# 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350

The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 28, 1998, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Sears Point Raceway, a 1.949 miles (3.137 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 112 laps to complete. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would lead a charge from 20th to the lead within the closing laps of the race to take his 33rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth of the season. To fill out the podium, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Bobby Hamilton and Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long; the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout. In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).

### 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 |
| 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 |
| 17 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Tom Hubert | Roehrig Motorsports | Ford | Bradford White |
| 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | MBNA Platinum |
| 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, NFLPA |
| 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | Hot Wheels |
| 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 58 | Chris Raudman | Raudman Racing | Chevrolet | Raudman Racing |
| 70 | Rick Ware | Ware Racing Enterprises | Ford | Ware Racing Enterprises |
| 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 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | McDonald's |
| 96 | Robby Gordon | 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, June 23, at 10:00 AM PST. The session would last for three hours. Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.209 and an average speed of 98.532 mph (158.572 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.209 | 98.532 |
| 2 | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:11.556 | 98.055 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:11.624 | 97.962 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 24, at 8:00 AM PST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Jerry Nadeau, driving for Elliott-Marino Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.230 and an average speed of 97.140 mph (156.332 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:12.230 | 97.140 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.377 | 96.942 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:12.567 | 96.689 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, at 2:00 PM PST. 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 20, at 10:00 AM PST. 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 1:11.080 and an average speed of 98.711 miles per hour (158.860 km/h).
Six drivers would fail to qualify: Tommy Kendall, Dave Marcis, Todd Bodine, Rick Ware, and Chris Raudman.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.080 | 98.711 |
| 2 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:11.228 | 98.506 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:11.395 | 98.276 |
| 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 1:11.540 | 98.077 |
| 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 1:11.613 | 97.977 |
| 6 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.616 | 97.973 |
| 7 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 1:11.664 | 97.907 |
| 8 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:11.665 | 97.906 |
| 9 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 1:11.676 | 97.891 |
| 10 | 19 | Tom Hubert | Roehrig Motorsports | Ford | 1:11.695 | 97.865 |
| 11 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:11.822 | 97.692 |
| 12 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:11.843 | 97.663 |
| 13 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 1:11.882 | 97.610 |
| 14 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:11.949 | 97.519 |
| 15 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 1:11.972 | 97.488 |
| 16 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:12.000 | 97.450 |
| 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.006 | 97.442 |
| 18 | 96 | Robby Gordon | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.036 | 97.401 |
| 19 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:12.037 | 97.400 |
| 20 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:12.066 | 97.361 |
| 21 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:12.100 | 97.315 |
| 22 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 1:12.232 | 97.137 |
| 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:12.243 | 97.122 |
| 24 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.258 | 97.102 |
| 25 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 1:12.287 | 97.063 |
| 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:11.489 | 98.147 |
| 27 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 1:11.941 | 97.530 |
| 28 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 1:11.943 | 97.527 |
| 29 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.122 | 97.285 |
| 30 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 1:12.126 | 97.280 |
| 31 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 1:12.174 | 97.215 |
| 32 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 1:12.309 | 97.034 |
| 33 | 17 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.487 | 96.795 |
| 34 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 1:12.638 | 96.594 |
| 35 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:12.727 | 96.476 |
| 36 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 1:12.785 | 96.399 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 38 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 40 | 9 | Butch Gilliland | Melling Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 91 | Kevin Lepage | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:13.044 | 96.057 |
| 45 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.718 | 95.179 |
| 46 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 1:13.950 | 94.880 |
| 47 | 70 | Rick Ware | Ware Racing Enterprises | Ford | 1:16.320 | 91.934 |
| 48 | 58 | Chris Raudman | Raudman Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| 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 | 112 | 48 | running | 185 | $160,675 |
| 2 | 6 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 17 | running | 175 | $81,575 |
| 3 | 21 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 112 | 0 | running | 165 | $62,150 |
| 4 | 9 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 112 | 0 | running | 160 | $59,340 |
| 5 | 28 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 155 | $49,715 |
| 6 | 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 150 | $54,615 |
| 7 | 16 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 112 | 14 | running | 151 | $49,615 |
| 8 | 7 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 142 | $40,115 |
| 9 | 12 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 138 | $47,365 |
| 10 | 39 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 8 | running | 139 | $46,510 |
| 11 | 17 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 130 | $44,950 |
| 12 | 43 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 127 | $39,550 |
| 13 | 13 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 112 | 3 | running | 129 | $32,200 |
| 14 | 33 | 17 | Ron Hornaday Jr. | Tyler Jet Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 121 | $27,850 |
| 15 | 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 112 | 5 | running | 123 | $46,700 |
| 16 | 42 | 91 | Tommy Kendall | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 2 | running | 120 | $33,800 |
| 17 | 24 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 112 | $30,175 |
| 18 | 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 109 | $36,950 |
| 19 | 20 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 106 | $36,495 |
| 20 | 27 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 103 | $35,160 |
| 21 | 19 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 100 | $36,540 |
| 22 | 22 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 97 | $28,940 |
| 23 | 35 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 94 | $28,805 |
| 24 | 40 | 9 | Butch Gilliland | Melling Racing | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 91 | $28,625 |
| 25 | 14 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 88 | $35,505 |
| 26 | 8 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 112 | 0 | running | 85 | $35,375 |
| 27 | 37 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 112 | 0 | running | 82 | $35,240 |
| 28 | 15 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 112 | 14 | running | 84 | $41,455 |
| 29 | 34 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 112 | 0 | running | 76 | $35,035 |
| 30 | 36 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 111 | 0 | running | 73 | $27,995 |
| 31 | 31 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 70 | $31,925 |
| 32 | 30 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 67 | $34,365 |
| 33 | 38 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 109 | 0 | running | 64 | $31,845 |
| 34 | 11 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 107 | 0 | running | 61 | $31,825 |
| 35 | 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 103 | 0 | transmission | 58 | $32,105 |
| 36 | 32 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 103 | 0 | running | 55 | $31,785 |
| 37 | 18 | 96 | Robby Gordon | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 102 | 1 | suspension | 57 | $24,765 |
| 38 | 41 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 92 | 0 | rear end | 49 | $31,745 |
| 39 | 23 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 87 | 0 | handling | 46 | $41,325 |
| 40 | 25 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 84 | 0 | transmission | 43 | $31,705 |
| 41 | 10 | 19 | Tom Hubert | Roehrig Motorsports | Ford | 78 | 0 | transmission | 40 | $24,685 |
| 42 | 29 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46 | 0 | crash | 37 | $40,665 |
| 43 | 2 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 13 | 0 | crash | 34 | $25,640 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 70 | Rick Ware | Ware Racing Enterprises | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 58 | Chris Raudman | Raudman Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||