# 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400

The 1998 GM Goodwrench Service Plus 400 was the second stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 33rd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 22, 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. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to claw his way after an initial bad start to the race within the closing laps to take his 30th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first of the season. To fill out the podium, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

## 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 |
| 05 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Pontiac | Good Stuff America |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Valvoline |
| 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | Philips |
| 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Circuit City |
| 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | Cartoon Network, The Huckleberry Hound Show |
| 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 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | Speedblock |
| 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 | Cheerios, Pop Secret |
| 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Jeff Green | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | Team Monte Carlo, Tasmanian Devil |
| 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 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | First Union |
| 50 | Ricky Craven | 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 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | John Deere |
| 98 | Greg Sacks | 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, February 20. Dale Jarrett, driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 23.654 and an average speed of 154.781 mph (249.096 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.654 | 154.781 |
| 2 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.772 | 154.013 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.791 | 153.890 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, February 21. Johnny Benson Jr., driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 24.346 and an average speed of 150.382 mph (242.016 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.346 | 150.382 |
| 2 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 24.367 | 150.252 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 24.380 | 150.172 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, February 20, at 2:30 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, February 21. 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.
Rick Mast, driving for Butch Mock Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 23.415 and an average speed of 156.361 miles per hour (251.639 km/h).
Six drivers would fail to qualify: Kevin Lepage, Todd Bodine, Wally Dallenbach Jr., Morgan Shepherd, Dave Marcis, and Gary Bradberry.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 23.415 | 156.361 |
| 2 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 23.540 | 155.531 |
| 3 | 96 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 23.546 | 155.491 |
| 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.549 | 155.472 |
| 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.561 | 155.392 |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.567 | 155.353 |
| 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 23.587 | 155.221 |
| 8 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.612 | 155.057 |
| 9 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.630 | 154.939 |
| 10 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 23.648 | 154.821 |
| 11 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.654 | 154.781 |
| 12 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 23.655 | 154.775 |
| 13 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 23.658 | 154.755 |
| 14 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 23.661 | 154.736 |
| 15 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 23.668 | 154.690 |
| 16 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 23.672 | 154.664 |
| 17 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.678 | 154.625 |
| 18 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 23.687 | 154.566 |
| 19 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 23.700 | 154.481 |
| 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 23.714 | 154.390 |
| 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.744 | 154.195 |
| 22 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.771 | 154.020 |
| 23 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.780 | 153.961 |
| 24 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 23.783 | 153.942 |
| 25 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 23.786 | 153.922 |
| 26 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 23.791 | 153.890 |
| 27 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.797 | 153.851 |
| 28 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 23.807 | 153.787 |
| 29 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.809 | 153.774 |
| 30 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 23.810 | 153.767 |
| 31 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 23.818 | 153.716 |
| 32 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 23.829 | 153.645 |
| 33 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.830 | 153.638 |
| 34 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 23.830 | 153.638 |
| 35 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 23.831 | 153.632 |
| 36 | 29 | Jeff Green | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23.835 | 153.606 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 37 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 38 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 39 | 98 | Greg Sacks | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 40 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 41 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Champion's Provisional |||||||
| 43 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 44 | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | 23.846 | 153.535 |
| 45 | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | 23.867 | 153.400 |
| 46 | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 23.949 | 152.875 |
| 47 | 05 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Pontiac | 24.043 | 152.277 |
| 48 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 24.045 | 152.265 |
| 49 | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | 24.917 | 146.936 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 73 | running | 180 | $90,090 |
| 2 | 7 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 393 | 74 | running | 175 | $49,240 |
| 3 | 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 393 | 104 | running | 175 | $51,940 |
| 4 | 28 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 393 | 0 | running | 160 | $45,120 |
| 5 | 20 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | Mattei Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 11 | running | 160 | $39,225 |
| 6 | 16 | 94 | Bill Elliott | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 393 | 3 | running | 155 | $35,225 |
| 7 | 32 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 393 | 7 | running | 151 | $42,500 |
| 8 | 21 | 5 | Terry Labonte | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 142 | $36,625 |
| 9 | 33 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 1 | running | 143 | $31,825 |
| 10 | 22 | 50 | Ricky Craven | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 6 | running | 139 | $36,025 |
| 11 | 14 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | running | 130 | $30,750 |
| 12 | 1 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 393 | 58 | running | 132 | $33,700 |
| 13 | 9 | 43 | John Andretti | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 393 | 0 | running | 124 | $32,600 |
| 14 | 5 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 392 | 17 | running | 126 | $28,400 |
| 15 | 35 | 30 | Derrike Cope | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 392 | 0 | running | 118 | $29,500 |
| 16 | 24 | 11 | Brett Bodine | Brett Bodine Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 115 | $28,750 |
| 17 | 37 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 392 | 1 | running | 117 | $32,100 |
| 18 | 12 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 109 | $33,500 |
| 19 | 40 | 36 | Ernie Irvan | MB2 Motorsports | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 106 | $26,950 |
| 20 | 23 | 41 | Steve Grissom | Larry Hedrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 103 | $28,850 |
| 21 | 42 | 97 | Chad Little | Roush Racing | Ford | 391 | 0 | running | 100 | $19,500 |
| 22 | 36 | 29 | Jeff Green | Diamond Ridge Motorsports | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 97 | $19,100 |
| 23 | 31 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 94 | $25,850 |
| 24 | 25 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 391 | 0 | running | 91 | $25,650 |
| 25 | 27 | 40 | Sterling Marlin | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 391 | 0 | running | 88 | $18,450 |
| 26 | 29 | 28 | Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 390 | 0 | running | 85 | $31,340 |
| 27 | 41 | 9 | Lake Speed | Melling Racing | Ford | 390 | 0 | running | 82 | $19,340 |
| 28 | 34 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 390 | 0 | running | 79 | $15,190 |
| 29 | 10 | 8 | Hut Stricklin | Stavola Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 389 | 0 | running | 76 | $17,515 |
| 30 | 8 | 26 | Johnny Benson Jr. | Roush Racing | Ford | 388 | 38 | valve | 78 | $14,965 |
| 31 | 19 | 1 | Steve Park (R) | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | Chevrolet | 374 | 0 | crash | 70 | $14,765 |
| 32 | 18 | 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 366 | 0 | crash | 67 | $14,715 |
| 33 | 38 | 18 | Bobby Labonte | Joe Gibbs Racing | Pontiac | 364 | 0 | crash | 64 | $29,565 |
| 34 | 13 | 21 | Michael Waltrip | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 363 | 0 | crash | 61 | $21,515 |
| 35 | 11 | 16 | Ted Musgrave | Roush Racing | Ford | 363 | 0 | running | 58 | $21,415 |
| 36 | 39 | 98 | Greg Sacks | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 362 | 0 | running | 55 | $21,390 |
| 37 | 15 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 316 | 0 | radiator | 52 | $21,365 |
| 38 | 2 | 81 | Kenny Wallace | FILMAR Racing | Ford | 272 | 0 | crash | 49 | $14,590 |
| 39 | 17 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 269 | 0 | crash | 46 | $21,315 |
| 40 | 26 | 77 | Robert Pressley | Jasper Motorsports | Ford | 130 | 0 | brakes | 43 | $14,290 |
| 41 | 43 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Darrell Waltrip Motorsports | Chevrolet | 123 | 0 | crash | 40 | $21,265 |
| 42 | 3 | 96 | David Green | American Equipment Racing | Chevrolet | 106 | 0 | crash | 37 | $14,340 |
| 43 | 30 | 10 | Ricky Rudd | Rudd Performance Motorsports | Ford | 90 | 0 | engine | 34 | $30,615 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 44 | | 91 | Kevin Lepage (R) | LJ Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 35 | Todd Bodine | ISM Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 46 | | 46 | Wally Dallenbach Jr. | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 47 | | 05 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 48 | | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 78 | Gary Bradberry | Triad Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||