
*Changed to 17 after NASCAR did not allow car digits to exceed two digits.[3]
Practice
First practice
The first practice session was held on the morning of Friday, March 20. Kenny Irwin Jr., driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.286 and an average speed of 167.919 mph (270.239 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 29.286 | 167.919 |
| 2 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 29.436 | 167.061 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 29.539 | 166.478 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on the afternoon of Friday, March 20. Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.336 and an average speed of 167.630 mph (269.774 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 29.336 | 167.630 |
| 2 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 29.374 | 167.413 |
| 3 | 96 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 29.417 | 167.169 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 21. Ted Musgrave, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.758 and an average speed of 165.253 mph (265.949 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.758 | 165.253 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.947 | 164.210 |
| 3 | 96 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 29.948 | 164.205 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
