# 1998 AC Delco 400

The 1998 AC Delco 400 was the 32nd stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 1, 1998, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a 1.017 miles (1.637 km) permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to make a late race pass on Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace to take his 41st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his 12th victory of the season.
In the process, Jeff Gordon would manage to clinch his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship, completing a dominant and historic run.

## Background

North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.

### 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, The Powerpuff Girls |
| 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | Tide "Happy Holidays!" |
| 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 |
| 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | 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 | Pontiac | Tabasco |
| 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | Skittles |
| 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | Coors Light |
| 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Kodiak Ice |
| 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 | Ted Musgrave | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | Jasper Engines & Transmissions |
| 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | Pilot Travel Centers |
| 80 | Andy Hillenburg | Hover Motorsports | Ford | Hover Motorsports |
| 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 | 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 | Roush Racing | Ford | Exide Batteries |

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Friday, October 30, at 10:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 25 minutes. Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.550 and an average speed of 155.465 mph (250.197 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.550 | 155.465 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.615 | 155.037 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.716 | 154.377 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 31, after the preliminary 1998 AC Delco 200 NASCAR Busch Series race. The session would last for one hour. Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.318 and an average speed of 150.555 mph (242.295 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.318 | 150.555 |
| 2 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.341 | 150.412 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 24.345 | 150.388 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 30, 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, October 31, at 9:30 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 23.394 and an average speed of 156.502 miles per hour (251.866 km/h).
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Steve Grissom, Andy Hillenburg, and Dave Marcis.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.394 | 156.502 |
| 2 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.530 | 155.597 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.544 | 155.505 |
| 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.557 | 155.419 |
| 5 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 23.575 | 155.300 |
| 6 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.583 | 155.247 |
| 7 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 23.602 | 155.122 |
| 8 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 23.613 | 155.050 |
| 9 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.627 | 154.958 |
| 10 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.629 | 154.945 |
| 11 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 23.643 | 154.853 |
| 12 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 23.651 | 154.801 |
| 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.658 | 154.755 |
| 14 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 23.665 | 154.709 |
| 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.693 | 154.527 |
| 16 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.695 | 154.514 |
| 17 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 23.728 | 154.299 |
| 18 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.728 | 154.299 |
| 19 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 23.729 | 154.292 |
| 20 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.742 | 154.208 |
| 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.746 | 154.182 |
| 22 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.746 | 154.182 |
| 23 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.750 | 154.156 |
| 24 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.751 | 154.149 |
| 25 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.759 | 154.097 |
| 26 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 23.749 | 154.162 |
| 27 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 23.775 | 153.994 |
| 28 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.779 | 153.968 |
| 29 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.787 | 153.916 |
| 30 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.787 | 153.916 |
| 31 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 23.787 | 153.916 |
| 32 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 23.792 | 153.884 |
| 33 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.806 | 153.793 |
| 34 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 23.818 | 153.716 |
| 35 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 23.820 | 153.703 |
| 36 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.820 | 153.703 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 36 | Ricky Craven | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 38 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 96 | Steve Grissom | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 24.094 | 151.955 |
| 45 | 80 | Andy Hillenburg | Hover Motorsports | Ford | 24.456 | 149.706 |
| 46 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 24.648 | 148.539 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 9 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 29 | running | 180 | $111,575 |
| 2 | 4 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 393 | 195 | running | 180 | $80,625 |
| 3 | 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 393 | 152 | running | 170 | $49,275 |
| 4 | 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 1 | running | 165 | $53,750 |
| 5 | 13 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 1 | running | 160 | $41,325 |
| 6 | 25 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 150 | $49,550 |
| 7 | 15 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | running | 146 | $34,650 |
| 8 | 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 3 | running | 147 | $36,500 |
| 9 | 29 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 393 | 8 | running | 143 | $34,400 |
| 10 | 7 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 134 | $43,150 |
| 11 | 5 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 130 | $31,375 |
| 12 | 26 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 392 | 1 | running | 132 | $29,850 |
| 13 | 30 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 124 | $21,975 |
| 14 | 14 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 392 | 0 | running | 121 | $29,825 |
| 15 | 19 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 118 | $34,125 |
| 16 | 34 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 115 | $25,175 |
| 17 | 16 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 112 | $27,875 |
| 18 | 31 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 109 | $16,575 |
| 19 | 41 | 13 | Ted Musgrave | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 106 | $16,400 |
| 20 | 12 | 91 | Todd Bodine | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 103 | $22,925 |
| 21 | 28 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 100 | $19,925 |
| 22 | 20 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 97 | $26,375 |
| 23 | 39 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 94 | $26,175 |
| 24 | 11 | 9 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Melling Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 91 | $19,975 |
| 25 | 8 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 390 | 0 | running | 88 | $25,775 |
| 26 | 36 | 41 | David Green | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 85 | $22,275 |
| 27 | 42 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | running | 82 | $18,475 |
| 28 | 27 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 389 | 0 | running | 79 | $15,575 |
| 29 | 6 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 388 | 0 | running | 76 | $25,175 |
| 30 | 17 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 388 | 2 | running | 78 | $24,975 |
| 31 | 32 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 388 | 0 | running | 70 | $24,950 |
| 32 | 43 | 35 | Darrell Waltrip | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Pontiac | 388 | 0 | running | 67 | $14,550 |
| 33 | 33 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 387 | 0 | running | 64 | $29,650 |
| 34 | 10 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 387 | 0 | running | 61 | $29,350 |
| 35 | 38 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 386 | 0 | running | 58 | $17,250 |
| 36 | 24 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 381 | 0 | running | 55 | $23,725 |
| 37 | 37 | 36 | Ricky Craven | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 360 | 0 | running | 52 | $21,200 |
| 38 | 40 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 328 | 0 | running | 49 | $14,200 |
| 39 | 23 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 281 | 0 | carburetor | 46 | $23,650 |
| 40 | 22 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 257 | 0 | radiator | 43 | $14,150 |
| 41 | 2 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 229 | 1 | engine | 45 | $21,400 |
| 42 | 35 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 173 | 0 | engine | 37 | $14,150 |
| 43 | 18 | 16 | Kevin Lepage (R) | Roush Racing | Ford | 67 | 0 | water pump | 34 | $21,150 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 96 | Steve Grissom | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 80 | Andy Hillenburg | Hover Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||