1998 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Martinsville)
# 1998 Goody's Headache Powder 500 (Martinsville)

The 1998 Goody's Headache Powder 500 was the eighth stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 49th iteration of the event. The race was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday, April 19, 1998, but was postponed to Monday, April 20, due to rain. The race was held in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a 0.526 miles (0.847 km) permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Bobby Hamilton would manage to dominate not only the race, but most of the race weekend to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. The win also marked the final Winston Cup victory for Morgan–McClure Motorsports. To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Ted Musgrave and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Martinsville Speedway is an NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 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 |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Cartoon Network, The Huckleberry Hound Show |
| 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 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | FirstPlus Financial Group |
| 16 | Ted Musgrave | 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 |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | Winston No Bull |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | 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 | Jeff Green | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Gumout |
| 31 | Morgan Shepherd | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | Tabasco |
| 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Skittles |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light |
| 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 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 50 | Randy LaJoie | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 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 | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Quality Care Service, Ford Credit |
| 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Heilig-Meyers |
| 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | LJ Racing |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 96 | David Green | 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 the morning of Friday, April 17. Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.249 and an average speed of 93.516 miles per hour (150.499 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.249 | 93.516 |
| 2 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 20.304 | 93.262 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 20.310 | 93.235 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on the morning of Saturday, April 18. Joe Nemechek, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.392 and an average speed of 92.860 miles per hour (149.444 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 20.392 | 92.860 |
| 2 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.428 | 92.696 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.440 | 92.642 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on the afternoon of Saturday, April 18. Joe Nemechek, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 20.356 and an average speed of 93.024 miles per hour (149.708 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 20.356 | 93.024 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.395 | 92.846 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 20.429 | 92.692 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, April 17, at 3:00 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, April 18, at 1:15 PM 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.

Bobby Hamilton, driving for Morgan–McClure Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.323 and an average speed of 93.175 miles per hour (149.951 km/h).

Three drivers would fail to qualify: Wally Dallenbach Jr., Dave Marcis, and Gary Bradberry.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.323 | 93.175 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 20.325 | 93.166 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.347 | 93.065 |
| 4 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 20.347 | 93.065 |
| 5 | 96 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 20.400 | 92.824 |
| 6 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 20.416 | 92.751 |
| 7 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 20.428 | 92.696 |
| 8 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.442 | 92.633 |
| 9 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 20.455 | 92.574 |
| 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 20.456 | 92.569 |
| 11 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 20.459 | 92.556 |
| 12 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.466 | 92.524 |
| 13 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 20.478 | 92.470 |
| 14 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 20.485 | 92.438 |
| 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.493 | 92.402 |
| 16 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 20.493 | 92.402 |
| 17 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 20.495 | 92.393 |
| 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 20.504 | 92.353 |
| 19 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 20.508 | 92.335 |
| 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 20.527 | 92.249 |
| 21 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 20.559 | 92.106 |
| 22 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 20.567 | 92.070 |
| 23 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.597 | 91.936 |
| 24 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 20.597 | 91.936 |
| 25 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 20.613 | 91.864 |
| 26 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 20.615 | 91.855 |
| 27 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 20.634 | 91.771 |
| 28 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 20.645 | 91.722 |
| 29 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 20.660 | 91.655 |
| 30 | 31 | Morgan Shepherd | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.661 | 91.651 |
| 31 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 20.665 | 91.633 |
| 32 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.674 | 91.593 |
| 33 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 20.681 | 91.562 |
| 34 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 20.691 | 91.518 |
| 35 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 20.697 | 91.492 |
| 36 | 50 | Randy LaJoie | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 20.706 | 91.452 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 30 | Jeff Green | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 43 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 20.733 | 91.333 |
| 45 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 20.882 | 90.681 |
| 46 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 21.000 | 90.171 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 378 | running | 185 | $227,025 |
| 2 | 12 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 170 | $65,675 |
| 3 | 23 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 500 | 0 | running | 165 | $58,525 |
| 4 | 31 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 500 | 33 | running | 165 | $49,475 |
| 5 | 36 | 50 | Randy LaJoie | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 500 | 0 | running | 155 | $44,325 |
| 6 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 500 | 3 | running | 155 | $41,525 |
| 7 | 13 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 146 | $35,425 |
| 8 | 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 499 | 19 | running | 147 | $47,000 |
| 9 | 22 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 499 | 0 | running | 138 | $34,600 |
| 10 | 6 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 134 | $41,700 |
| 11 | 30 | 31 | Morgan Shepherd | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 499 | 0 | running | 130 | $27,185 |
| 12 | 7 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 127 | $31,750 |
| 13 | 19 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 124 | $33,000 |
| 14 | 4 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 121 | $39,150 |
| 15 | 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 499 | 0 | running | 118 | $37,000 |
| 16 | 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 499 | 0 | running | 115 | $23,950 |
| 17 | 41 | 30 | Jeff Green | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 499 | 0 | running | 112 | $32,350 |
| 18 | 8 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 499 | 59 | running | 114 | $34,155 |
| 19 | 35 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 106 | $36,500 |
| 20 | 24 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 498 | 0 | running | 103 | $23,550 |
| 21 | 27 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 100 | $29,700 |
| 22 | 17 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 497 | 8 | running | 102 | $22,350 |
| 23 | 29 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 497 | 0 | running | 94 | $18,500 |
| 24 | 9 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 91 | $27,950 |
| 25 | 32 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 497 | 0 | running | 88 | $27,700 |
| 26 | 43 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 496 | 0 | running | 85 | $33,350 |
| 27 | 42 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 496 | 0 | running | 82 | $17,200 |
| 28 | 20 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 496 | 0 | running | 79 | $27,150 |
| 29 | 18 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 495 | 0 | running | 76 | $33,700 |
| 30 | 26 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 493 | 0 | running | 73 | $26,750 |
| 31 | 25 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 493 | 0 | running | 70 | $19,600 |
| 32 | 15 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 470 | 0 | running | 67 | $33,075 |
| 33 | 28 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 456 | 0 | running | 64 | $18,850 |
| 34 | 16 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 452 | 0 | running | 61 | $23,225 |
| 35 | 40 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 433 | 0 | rear end | 58 | $23,100 |
| 36 | 21 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 432 | 0 | running | 55 | $16,025 |
| 37 | 39 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 431 | 0 | running | 52 | $22,900 |
| 38 | 37 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 403 | 0 | running | 49 | $22,750 |
| 39 | 34 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 369 | 0 | engine | 46 | $15,650 |
| 40 | 14 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 278 | 0 | handling | 43 | $15,550 |
| 41 | 11 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 274 | 0 | harmonic | 40 | $22,450 |
| 42 | 33 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 142 | 0 | engine | 37 | $15,350 |
| 43 | 5 | 96 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 71 | 0 | crash | 34 | $15,550 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
