# 1998 The Bud at The Glen

The 1998 The Bud at The Glen was the 20th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 9, 1998, at the shortened layout of Watkins Glen International, a 2.45 miles (3.943 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 90 laps to complete. Within the closing laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would make a late race charge and pass for the lead with four to go to win his 36th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory, his seventh of the season, and his third consecutive victory up to that point. To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Richard Childress Racing driver Mike Skinner would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.
Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.
The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 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 "Happy Birthday NASCAR!" |
| 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 | Tom Hubert | 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 | 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 | Chevrolet | 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 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | The Money Store |
| 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 58 | Larry Gunselman | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | SmartTalk |
| 59 | Brian Cunningham | CSG Racing | Ford | Cunningham Historic Motorcars |
| 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 |
| 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 | Morgan Shepherd | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | LJ Racing |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 96 | Ron Fellows | 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, August 7, at 9:30 AM EST. The session would last for three hours and 30 minutes. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:13.486 and an average speed of 120.023 mph (193.158 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:13.486 | 120.023 |
| 2 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:13.638 | 119.775 |
| 3 | 23 | Boris Said | Haas-Carter Motorsports | Ford | 1:13.728 | 119.629 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, August 8, at 2:15 PM EST. The session would last for one hour. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:14.353 and an average speed of 118.623 mph (190.905 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:14.353 | 118.623 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:14.448 | 118.472 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 1:14.763 | 117.973 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 7, at 2:00 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, August 8, 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.
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:13.298 and an average speed of 120.331 miles per hour (193.654 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis, Brian Cunningham, and Larry Gunselman.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.298 | 120.331 |
| 2 | 96 | Ron Fellows | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.499 | 120.002 |
| 3 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 1:13.553 | 119.914 |
| 4 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:13.555 | 119.910 |
| 5 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 1:13.635 | 119.780 |
| 6 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 1:13.641 | 119.770 |
| 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:13.682 | 119.704 |
| 8 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 1:13.693 | 119.686 |
| 9 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 1:13.761 | 119.575 |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:13.789 | 119.530 |
| 11 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 1:13.840 | 119.447 |
| 12 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.880 | 119.383 |
| 13 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:13.914 | 119.328 |
| 14 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.960 | 119.254 |
| 15 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:13.960 | 119.254 |
| 16 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.020 | 119.157 |
| 17 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:14.043 | 119.120 |
| 18 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:14.106 | 119.019 |
| 19 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 1:14.190 | 118.884 |
| 20 | 13 | Tom Hubert | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:14.195 | 118.876 |
| 21 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:14.244 | 118.797 |
| 22 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.277 | 118.745 |
| 23 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.303 | 118.703 |
| 24 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 1:14.312 | 118.689 |
| 25 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 1:14.322 | 118.673 |
| 26 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:13.961 | 119.252 |
| 27 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:14.046 | 119.115 |
| 28 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:14.335 | 118.652 |
| 29 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 1:14.355 | 118.620 |
| 30 | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:14.399 | 118.550 |
| 31 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 1:14.403 | 118.544 |
| 32 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:14.410 | 118.532 |
| 33 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:14.490 | 118.405 |
| 34 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 1:14.526 | 118.348 |
| 35 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 1:14.631 | 118.181 |
| 36 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 1:14.713 | 118.052 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 41 | 91 | Morgan Shepherd | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 1:15.364 | 117.032 |
| 45 | 59 | Brian Cunningham | CSG Racing | Ford | 1:15.688 | 116.531 |
| 46 | 58 | Larry Gunselman | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | 1:19.769 | 110.569 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 55 | running | 185 | $152,970 |
| 2 | 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 3 | running | 175 | $65,820 |
| 3 | 23 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 17 | running | 170 | $53,085 |
| 4 | 6 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 90 | 2 | running | 165 | $47,050 |
| 5 | 10 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 155 | $52,980 |
| 6 | 33 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 150 | $44,565 |
| 7 | 13 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 146 | $30,185 |
| 8 | 17 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 142 | $39,560 |
| 9 | 21 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 8 | running | 143 | $33,930 |
| 10 | 37 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 134 | $45,090 |
| 11 | 22 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 130 | $36,355 |
| 12 | 26 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 127 | $32,215 |
| 13 | 14 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 124 | $36,225 |
| 14 | 3 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 121 | $36,610 |
| 15 | 8 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 118 | $26,795 |
| 16 | 38 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 115 | $24,900 |
| 17 | 30 | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 112 | $19,405 |
| 18 | 34 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 109 | $23,260 |
| 19 | 15 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 106 | $30,080 |
| 20 | 5 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 90 | 5 | running | 108 | $33,810 |
| 21 | 25 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 100 | $29,430 |
| 22 | 29 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 97 | $25,700 |
| 23 | 4 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 94 | $35,195 |
| 24 | 16 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 91 | $29,625 |
| 25 | 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 88 | $18,480 |
| 26 | 19 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 85 | $22,810 |
| 27 | 27 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | out of gas | 82 | $28,590 |
| 28 | 28 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | out of gas | 79 | $28,420 |
| 29 | 24 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 76 | $21,750 |
| 30 | 35 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 73 | $21,075 |
| 31 | 31 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 70 | $28,010 |
| 32 | 11 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 67 | $27,435 |
| 33 | 9 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 89 | 0 | running | 64 | $24,875 |
| 34 | 36 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 61 | $24,840 |
| 35 | 32 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89 | 0 | running | 58 | $24,805 |
| 36 | 20 | 13 | Tom Hubert | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 88 | 0 | running | 55 | $17,745 |
| 37 | 18 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 88 | 0 | running | 52 | $32,710 |
| 38 | 40 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 88 | 0 | running | 49 | $24,675 |
| 39 | 42 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 87 | 0 | running | 46 | $24,665 |
| 40 | 12 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 80 | 0 | running | 43 | $33,655 |
| 41 | 39 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 77 | 0 | engine | 40 | $24,645 |
| 42 | 2 | 96 | Ron Fellows | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 69 | 0 | running | 37 | $20,135 |
| 43 | 41 | 91 | Morgan Shepherd | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 47 | 0 | transmission | 34 | $17,625 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 59 | Brian Cunningham | CSG Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 58 | Larry Gunselman | SBIII Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||