1998 Jiffy Lube 300
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Jiffy Lube 300 program cover. | |||
| Date | July 12, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 6th Annual Jiffy Lube 300 | ||
| Location | Loudon, New Hampshire, New Hampshire International Speedway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.058 mi (1.704 km) | ||
| Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 300 laps, 317.4 mi (510.805 km) | ||
| Average speed | 102.996 miles per hour (165.756 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 29.665 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 191 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.
Background[edit]
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[edit]
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice[edit]
First practice[edit]
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).[3]
| 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[edit]
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).[4]
| 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[edit]
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).[5]
| 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[edit]
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.[6] 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.[7]
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).[8]
Dave Marcis was the only driver to fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results[edit]
*Time not available.
Race results[edit]
| Fin[9] | 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 | ||||||||||
References[edit]
- ^ Poole, David (July 12, 1998). "J. Burton scorches field in New Hampshire". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Schmeidel, Mark (July 13, 1998). "Burton proves practice makes perfect, cruises to win". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 25. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Martin fastest in N.H. practice". That's Racin'. July 10, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Schrader leads 2nd-round practice". That's Racin'. July 10, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Martin fastest at Happy Hour". That's Racin'. July 11, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Jiffy Lube 300". Pensacola News Journal. July 9, 1998. p. 39. Retrieved September 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ Poole, David (July 10, 1998). "Craven steals the show in return to Winston Cup". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "1998 Jiffy Lube 300 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
