# 1998 Miller Lite 400

The 1998 Miller Lite 400 was the 14th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 14, 1998, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin was able to dominate to take his 26th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth of the season. To fill out the podium, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### 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 Blasted Froot Loops |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | Philips |
| 8 | Morgan Shepherd | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | 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 | 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 |
| 19 | Tony Raines | Roehrig Motorsports | Ford | Yellow Transportation |
| 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 | 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 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 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 |
| 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 | Hut Stricklin | 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 afternoon of Friday, June 12. Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.678 and an average speed of 181.461 mph (292.033 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 39.678 | 181.461 |
| 2 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 39.736 | 181.196 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.741 | 181.173 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on the afternoon of Friday, June 13. Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.985 and an average speed of 180.068 mph (289.791 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.985 | 180.068 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 40.089 | 179.600 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.133 | 179.403 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 12, 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, June 13, at 11:15 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.
Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 39.656 and an average speed of 181.561 miles per hour (292.194 km/h).
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Derrike Cope, Tony Raines, Dave Marcis, and Todd Bodine.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 39.656 | 181.561 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.733 | 181.210 |
| 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 39.761 | 181.082 |
| 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.797 | 180.918 |
| 5 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 39.801 | 180.900 |
| 6 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 39.831 | 180.764 |
| 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.839 | 180.727 |
| 8 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.849 | 180.682 |
| 9 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 39.872 | 180.578 |
| 10 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.879 | 180.546 |
| 11 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 39.899 | 180.456 |
| 12 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 39.915 | 180.383 |
| 13 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 39.935 | 180.293 |
| 14 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 39.955 | 180.203 |
| 15 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 39.961 | 180.176 |
| 16 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.998 | 180.009 |
| 17 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 40.004 | 179.982 |
| 18 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 40.048 | 179.784 |
| 19 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.056 | 179.748 |
| 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 40.068 | 179.695 |
| 21 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 40.094 | 179.578 |
| 22 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 40.094 | 179.578 |
| 23 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 40.118 | 179.471 |
| 24 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 40.170 | 179.238 |
| 25 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 40.188 | 179.158 |
| 26 | 8 | Morgan Shepherd | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 39.360 | 182.927 |
| 27 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 39.541 | 182.089 |
| 28 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 39.753 | 181.118 |
| 29 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 39.768 | 181.050 |
| 30 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 39.770 | 181.041 |
| 31 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.790 | 180.950 |
| 32 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 39.831 | 180.764 |
| 33 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 39.839 | 180.727 |
| 34 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 39.851 | 180.673 |
| 35 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 39.862 | 180.623 |
| 36 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 39.866 | 180.605 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 42 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 43 | 96 | Hut Stricklin | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 39.958 | 180.189 |
| 45 | 19 | Tony Raines | Roehrig Motorsports | Ford | 40.031 | 179.861 |
| 46 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 40.169 | 179.243 |
| 47 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 40.413 | 178.160 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 48 | running | 180 | $92,375 |
| 2 | 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 175 | $76,125 |
| 3 | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 132 | running | 175 | $84,375 |
| 4 | 10 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 2 | running | 165 | $54,235 |
| 5 | 15 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $44,500 |
| 6 | 6 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 200 | 3 | running | 155 | $50,075 |
| 7 | 17 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $47,675 |
| 8 | 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 6 | running | 147 | $44,675 |
| 9 | 16 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $37,525 |
| 10 | 8 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 4 | running | 139 | $42,675 |
| 11 | 30 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 199 | 2 | running | 135 | $41,225 |
| 12 | 12 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 199 | 2 | running | 132 | $27,400 |
| 13 | 14 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 124 | $39,150 |
| 14 | 32 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $33,900 |
| 15 | 25 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 118 | $38,650 |
| 16 | 37 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 115 | $27,925 |
| 17 | 3 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 112 | $36,900 |
| 18 | 36 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 109 | $24,865 |
| 19 | 11 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 106 | $36,950 |
| 20 | 33 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 103 | $36,935 |
| 21 | 24 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 100 | $33,215 |
| 22 | 21 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 97 | $30,900 |
| 23 | 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 94 | $31,265 |
| 24 | 38 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 91 | $30,755 |
| 25 | 13 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 88 | $23,220 |
| 26 | 22 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 85 | $29,960 |
| 27 | 18 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 82 | $26,800 |
| 28 | 34 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 79 | $29,740 |
| 29 | 41 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 76 | $22,605 |
| 30 | 31 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 73 | $19,540 |
| 31 | 28 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 70 | $21,910 |
| 32 | 40 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 67 | $19,340 |
| 33 | 29 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 64 | $26,235 |
| 34 | 35 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 61 | $19,165 |
| 35 | 27 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 58 | $19,095 |
| 36 | 42 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 55 | $26,050 |
| 37 | 9 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 52 | $35,390 |
| 38 | 19 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 194 | 0 | running | 49 | $33,880 |
| 39 | 23 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 194 | 0 | running | 46 | $18,880 |
| 40 | 5 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 192 | 0 | running | 43 | $18,880 |
| 41 | 39 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 40 | $25,880 |
| 42 | 43 | 96 | Hut Stricklin | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 121 | 0 | crash | 37 | $21,380 |
| 43 | 26 | 8 | Morgan Shepherd | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 66 | 0 | electrical | 34 | $19,380 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 19 | Tony Raines | Roehrig Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Media
### Television

The Miller Lite 400 was covered by CBS in the United States for the sixteenth straight year. Mike Joy, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett and 1979 race winner Buddy Baker called the race from the broadcast booth. Dick Berggren, Ralph Sheheen and Bill Stephens handled pit road for the television side. Ken Squier would serve as host.
CBS :
| Host | Booth announcers | Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Host | Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | Pit reporters |
| Ken Squier | Mike Joy | Ned Jarrett Buddy Baker | Dick Berggren Ralph Sheheen Bill Stephens |