1998 Pepsi 400
Race details[1][2] | |||
---|---|---|---|
Race 30 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
Date | October 17, 1998 | ||
Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures descending as low as 72 °F (22 °C); wind speeds approaching 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)[3] | ||
Average speed | 144.549 miles per hour (232.629 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
Time | 46.485 | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Laps | 49 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | TNN | ||
Announcers | Eli Gold, Dick Berggren and Buddy Baker |
The 1998 Pepsi 400 was a
Contested over 160 laps, it was the thirtieth race of the
Report
Background
Daytona International Speedway is one of six
The 1998 Pepsi 400 was originally scheduled to be run on July 4, 1998, as the seventeenth race of the 33-event Winston Cup Series schedule.
During the days leading up to the scheduled start of practice at 3pm, Thursday, July 2, 1998, concerns rose on account of the massive wildfire outbreak that was underway in central Florida; thousands of people were forced to evacuate the area, and Interstate 95, the primary north–south thoroughfare through the region, was closed. At 10am on July 2, NASCAR announced that the race was being postponed; while July 25 was an open date, the decision was made to reschedule the race for October 17, to allow additional time for the wildfires to be controlled.[11] At the time of the postponement, the race was sold out; this was the first time the summer race at Daytona International Speedway had achieved sellout status.[12]
The rescheduling meant that the race would not be televised on CBS, as the network did not want to compete against Fox's broadcast of Game 1 of the Major League Baseball World Series, also scheduled for October 17.[11] On July 21, it was announced that The Nashville Network, a cable affiliate of CBS, would air the rescheduled race live in its entirety.[13]
Prior to the race,
Practice and qualifying
Practice and first round qualifying was held on Thursday, October 15, 1998;
Bobby Labonte posted the fastest time in first round qualifying, a lap of 46.485 seconds (193.611 miles per hour (311.587 km/h)), winning the
Race
The race was held starting at 8pm on Saturday, October 17, 1998. Ernie Irvan dropped to the rear of the field prior to the start of the race, due to a driver change; Ricky Craven had qualified the car. Although Bobby Labonte started on pole,
The race resumed on lap 39; after Earnhardt took the lead for one lap at lap 44 Jarrett assumed the lead and held it for the next 37 laps, until pit stops shuffled the field and saw Earnhardt,
The brief four-lap caution saw Gordon retaining the lead; he continued to pace the field as Irwin, on lap 141, hit the Thunderbird of Chad Little, setting off a nine-car accident that brought out a caution. Gordon continued to lead on the restart, and on lap 155, five laps from the finish of the event, rain began to fall once again; the caution flag was thrown, then the red flag, stopping the race to allow the track to be dried and the event to finish under green.[19][22]
After a 37-minute red flag period, the race resumed; Gordon was able to hold off his challengers over the final three laps to take his eleventh win of the season.
Gordon, who had entered the race with the points lead, extended it to 358 points over Mark Martin;[22] nobody would challenge Gordon over the remainder of the season, and he would go on to win his third Winston Cup Series championship; he was the youngest driver to accomplish the feat.[24] The race took two hours, forty-six minutes, and two seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 0.176 seconds.[2]
Statistical notes
The 1998 Pepsi 400 was the only Winston Cup Series start by Dan Pardus,[18] and the last by Billy Standridge.[25] It was also the last race for which Rick Wilson attempted to qualify.[26]
The Pepsi 400 would return to its traditional July date in 1999, and has been held at night every year since the 1998 event, except in 2014, 2019 and 2022 when it was postponed to Sunday due to rain, until 2020, when the date was changed to August 29.[27]
Results
Qualifying
Race results
References
- ^ "1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Schedule". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b c "1998 Official Race Results : Pepsi 400". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on 2004-04-10. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ "Weather of the 1998 Pepsi 400". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on 28 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks — The Daytona International Speedway". Speedway Guide. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ^ "1997 Pepsi 400". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ "Pepsi 400 at Daytona is finally here". Williamson Daily News. Williamson, WV. October 15, 1998. p. 8.
- ^ Willis, Ken (October 15, 1998). "Season has raised some hot points of its own". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 1B.
- ^ Willis, Ken (July 3, 1998). "Postponement of race better late than never". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 1B.
- ^ Kent, Milton (November 20, 1997). "CBS's plans for 1998 Pepsi 400 mark a first for auto coverage". The Baltimore Sun. Baltimore, MD. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b "Wildfires postpone Pepsi 400". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lubbock, TX. July 3, 1998. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ "CBS affiliate TNN will air Pepsi 400". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. July 22, 1998. p. 1B.
- ^ "Driver's Championship Classification". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ "NASCAR Manufacturers' Championship". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Brioso, Cesar (October 16, 1999). "Bobby Labonte on Pepsi Pole". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b c d Adamczyk, Jay (October 18, 1998). "Jayski's Silly Season Site: Past News October 12-18, 1998". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b "Pardus, at Last, Makes Winston Cup Debut". The New York Times. New York. October 17, 1998. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b c d e f "1998 Pepsi 400". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ "Hurting Irvan sits out 400 qualifying". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth, TX. October 16, 1998. pp. 7 Sports.
- ^ Hornack, Ken (October 17, 1998). "Rough drafts can spark wrecks". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. Archived from the original on October 1, 1999. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ a b c d e f "Gordon wins Pepsi 400". Associated Press. October 17, 1998. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ASIN B0041UX75U.
- ^ "Can Jeff Gordon Top His Phenomenal 1998 Season". The Newberry Observer. Newberry, SC. January 29, 1999. p. 7. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
- ^ "Billy Standridge - NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2012-06-06.
- ^ Kelly, Godwin (October 6, 1998). "Wilson back in driver's seat". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Daytona Beach, FL. p. 2B.
- ^ Diaz, George (July 4, 2003). "Under The Bright Lights". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Retrieved 2012-07-03.
- ^ "Daytona Pepsi Starting Grid". Motorsport.com. October 17, 1998. Retrieved 2012-06-06.