# 1998 Pocono 500

The 1998 Pocono 500 was the 15th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 17th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 21, 1998, in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Within the last 25 laps, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Jeremy Mayfield was able to defend against Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to complete a dominant run to win the race, securing his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Gordon and Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Pocono Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Buckshot Jones | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | Aquafresh |
| 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 |
| 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, Penn State Nittany Lions |
| 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 |
| 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 Friday, June 19. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.639 and an average speed of 167.788 mph (270.029 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 53.639 | 167.788 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.771 | 167.376 |
| 3 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.773 | 167.370 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 20. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.681 and an average speed of 164.591 mph (264.884 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.681 | 164.591 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.803 | 164.225 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.816 | 164.186 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, at 3:00 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, June 20, at 11:30 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. Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.558 and an average speed of 168.042 miles per hour (270.437 km/h).
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis and Buckshot Jones.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 53.558 | 168.042 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 53.752 | 167.436 |
| 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 53.832 | 167.187 |
| 4 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 53.944 | 166.840 |
| 5 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 53.950 | 166.821 |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 53.959 | 166.793 |
| 7 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.972 | 166.753 |
| 8 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.052 | 166.506 |
| 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 54.058 | 166.488 |
| 10 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.079 | 166.423 |
| 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.089 | 166.392 |
| 12 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.106 | 166.340 |
| 13 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 54.136 | 166.248 |
| 14 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.145 | 166.220 |
| 15 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 54.252 | 165.893 |
| 16 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.254 | 165.886 |
| 17 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 54.263 | 165.859 |
| 18 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 54.277 | 165.816 |
| 19 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 54.293 | 165.767 |
| 20 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.326 | 165.667 |
| 21 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 54.339 | 165.627 |
| 22 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 54.344 | 165.612 |
| 23 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 54.383 | 165.493 |
| 24 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 54.398 | 165.447 |
| 25 | 96 | Hut Stricklin | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 54.405 | 165.426 |
| 26 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 54.066 | 166.463 |
| 27 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 54.169 | 166.147 |
| 28 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 54.267 | 165.847 |
| 29 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 54.287 | 165.786 |
| 30 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 54.309 | 165.718 |
| 31 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 54.331 | 165.651 |
| 32 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 54.429 | 165.353 |
| 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 54.485 | 165.183 |
| 34 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 54.618 | 164.780 |
| 35 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 54.595 | 164.850 |
| 36 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 54.612 | 164.799 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 38 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 39 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 41 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 43 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 54.634 | 164.733 |
| 45 | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | 54.995 | 163.651 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 200 | 122 | running | 185 | $111,580 |
| 2 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 17 | running | 175 | $79,500 |
| 3 | 9 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 26 | running | 170 | $62,220 |
| 4 | 28 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 165 | $49,080 |
| 5 | 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 3 | running | 160 | $40,645 |
| 6 | 18 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 200 | 10 | running | 155 | $28,725 |
| 7 | 14 | 50 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 9 | running | 151 | $34,575 |
| 8 | 11 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 147 | $34,625 |
| 9 | 15 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $23,825 |
| 10 | 34 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $41,975 |
| 11 | 36 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $33,175 |
| 12 | 12 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 127 | $32,025 |
| 13 | 19 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $31,425 |
| 14 | 29 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 121 | $27,575 |
| 15 | 23 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 8 | running | 123 | $31,675 |
| 16 | 32 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 120 | $20,275 |
| 17 | 8 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 112 | $25,825 |
| 18 | 35 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 200 | 1 | running | 114 | $25,525 |
| 19 | 42 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 106 | $18,925 |
| 20 | 16 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 103 | $32,400 |
| 21 | 30 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 100 | $17,755 |
| 22 | 43 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 199 | 0 | running | 97 | $14,355 |
| 23 | 38 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 199 | 0 | running | 94 | $24,430 |
| 24 | 5 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 91 | $24,280 |
| 25 | 40 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 88 | $17,105 |
| 26 | 41 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 194 | 0 | running | 85 | $23,955 |
| 27 | 21 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 192 | 0 | transmission | 82 | $23,805 |
| 28 | 25 | 96 | Hut Stricklin | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 184 | 0 | engine | 79 | $16,655 |
| 29 | 20 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 180 | 0 | running | 76 | $16,580 |
| 30 | 10 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 173 | 1 | crash | 78 | $16,030 |
| 31 | 17 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 163 | 0 | engine | 70 | $20,480 |
| 32 | 27 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 161 | 0 | transmission | 67 | $20,430 |
| 33 | 26 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 157 | 0 | transmission | 64 | $13,830 |
| 34 | 31 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 148 | 0 | running | 61 | $20,255 |
| 35 | 7 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | transmission | 58 | $20,180 |
| 36 | 37 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 142 | 0 | running | 55 | $20,105 |
| 37 | 22 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 130 | 0 | engine | 52 | $20,040 |
| 38 | 24 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 86 | 0 | engine | 49 | $12,915 |
| 39 | 13 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 85 | 0 | engine | 46 | $12,915 |
| 40 | 39 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 76 | 0 | engine | 43 | $19,915 |
| 41 | 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 49 | 0 | engine | 40 | $29,315 |
| 42 | 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 13 | 0 | engine | 37 | $27,915 |
| 43 | 4 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | crash | 34 | $22,415 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 00 | Buckshot Jones | Buckshot Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||