1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350

The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 28, 1998, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Sears Point Raceway, a 1.949 miles (3.137 km) permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 112 laps to complete. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would lead a charge from 20th to the lead within the closing laps of the race to take his 33rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Bobby Hamilton and Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti would finish second and third, respectively.

1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350
Race details
Race 16 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon.
Date June 28, 1998
Official name 10th Annual Save Mart/Kragen 350
Location Sonoma, California, Sears Point Raceway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.949 mi (3.137 km)
Distance 112 laps, 218.288 mi (351.3 km)
Scheduled Distance 112 laps, 218.288 mi (351.3 km)
Average speed 72.387 miles per hour (116.496 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 1:11.080
Most laps led
Driver Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 48
Winner
No. 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Sears Point Raceway used by NASCAR at the time.

Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long;[3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).[5]

Entry list

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  • (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[N 1] 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
17 Ron Hornaday Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Chevrolet NAPA Auto Parts
18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac Interstate Batteries
19 Tom Hubert Roehrig Motorsports Ford Bradford White
21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac MBNA Platinum
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, NFLPA
44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac Hot Wheels
46 Tommy Kendall Team SABCO Chevrolet First Union
50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Budweiser
58 Chris Raudman Raudman Racing Chevrolet Raudman Racing
70 Rick Ware Ware Racing Enterprises Ford Ware Racing Enterprises
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)[N 2] LJ Racing Chevrolet First Union
94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford McDonald's
96 Robby Gordon 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

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First practice

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The first practice session was held on Friday, June 23, at 10:00 AM PST. The session would last for three hours.[8] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.209 and an average speed of 98.532 mph (158.572 km/h).[9]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:11.209 98.532
2 46 Tommy Kendall Team SABCO Chevrolet 1:11.556 98.055
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 1:11.624 97.962
Full first practice results

Final practice

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The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 24, at 8:00 AM PST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[8] Jerry Nadeau, driving for Elliott-Marino Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.230 and an average speed of 97.140 mph (156.332 km/h).[10]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 1:12.230 97.140
2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:12.377 96.942
3 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:12.567 96.689
Full Happy Hour practice results

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, at 2:00 PM PST. 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 10:00 AM PST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[8] 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.[11]

Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:11.080 and an average speed of 98.711 miles per hour (158.860 km/h).[12]

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Tommy Kendall, Dave Marcis, Todd Bodine, Rick Ware, and Chris Raudman.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:11.080 98.711
2 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 1:11.228 98.506
3 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:11.395 98.276
4 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 1:11.540 98.077
5 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 1:11.613 97.977
6 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 1:11.616 97.973
7 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 1:11.664 97.907
8 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1:11.665 97.906
9 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 1:11.676 97.891
10 19 Tom Hubert Roehrig Motorsports Ford 1:11.695 97.865
11 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1:11.822 97.692
12 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 1:11.843 97.663
13 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 1:11.882 97.610
14 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 1:11.949 97.519
15 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 1:11.972 97.488
16 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 1:12.000 97.450
17 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:12.006 97.442
18 96 Robby Gordon American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 1:12.036 97.401
19 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 1:12.037 97.400
20 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 1:12.066 97.361
21 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1:12.100 97.315
22 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 1:12.232 97.137
23 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 1:12.243 97.122
24 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1:12.258 97.102
25 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 1:12.287 97.063
26 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 1:11.489 98.147
27 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 1:11.941 97.530
28 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 1:11.943 97.527
29 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1:12.122 97.285
30 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 1:12.126 97.280
31 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 1:12.174 97.215
32 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1:12.309 97.034
33 17 Ron Hornaday Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Chevrolet 1:12.487 96.795
34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 1:12.638 96.594
35 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 1:12.727 96.476
36 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 1:12.785 96.399
Provisionals
37 50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
38 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
39 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
40 9 Butch Gilliland Melling Racing Ford -* -*
41 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac -* -*
42 91 Kevin Lepage[N 3] LJ Racing Chevrolet -* -*
Champion's Provisional
43 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 46 Tommy Kendall Team SABCO Chevrolet 1:13.044 96.057
45 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 1:13.718 95.179
46 35 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac 1:13.950 94.880
47 70 Rick Ware Ware Racing Enterprises Ford 1:16.320 91.934
48 58 Chris Raudman Raudman Racing Chevrolet - -
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

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Fin[13] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 112 48 running 185 $160,675
2 6 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 112 17 running 175 $81,575
3 21 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 112 0 running 165 $62,150
4 9 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 112 0 running 160 $59,340
5 28 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 112 0 running 155 $49,715
6 26 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 112 0 running 150 $54,615
7 16 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 112 14 running 151 $49,615
8 7 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 112 0 running 142 $40,115
9 12 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 112 0 running 138 $47,365
10 39 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 112 8 running 139 $46,510
11 17 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 112 0 running 130 $44,950
12 43 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 112 0 running 127 $39,550
13 13 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 112 3 running 129 $32,200
14 33 17 Ron Hornaday Jr. Tyler Jet Motorsports Chevrolet 112 0 running 121 $27,850
15 3 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 112 5 running 123 $46,700
16 42 91 Tommy Kendall[N 4] LJ Racing Chevrolet 112 2 running 120 $33,800
17 24 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 112 0 running 112 $30,175
18 5 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 112 0 running 109 $36,950
19 20 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 112 0 running 106 $36,495
20 27 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 112 0 running 103 $35,160
21 19 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 112 0 running 100 $36,540
22 22 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 112 0 running 97 $28,940
23 35 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 112 0 running 94 $28,805
24 40 9 Butch Gilliland Melling Racing Ford 112 0 running 91 $28,625
25 14 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 112 0 running 88 $35,505
26 8 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 112 0 running 85 $35,375
27 37 50 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 112 0 running 82 $35,240
28 15 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 112 14 running 84 $41,455
29 34 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 112 0 running 76 $35,035
30 36 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 111 0 running 73 $27,995
31 31 98 Rich Bickle Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 110 0 running 70 $31,925
32 30 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 110 0 running 67 $34,365
33 38 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 109 0 running 64 $31,845
34 11 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 107 0 running 61 $31,825
35 4 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 103 0 transmission 58 $32,105
36 32 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 103 0 running 55 $31,785
37 18 96 Robby Gordon American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 102 1 suspension 57 $24,765
38 41 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac 92 0 rear end 49 $31,745
39 23 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 87 0 handling 46 $41,325
40 25 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 84 0 transmission 43 $31,705
41 10 19 Tom Hubert Roehrig Motorsports Ford 78 0 transmission 40 $24,685
42 29 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 46 0 crash 37 $40,665
43 2 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 13 0 crash 34 $25,640
Failed to qualify
44 46 Tommy Kendall[N 5] Team SABCO Chevrolet
45 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet
46 35 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac
47 70 Rick Ware Ware Racing Enterprises Ford
48 58 Chris Raudman Raudman Racing Chevrolet
Official race results

Notes

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  1. ^ Was replaced by Winston West Series driver Butch Gilliland after Speed injuring his ribs himself in a practice session.[6]
  2. ^ Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
  3. ^ Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
  4. ^ Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]
  5. ^ Was released by team owner Joe Falk after qualifying, due to the fact that Lepage had announced his move to the No. 16 car of Roush Racing. Falk felt betrayed by the move, and decided to release him early. Tommy Kendall would replace Lepage.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (June 28, 1998). "Gordon scrapes by". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "Gordon passes test on Sears Point road course". The Desert Sun. June 29, 1998. p. 17. Retrieved September 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ "Sears Point". www.gt-racing.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  4. ^ "Passing is tough in Chute | chronicle.augusta.com". 2011-06-07. Archived from the original on 2011-06-07. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  5. ^ "SEARS POINT BREAKS GROUND ON MODIFIED CHUTE - RacingWest". 2007-09-29. Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2021-11-13.
  6. ^ Poole, David (June 26, 1998). "Roush reportedly has deal with Lepage". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Poole, David (June 27, 1998). "Lepage finished in No. 91 car". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c "Save Mart/Kragen 350". That's Racin'. June 28, 1998. Archived from the original on May 1, 2001. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  9. ^ "Practice speeds for Sears Point". That's Racin'. June 26, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  10. ^ "Saturday Winston Cup practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 27, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  11. ^ "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
  12. ^ Poole, David (June 26, 1998). "No change here ... Gordon on pole again". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
  13. ^ "1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 8, 2022.
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