# 1998 Jiffy Lube 300

The 1998 Jiffy Lube 300 was the 17th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 12, 1998, in Loudon, New Hampshire, at New Hampshire International Speedway, a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) permanent, oval-shaped, low-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 300 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton would come to dominate most of the race to take his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.

### 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 |
| 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 | Betty Crocker |
| 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 | Gary Bradberry | 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 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | TNN Inside Outdoors, Realtree |
| 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 | Andy Hillenburg | 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 morning of Friday, July 10. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.419 and an average speed of 129.467 mph (208.357 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.419 | 129.467 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.477 | 129.213 |
| 3 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 29.509 | 129.072 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second practice

The second practice session was held on the afternoon of Friday, July 10. Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.517 and an average speed of 129.038 mph (207.667 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.517 | 129.038 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.523 | 129.011 |
| 3 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.534 | 128.963 |
| Full second practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 11. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.761 and an average speed of 127.980 mph (205.964 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.761 | 127.980 |
| 2 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.782 | 127.889 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.845 | 127.619 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 10, 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, July 11, at 10:00 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.
Ricky Craven, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.665 and an average speed of 128.394 miles per hour (206.630 km/h).
Dave Marcis was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.665 | 128.394 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.786 | 127.872 |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.001 | 126.956 |
| 4 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.128 | 126.421 |
| 5 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.139 | 126.374 |
| 6 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 30.212 | 126.069 |
| 7 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 30.215 | 126.057 |
| 8 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 30.219 | 126.040 |
| 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 30.249 | 125.915 |
| 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 30.266 | 125.844 |
| 11 | 35 | Gary Bradberry | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 30.277 | 125.798 |
| 12 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.285 | 125.765 |
| 13 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 30.288 | 125.753 |
| 14 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 30.289 | 125.749 |
| 15 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 30.311 | 125.657 |
| 16 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 30.348 | 125.504 |
| 17 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 30.404 | 125.273 |
| 18 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 30.405 | 125.269 |
| 19 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 30.407 | 125.261 |
| 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.414 | 125.232 |
| 21 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 30.414 | 125.232 |
| 22 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 30.415 | 125.228 |
| 23 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 30.461 | 125.039 |
| 24 | 96 | Hut Stricklin | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 30.529 | 124.760 |
| 25 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 30.547 | 124.687 |
| 26 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 29.768 | 127.949 |
| 27 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.866 | 127.530 |
| 28 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 29.951 | 127.168 |
| 29 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.975 | 127.066 |
| 30 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 29.978 | 127.053 |
| 31 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 29.998 | 126.968 |
| 32 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.070 | 126.664 |
| 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 30.091 | 126.576 |
| 34 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 30.096 | 126.555 |
| 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 30.147 | 126.341 |
| 36 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 30.158 | 126.295 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 38 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 39 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 41 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 43 | 91 | Morgan Shepherd | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 30.462 | 125.034 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||
*Time not available.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 5 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 191 | running | 185 | $131,075 |
| 2 | 15 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 170 | $82,575 |
| 3 | 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 300 | 73 | running | 170 | $116,025 |
| 4 | 9 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 160 | $59,725 |
| 5 | 12 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 2 | running | 160 | $56,025 |
| 6 | 16 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 150 | $60,875 |
| 7 | 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 146 | $55,825 |
| 8 | 6 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 300 | 0 | running | 142 | $47,775 |
| 9 | 26 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 138 | $52,575 |
| 10 | 17 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 300 | 0 | running | 134 | $62,625 |
| 11 | 10 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 300 | 2 | running | 135 | $49,325 |
| 12 | 28 | 46 | Jeff Green | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 127 | $33,325 |
| 13 | 8 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 | running | 124 | $37,425 |
| 14 | 32 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 121 | $48,925 |
| 15 | 37 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 118 | $49,975 |
| 16 | 29 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 299 | 0 | running | 115 | $43,825 |
| 17 | 14 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 112 | $43,400 |
| 18 | 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 299 | 0 | running | 109 | $47,150 |
| 19 | 33 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 299 | 0 | running | 106 | $48,400 |
| 20 | 7 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 298 | 0 | running | 103 | $45,050 |
| 21 | 39 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 100 | $43,775 |
| 22 | 4 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 298 | 4 | running | 102 | $35,425 |
| 23 | 34 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 298 | 0 | running | 94 | $41,975 |
| 24 | 38 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 298 | 0 | running | 91 | $42,325 |
| 25 | 23 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 298 | 4 | running | 93 | $42,475 |
| 26 | 13 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 297 | 10 | running | 90 | $41,225 |
| 27 | 22 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 297 | 0 | running | 82 | $33,950 |
| 28 | 19 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 297 | 1 | running | 84 | $40,700 |
| 29 | 1 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 295 | 13 | running | 81 | $46,950 |
| 30 | 30 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 294 | 0 | crash | 73 | $40,325 |
| 31 | 43 | 91 | Andy Hillenburg | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 0 | running | 70 | $33,200 |
| 32 | 18 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 291 | 0 | running | 67 | $30,075 |
| 33 | 25 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 286 | 0 | running | 64 | $44,950 |
| 34 | 41 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 280 | 0 | running | 61 | $29,825 |
| 35 | 35 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 261 | 0 | running | 58 | $29,700 |
| 36 | 21 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 249 | 0 | running | 55 | $36,575 |
| 37 | 42 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 184 | 0 | handling | 52 | $36,450 |
| 38 | 31 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 137 | 0 | crash | 49 | $38,700 |
| 39 | 27 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 127 | 0 | crash | 46 | $36,200 |
| 40 | 11 | 35 | Gary Bradberry | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 118 | 0 | engine | 43 | $29,200 |
| 41 | 36 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 34 | 0 | crash | 40 | $29,700 |
| 42 | 24 | 96 | Hut Stricklin | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 34 | 0 | crash | 37 | $29,200 |
| 43 | 40 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 34 | 0 | crash | 34 | $36,200 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||