1998 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400
# 1998 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400

The 1998 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 12, 1998, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In a close finish, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton was able to fend off Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon at the line by 0.051 seconds to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series and his second and final victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish third.

## Background

Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.

### 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 | Dennis Setzer | 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 Platinum |
| 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 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Pilot Travel Centers |
| 79 | Ken Bouchard | T.R.I.X. Racing | Chevrolet | T.R.I.X. Racing |
| 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 | LJ Racing |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | Get Back with Big Mac |
| 96 | Ted Musgrave | 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 NASCAR Select |

## Practice

### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, September 11, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.864 and an average speed of 123.491 mph (198.739 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 21.864 | 123.491 |
| 2 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.986 | 122.805 |
| 3 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 22.034 | 122.538 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on Friday, September 11, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for two hours and 10 minutes. Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.793 and an average speed of 123.893 mph (199.386 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.793 | 123.893 |
| 2 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 21.881 | 123.395 |
| 3 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.883 | 123.383 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, September 12, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for one hour. Dick Trickle, driving for Donlavey Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.281 and an average speed of 121.179 mph (195.019 km/h).

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 22.281 | 121.179 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.339 | 120.865 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.361 | 120.746 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 11, at 5:30 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 12, at 2:00 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.

Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.535 and an average speed of 125.377 miles per hour (201.775 km/h).

Four drivers would fail to qualify: Buckshot Jones, Gary Bradberry, Ken Bouchard, and Rich Bickle.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 21.535 | 125.377 |
| 2 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.678 | 124.550 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.715 | 124.338 |
| 4 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 21.735 | 124.224 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.766 | 124.047 |
| 6 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.804 | 123.830 |
| 7 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 21.807 | 123.813 |
| 8 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 21.824 | 123.717 |
| 9 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.835 | 123.655 |
| 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 21.843 | 123.609 |
| 11 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 21.867 | 123.474 |
| 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.875 | 123.429 |
| 13 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 21.885 | 123.372 |
| 14 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.889 | 123.350 |
| 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 21.893 | 123.327 |
| 16 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 21.901 | 123.282 |
| 17 | 96 | Ted Musgrave | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 21.912 | 123.220 |
| 18 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 21.952 | 122.996 |
| 19 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 21.956 | 122.973 |
| 20 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 21.969 | 122.900 |
| 21 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 21.972 | 122.884 |
| 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 21.976 | 122.861 |
| 23 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 21.985 | 122.811 |
| 24 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.986 | 122.805 |
| 25 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 21.989 | 122.789 |
| 26 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 21.967 | 122.912 |
| 27 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 21.991 | 122.777 |
| 28 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 21.996 | 122.750 |
| 29 | 13 | Dennis Setzer | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 21.996 | 122.750 |
| 30 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 22.009 | 122.677 |
| 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 22.014 | 122.649 |
| 32 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.015 | 122.644 |
| 33 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 22.016 | 122.638 |
| 34 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 22.020 | 122.616 |
| 35 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.028 | 122.571 |
| 36 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 22.031 | 122.555 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 41 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 22.097 | 122.189 |
| 45 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 22.116 | 122.084 |
| 46 | 79 | Ken Bouchard | T.R.I.X. Racing | Chevrolet | 22.277 | 121.201 |
| 47 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 22.293 | 121.114 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 203 | running | 185 | $108,495 |
| 2 | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 30 | running | 175 | $85,190 |
| 3 | 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 1 | running | 170 | $60,580 |
| 4 | 2 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running | 165 | $65,230 |
| 5 | 9 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $52,280 |
| 6 | 6 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 10 | running | 155 | $47,930 |
| 7 | 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 400 | 103 | running | 151 | $45,630 |
| 8 | 26 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 0 | running | 142 | $31,780 |
| 9 | 16 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 400 | 32 | running | 143 | $38,280 |
| 10 | 36 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 400 | 1 | running | 139 | $47,880 |
| 11 | 13 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 130 | $28,180 |
| 12 | 23 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 127 | $27,180 |
| 13 | 42 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 399 | 6 | running | 129 | $36,230 |
| 14 | 30 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 399 | 0 | running | 121 | $33,330 |
| 15 | 4 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 399 | 0 | running | 118 | $26,855 |
| 16 | 7 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 115 | $39,630 |
| 17 | 24 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 112 | $32,630 |
| 18 | 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 109 | $21,380 |
| 19 | 33 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 106 | $31,955 |
| 20 | 28 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 103 | $26,880 |
| 21 | 35 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 100 | $36,980 |
| 22 | 37 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 97 | $31,355 |
| 23 | 19 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 398 | 0 | running | 94 | $24,080 |
| 24 | 8 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 91 | $30,855 |
| 25 | 17 | 96 | Ted Musgrave | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 88 | $20,405 |
| 26 | 31 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 85 | $30,480 |
| 27 | 40 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 82 | $23,255 |
| 28 | 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 79 | $30,030 |
| 29 | 29 | 13 | Dennis Setzer | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 76 | $19,910 |
| 30 | 14 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 73 | $29,800 |
| 31 | 27 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 394 | 0 | running | 70 | $22,265 |
| 32 | 18 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 392 | 2 | running | 72 | $19,730 |
| 33 | 22 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 64 | $19,695 |
| 34 | 25 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 383 | 0 | running | 61 | $36,035 |
| 35 | 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 363 | 0 | crash | 58 | $37,100 |
| 36 | 38 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 333 | 0 | transmission | 55 | $26,565 |
| 37 | 39 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 293 | 0 | running | 52 | $26,530 |
| 38 | 34 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 260 | 0 | running | 49 | $34,495 |
| 39 | 11 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 213 | 0 | crash | 46 | $26,460 |
| 40 | 21 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 194 | 0 | engine | 43 | $26,425 |
| 41 | 32 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 190 | 11 | engine | 45 | $26,390 |
| 42 | 41 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 141 | 0 | crash | 37 | $26,355 |
| 43 | 20 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 33 | 0 | crash | 34 | $19,345 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 79 | Ken Bouchard | T.R.I.X. Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||
