1998 Winston 500
# 1998 Winston 500

The 1998 Winston 500 was the 29th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the last of five races of that year's Winston No Bull 5, and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 11, 1998, in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the last 13 laps of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to defend the field to take his 18th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his third and final victory of the season, and a US$1,000,000 (adjusted for inflation, US$1,795,427) bonus for claiming the Winston No Bull 5 bonus. To fill out the top three, Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte, both driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (W) denotes driver in the Winston No Bull 5.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Aquafresh |
| 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt (W) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service Plus |
| 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodak |
| 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline SynPower |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | Philips |
| 07 | Dan Pardus | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | Midwest Transit |
| 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | Cartoon Network, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide |
| 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | Paychex |
| 12 | Jeremy Mayfield (W) | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Mobil 1 |
| 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | FirstPlus Financial Group |
| 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | PrimeStar |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries, Small Soldiers |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | Winston No Bull |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Cheerios, Pop Secret |
| 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Gumout |
| 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | Tabasco |
| 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Skittles Wild Berry |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light Silver Bullet |
| 41 | Rick Wilson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth, Americast |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP Purple |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | The Money Store |
| 47 | Billy Standridge | Standridge Motorsports | Ford | Standridge Motorsports |
| 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 54 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | Bobby Gerhart Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Team Realtree Camouflage |
| 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Pilot Travel Centers |
| 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | Square D |
| 88 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 91 | Andy Hillenburg | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | LJ Racing |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 96 | Steve Grissom | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | John Deere |
| 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | Thorn Apple Valley |
| 99 | Jeff Burton (W) | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries |

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, October 8, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for two hours and 30 minutes. Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 48.920 and an average speed of 195.748 miles per hour (315.026 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 48.920 | 195.748 |
| 2 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.032 | 195.301 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield (W) | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 49.157 | 194.804 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 9, after the preliminary 1998 Winn Dixie ARCA 300. The session would last for one hour. Sterling Marlin, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 48.783 and an average speed of 196.298 miles per hour (315.911 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 48.783 | 196.298 |
| 2 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 48.942 | 195.660 |
| 3 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 48.965 | 195.568 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 8, at 3:30 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, October 9, at 10:45 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. 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.

Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 48.819 and an average speed of 196.153 miles per hour (315.678 km/h).

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Dan Pardus, Rick Mast, Rick Wilson, Rich Bickle, Bobby Gerhart, and Gary Bradberry.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 48.819 | 196.153 |
| 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 48.861 | 195.985 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.100 | 195.031 |
| 4 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.175 | 194.733 |
| 5 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.252 | 194.429 |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.322 | 194.153 |
| 7 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 49.335 | 194.102 |
| 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.346 | 194.058 |
| 9 | 99 | Jeff Burton (W) | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.364 | 193.988 |
| 10 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 49.374 | 193.948 |
| 11 | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 49.398 | 193.854 |
| 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 49.422 | 193.760 |
| 13 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 49.435 | 193.709 |
| 14 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (W) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.441 | 193.685 |
| 15 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.490 | 193.494 |
| 16 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 49.498 | 193.462 |
| 17 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 49.517 | 193.388 |
| 18 | 96 | Steve Grissom | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 49.543 | 193.287 |
| 19 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 49.653 | 192.858 |
| 20 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 49.678 | 192.761 |
| 21 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 49.678 | 192.761 |
| 22 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 49.684 | 192.738 |
| 23 | 91 | Andy Hillenburg | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 49.702 | 192.668 |
| 24 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield (W) | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 49.724 | 192.583 |
| 25 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 49.725 | 192.579 |
| 26 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 49.565 | 193.201 |
| 27 | 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 49.665 | 192.812 |
| 28 | 47 | Billy Standridge | Standridge Motorsports | Ford | 49.680 | 192.754 |
| 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 49.738 | 192.529 |
| 30 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 49.740 | 192.521 |
| 31 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 49.741 | 192.517 |
| 32 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 49.807 | 192.262 |
| 33 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.819 | 192.216 |
| 34 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 49.825 | 192.193 |
| 35 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 49.852 | 192.089 |
| 36 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 49.872 | 192.012 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 38 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 07 | Dan Pardus | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | 49.907 | 191.877 |
| 45 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 50.180 | 190.833 |
| 46 | 41 | Rick Wilson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.197 | 190.768 |
| 47 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 50.224 | 190.666 |
| 48 | 54 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 51.247 | 186.860 |
| 49 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 51.487 | 185.989 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett (W) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 188 | 16 | running | 180 | $1,110,125 |
| 2 | 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (W) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 49 | running | 175 | $86,245 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 8 | running | 170 | $68,860 |
| 4 | 36 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 188 | 9 | running | 165 | $69,850 |
| 5 | 24 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield (W) | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 160 | $51,000 |
| 6 | 2 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 9 | running | 155 | $62,500 |
| 7 | 5 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 74 | running | 156 | $48,350 |
| 8 | 15 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $36,300 |
| 9 | 34 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $41,970 |
| 10 | 9 | 99 | Jeff Burton (W) | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 134 | $50,150 |
| 11 | 26 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 6 | running | 135 | $43,930 |
| 12 | 29 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 127 | $30,775 |
| 13 | 16 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 188 | 1 | running | 129 | $40,427 |
| 14 | 10 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 187 | 1 | running | 126 | $32,335 |
| 15 | 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 118 | $45,610 |
| 16 | 11 | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 115 | $28,775 |
| 17 | 27 | 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 112 | $28,010 |
| 18 | 17 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 109 | $44,155 |
| 19 | 19 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 187 | 0 | running | 106 | $38,375 |
| 20 | 41 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 103 | $38,985 |
| 21 | 22 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 100 | $42,155 |
| 22 | 23 | 91 | Andy Hillenburg | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 186 | 0 | running | 97 | $31,825 |
| 23 | 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 185 | 0 | running | 94 | $26,845 |
| 24 | 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 185 | 0 | running | 91 | $43,165 |
| 25 | 31 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 184 | 0 | running | 88 | $36,885 |
| 26 | 21 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 183 | 0 | running | 85 | $29,910 |
| 27 | 12 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 182 | 0 | running | 82 | $41,290 |
| 28 | 28 | 47 | Billy Standridge | Standridge Motorsports | Ford | 181 | 0 | running | 79 | $26,295 |
| 29 | 13 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 | running | 76 | $36,350 |
| 30 | 32 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 178 | 2 | running | 78 | $36,180 |
| 31 | 33 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 177 | 0 | running | 70 | $35,990 |
| 32 | 14 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt (W) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 175 | 12 | rear end | 72 | $40,920 |
| 33 | 30 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 170 | 0 | engine | 64 | $28,840 |
| 34 | 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 166 | 0 | running | 61 | $42,595 |
| 35 | 38 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 160 | 0 | handling | 58 | $36,265 |
| 36 | 18 | 96 | Steve Grissom | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | handling | 55 | $25,720 |
| 37 | 20 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 134 | 0 | crash | 52 | $35,206 |
| 38 | 40 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | crash | 49 | $32,550 |
| 39 | 39 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 134 | 0 | crash | 46 | $32,550 |
| 40 | 42 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 107 | 0 | piston | 43 | $25,550 |
| 41 | 35 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 101 | 0 | valve spring | 40 | $25,550 |
| 42 | 25 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 99 | 0 | engine | 37 | $25,550 |
| 43 | 7 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30 | 0 | valve spring | 34 | $40,550 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 07 | Dan Pardus | Midwest Transit Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 41 | Rick Wilson | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 54 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
