1998 MBNA Gold 400
# 1998 MBNA Gold 400

The 1998 MBNA Gold 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 20, 1998, in Dover, Delaware at Dover International Speedway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would dominate the race weekend to take his 28th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his sixth victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield would finish second and third, respectively.

The race would mark the first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series start for Matt Kenseth, who was substituting for Bill Elliott as Elliott had gone to his father's funeral.

## Background

Dover International Speedway is an oval race track in Dover, Delaware, United States that has held at least two NASCAR races since it opened in 1969. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosted USAC and the NTT IndyCar Series. The track features one layout, a 1-mile (1.6 km) concrete oval, with 24° banking in the turns and 9° banking on the straights. The speedway is owned and operated by Dover Motorsports.

The track, nicknamed "The Monster Mile", was built in 1969 by Melvin Joseph of Melvin L. Joseph Construction Company, Inc., with an asphalt surface, but was replaced with concrete in 1995. Six years later in 2001, the track's capacity moved to 135,000 seats, making the track have the largest capacity of sports venue in the mid-Atlantic. In 2002, the name changed to Dover International Speedway from Dover Downs International Speedway after Dover Downs Gaming and Entertainment split, making Dover Motorsports. From 2007 to 2009, the speedway worked on an improvement project called "The Monster Makeover", which expanded facilities at the track and beautified the track. After the 2014 season, the track's capacity was reduced to 95,500 seats.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Realtree Extra |
| 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | Pennzoil |
| 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 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 |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | Philips |
| 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 | 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 |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA Gold |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | Winston No Bull |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | Betty Crocker |
| 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 |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Non-Alcoholic |
| 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak |
| 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | BellSouth |
| 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | The Money Store |
| 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Team Realtree Camouflage |
| 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | Remington Arms |
| 77 | Hut Stricklin | 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 | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | Larry's Homes |
| 94 | Matt Kenseth | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | Get Back with Big Mac |
| 96 | Morgan Shepherd | 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 | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries |

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, September 19, at 10:15 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Ricky Rudd, driving for Rudd Performance Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.056 and an average speed of 156.142 miles per hour (251.286 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 23.056 | 156.142 |
| 2 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.136 | 155.602 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.138 | 155.588 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, September 19, at 12:45 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.008 and an average speed of 156.467 miles per hour (251.809 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.008 | 156.467 |
| 2 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.140 | 155.575 |
| 3 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.143 | 155.555 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held Saturday, September 19 after the preliminary 1998 MBNA Gold 200. The session would last for one hour. Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.781 and an average speed of 151.381 miles per hour (243.624 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.781 | 151.381 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.791 | 151.318 |
| 3 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.851 | 150.937 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 18, 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, September 19, at 11:30 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.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.082 and an average speed of 155.966 miles per hour (251.003 km/h).

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Morgan Shepherd, Steve Grissom, and Dave Marcis.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.082 | 155.966 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.118 | 155.723 |
| 3 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 23.154 | 155.481 |
| 4 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.163 | 155.420 |
| 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.169 | 155.380 |
| 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.171 | 155.367 |
| 7 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.190 | 155.239 |
| 8 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 23.212 | 155.092 |
| 9 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.227 | 154.992 |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.244 | 154.879 |
| 11 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 23.247 | 154.859 |
| 12 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.251 | 154.832 |
| 13 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.258 | 154.785 |
| 14 | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 23.271 | 154.699 |
| 15 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 23.285 | 154.606 |
| 16 | 94 | Matt Kenseth | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 23.303 | 154.487 |
| 17 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.310 | 154.440 |
| 18 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.334 | 154.281 |
| 19 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.356 | 154.136 |
| 20 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.361 | 154.103 |
| 21 | 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 23.371 | 154.037 |
| 22 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.373 | 154.024 |
| 23 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.395 | 153.879 |
| 24 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.400 | 153.846 |
| 25 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.400 | 153.846 |
| 26 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 23.345 | 154.209 |
| 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.409 | 153.787 |
| 28 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.412 | 153.767 |
| 29 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 23.421 | 153.708 |
| 30 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 23.432 | 153.636 |
| 31 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 23.439 | 153.590 |
| 32 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.455 | 153.485 |
| 33 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 23.473 | 153.368 |
| 34 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 23.481 | 153.315 |
| 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.487 | 153.276 |
| 36 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 23.497 | 153.211 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 77 | Hut Stricklin | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 96 | Morgan Shepherd | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 23.575 | 152.704 |
| 45 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.600 | 152.542 |
| 46 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 23.726 | 151.732 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 379 | running | 185 | $126,130 |
| 2 | 6 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 6 | running | 175 | $77,005 |
| 3 | 28 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 165 | $49,305 |
| 4 | 5 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $57,410 |
| 5 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 400 | 13 | running | 160 | $40,370 |
| 6 | 16 | 94 | Matt Kenseth | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 150 | $42,340 |
| 7 | 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 146 | $43,590 |
| 8 | 23 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $34,440 |
| 9 | 7 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 400 | 1 | running | 143 | $37,640 |
| 10 | 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 399 | 1 | running | 139 | $43,540 |
| 11 | 13 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 130 | $24,640 |
| 12 | 4 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $31,040 |
| 13 | 11 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 124 | $35,140 |
| 14 | 15 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 121 | $30,240 |
| 15 | 25 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 118 | $31,290 |
| 16 | 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 115 | $21,640 |
| 17 | 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 112 | $21,540 |
| 18 | 24 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 109 | $33,425 |
| 19 | 42 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 106 | $28,040 |
| 20 | 32 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 103 | $30,640 |
| 21 | 33 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 100 | $17,240 |
| 22 | 31 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 97 | $27,690 |
| 23 | 43 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 94 | $32,140 |
| 24 | 41 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 91 | $22,490 |
| 25 | 39 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 396 | 0 | running | 88 | $27,315 |
| 26 | 21 | 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 85 | $16,965 |
| 27 | 30 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 82 | $28,115 |
| 28 | 36 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 79 | $16,865 |
| 29 | 19 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 76 | $26,915 |
| 30 | 40 | 77 | Hut Stricklin | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 73 | $20,265 |
| 31 | 9 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 370 | 0 | engine | 70 | $26,715 |
| 32 | 20 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 0 | running | 67 | $19,155 |
| 33 | 17 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 347 | 0 | running | 64 | $23,605 |
| 34 | 18 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 319 | 0 | oil leak | 61 | $16,555 |
| 35 | 3 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 314 | 0 | engine | 58 | $23,480 |
| 36 | 8 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 313 | 0 | crash | 55 | $18,855 |
| 37 | 26 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | crash | 52 | $16,855 |
| 38 | 27 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 262 | 0 | crash | 49 | $32,955 |
| 39 | 29 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 237 | 0 | engine | 46 | $23,355 |
| 40 | 12 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 168 | 0 | crash | 43 | $31,355 |
| 41 | 22 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 142 | 0 | engine | 40 | $23,355 |
| 42 | 14 | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 84 | 0 | engine | 37 | $16,355 |
| 43 | 34 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 2 | 0 | engine | 34 | $16,355 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 96 | Morgan Shepherd | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
