The 1998 Texas 500 was the seventh stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the second iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, April 5, 1998, in Fort Worth, Texas at Texas Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent tri-oval shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would manage to fend off teammate Chad Little to take his 24th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Little and Jasper Motorsports driver Robert Pressley would finish second and third, respectively.

1998 Texas 500
Race details
Race 7 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1998 Texas 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
The 1998 Texas 500 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass.
Date April 5, 1998
Official name Second Annual Texas 500
Location Fort Worth, Texas, Texas Motor Speedway
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.41 km)
Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Scheduled Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Average speed 136.771 miles per hour (220.112 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Penske-Kranefuss Racing
Time 29.047
Most laps led
Driver Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing
Laps 105
Winner
No. 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing
Television in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Mike Joy, Ned Jarrett, Buddy Baker
Radio in the United States
Radio Performance Racing Network

Background

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The layout of Texas Motor Speedway, the venue where the race was held.

Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas. The track measures 1.5 miles (2.4 km) around and is banked 24 degrees in the turns, and is of the oval design, where the front straightaway juts outward slightly. The track layout is similar to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Charlotte Motor Speedway (formerly Lowe's Motor Speedway). The track is owned by Speedway Motorsports, Inc., the same company that owns Atlanta and Charlotte Motor Speedway, as well as the short-track Bristol Motor Speedway.

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
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
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
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
47 Billy Standridge Standridge Motorsports Chevrolet Team Fans Can Race
50 Randy LaJoie 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
95 Andy Hillenburg Sadler Brothers Racing Chevrolet Sadler Brothers Racing
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

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Originally, four practice sessions were scheduled to be held, with two on Thursday, April 2, one on Friday, April 3, and one on Saturday, April 4. However, due to complaints about poor track conditions on Saturday that had occurred throughout pre-race, the final practice session was cancelled. Drivers had reported major bumps in the exit of turn 4, along with major seepage throughout the racetrack since the opening of the track in 1997.[3]

First practice

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The first practice session was held on the afternoon of Thursday, April 2. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.652 and an average speed of 182.113 mph (293.082 km/h).[4]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.652 182.113
2 23 Jimmy Spencer Haas-Carter Motorsports Ford 29.708 181.769
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.732 181.622
Full first practice results

Second practice

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The third practice session was held on the evening of Thursday, April 2. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.298 and an average speed of 184.313 mph (296.623 km/h).[5]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.298 184.313
2 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.439 183.430
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.468 183.250
Full second practice results

Final practice

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The planned third, but eventual final practice session was held on the morning of Friday, April 3. Joe Nemechek, driving for Team SABCO, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.298 and an average speed of 184.313 mph (296.623 km/h).[6]

Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.183 185.039
2 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.282 184.414
3 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.310 184.237
Full Happy Hour practice results

Cancelled Happy Hour practice and complaints

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While a practice session was scheduled to be run on Saturday, April 4, numerous factors throughout the race weekend would eventually lead to the cancellation of the Happy Hour practice. Two major issues would plague the weekend; first, in response to the track surfacing issues in the 1997 race, turn four was repaved. However, the repavement would lead to a major bump on the exit of turn 4. Many drivers would complain to then-Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage about the bump, saying that the transition on the exit of turn 4 should be less severe. However, in response, Gossage would say that the turn was a unique corner of the speedway, comparing the turn to turn 4 at Darlington Raceway, saying "I understand where the Winston Cup drivers are coming from, but this is what we've got. A couple of drivers have said we need to move the wall in Turn 4. They've been saying that for 48 years at Darlington. Darlington should not move the wall back because that's what makes it quaint. Turn 4 is tricky. That's just the way it is.''[7] The second problem was water seepage problems in every turn but turn 2 due to heavy winter rains within the local area of the speedway, which would eventually lead to postponements of qualifying and practice sessions.[8][9]

Driver reactions throughout the weekend were mostly negative of the track. Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would call for multiple-groove racing, saying that "The biggest thing here is that we need more than the one groove we have, and it would make for better racing. Right now it's just going to be a follow-the-leader type deal. If a guy gets out on the outside, he's going to get passed by a lot of cars. Long-time driver Darrell Waltrip would report that while every racetrack had "something wrong with them", that Texas Motor Speedway was new and that "when you build a racetrack new, you're supposed to eliminate all that. There's no reason here not to do what needs to be done."[10] Most drivers would report that they had felt that their cars had been too loose throughout the weekend, leading to a surplus of wrecks during practice and qualifying.[11][12] Some drivers felt that the problems had been blown out of proportion, with Jeff Burton saying "It definitely has been blown out of proportion. There's too much fuss about it. What we need more than anything else is to work a second groove up higher. Once we do that, I think you will hear a lot fewer complaints."[13]

Then-Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage would face harsh criticism for a lack of safety improvements since the inaugural race, the 1997 Interstate Batteries 500 and for trying to turn the complaints into a marketing scheme, with Gossage and Speedway Motorsports CEO Bruton Smith selling "Shut Up and Race" t-shirts at track souvenir stands for US$18 (adjusted for inflation$, 34).[14][15] In response, Gossage said that the new slogan for shirts would be to "Shut Up and Fix It" and that the track would look into fixing the bump in turn 4 along with fixing the turn 1 seepage issues.[16]

Qualifying

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Qualifying was scheduled to be split into two rounds. Qualifying had run on Friday, April 3; however, after seven drivers made qualifying runs, due to complaints from drivers throughout race weekend, qualifying was eventually postponed to Saturday, April 4 with only one round. The seven drivers were forced to stand on their times on Friday.[9]

The continuation of qualifying was held on Saturday, April 4, at 9:15 AM CST.[9] Each driver would have one lap to set a time. Jeremy Mayfield, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.047 and an average speed of 185.906 miles per hour (299.187 km/h).[17]

During qualifying, numerous drivers would crash. Derrike Cope would suffer a crash in turn 4, causing him to miss a race and several broken ribs. Then, Lake Speed would crash also, but would make the race on a provisional.[3]

Five drivers would fail to qualify: Todd Bodine, Jerry Nadeau, Andy Hillenburg, Billy Standridge, and Derrike Cope.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.047 185.906
2 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.209 184.875
3 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 29.211 184.862
4 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.249 184.622
5 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 29.272 184.477
6 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 29.296 184.326
7 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 29.317 184.193
8 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 29.318 184.187
9 96 David Green American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 29.323 184.156
10 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 29.325 184.143
11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 29.350 183.986
12 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.378 183.811
13 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 29.384 183.773
14 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 29.395 183.705
15 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.399 183.680
16 91 Kevin Lepage (R) LJ Racing Chevrolet 29.423 183.530
17 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.450 183.362
18 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 29.456 183.324
19 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 29.478 183.187
20 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 29.493 183.094
21 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.500 183.051
22 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 29.513 182.970
23 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 29.534 182.840
24 50 Randy LaJoie Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.534 182.840
25 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 29.558 182.692
26 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 29.560 182.679
27 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 29.571 182.611
28 98 Greg Sacks Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 29.591 182.488
29 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 29.602 182.420
30 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 29.616 182.334
31 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 29.684 181.916
32 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 29.688 181.892
33 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet 29.700 181.818
34 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.718 181.708
35 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 29.776 181.354
36 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 29.830 181.026
Provisionals
37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
38 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford -* -*
39 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford -* -*
40 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford -* -*
41 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford -* -*
42 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet -* -*
43 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford -* -*
Failed to qualify
44 35 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac 29.962 180.228
45 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 30.072 179.569
46 95 Andy Hillenburg Sadler Brothers Racing Chevrolet 30.416 177.538
47 47 Billy Standridge Standridge Motorsports Chevrolet 30.445 177.369
48 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac - -
Official qualifying results

*Time not available.

Race results

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Fin[18] St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 7 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 334 37 running 180 $356,850
2 5 97 Chad Little Roush Racing Ford 334 49 running 175 $238,550
3 8 77 Robert Pressley Jasper Motorsports Ford 334 0 running 165 $161,750
4 2 42 Joe Nemechek Team SABCO Chevrolet 334 3 running 165 $162,100
5 27 26 Johnny Benson Jr. Roush Racing Ford 334 9 running 160 $113,650
6 37 5 Terry Labonte Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 334 0 running 150 $113,100
7 39 23 Jimmy Spencer Travis Carter Enterprises Ford 334 0 running 146 $106,350
8 11 18 Bobby Labonte Joe Gibbs Racing Pontiac 334 0 running 142 $97,300
9 40 21 Michael Waltrip Wood Brothers Racing Ford 334 5 running 143 $91,350
10 42 41 Steve Grissom Larry Hedrick Motorsports Chevrolet 334 0 running 134 $94,250
11 13 88 Dale Jarrett Robert Yates Racing Ford 334 51 running 135 $93,500
12 6 2 Rusty Wallace Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 334 0 running 127 $87,500
13 38 94 Bill Elliott Elliott-Marino Racing Ford 333 0 running 124 $81,700
14 21 40 Sterling Marlin Team SABCO Chevrolet 333 0 running 121 $72,600
15 3 22 Ward Burton Bill Davis Racing Pontiac 332 27 running 123 $78,900
16 18 11 Brett Bodine Brett Bodine Racing Ford 332 0 running 115 $76,550
17 26 44 Kyle Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 332 0 running 112 $75,750
18 9 96 David Green American Equipment Racing Chevrolet 332 0 running 109 $67,600
19 22 46 Wally Dallenbach Jr. Team SABCO Chevrolet 332 0 running 106 $62,500
20 43 9 Lake Speed Melling Racing Ford 332 0 running 103 $66,650
21 32 33 Ken Schrader Andy Petree Racing Chevrolet 332 0 running 100 $67,300
22 41 90 Dick Trickle Donlavey Racing Ford 331 0 running 97 $64,800
23 1 12 Jeremy Mayfield Penske-Kranefuss Racing Ford 331 105 running 104 $87,700
24 10 78 Gary Bradberry Triad Motorsports Ford 331 0 running 91 $52,500
25 24 50 Randy LaJoie Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 328 0 running 88 $61,600
26 25 4 Bobby Hamilton Morgan–McClure Motorsports Chevrolet 328 0 running 85 $60,500
27 20 10 Ricky Rudd Rudd Performance Motorsports Ford 315 0 overheating 82 $65,900
28 36 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 295 0 oil leak 79 $48,500
29 23 99 Jeff Burton Roush Racing Ford 276 48 running 81 $64,100
30 30 16 Ted Musgrave Roush Racing Ford 262 0 handling 73 $56,500
31 17 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 252 0 handling 70 $66,900
32 29 7 Geoff Bodine Mattei Motorsports Ford 248 0 ignition 67 $53,200
33 12 31 Mike Skinner Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 247 0 crash 64 $42,700
34 31 81 Kenny Wallace FILMAR Racing Ford 214 0 handling 61 $41,700
35 34 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 205 0 running 58 $58,200
36 35 1 Darrell Waltrip Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Chevrolet 185 0 transmission 55 $39,675
37 16 91 Kevin Lepage (R) LJ Racing Chevrolet 148 0 running 52 $39,675
38 28 98 Greg Sacks Cale Yarborough Motorsports Ford 135 0 crash 49 $44,675
39 4 28 Kenny Irwin Jr. (R) Robert Yates Racing Ford 80 0 crash 46 $52,675
40 33 8 Hut Stricklin Stavola Brothers Racing Chevrolet 11 0 crash 43 $37,675
41 14 75 Rick Mast Butch Mock Motorsports Ford 1 0 crash 40 $37,575
42 15 43 John Andretti Petty Enterprises Pontiac 1 0 crash 37 $52,525
43 19 36 Ernie Irvan MB2 Motorsports Pontiac 1 0 crash 34 $44,525
Failed to qualify
44 35 Todd Bodine ISM Racing Pontiac
45 13 Jerry Nadeau (R) Elliott-Marino Racing Ford
46 95 Andy Hillenburg Sadler Brothers Racing Chevrolet
47 47 Billy Standridge Standridge Motorsports Chevrolet
48 30 Derrike Cope Bahari Racing Pontiac
Official race results

References

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  1. ^ Poole, David (April 5, 1998). "Texas Motor Speedway A-OK with Martin". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Martin gets second win of season". The Daily News Leader. April 6, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved September 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ a b Poole, David (April 4, 1998). "Without question, Texas' problems need fixing now". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "First session practice speeds". That's Racin'. April 2, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  5. ^ "Second practice session speeds". That's Racin'. April 2, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  6. ^ "Friday first practice session speeds from Texas". That's Racin'. April 3, 1998. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  7. ^ Strubin, John; Gonzalez, Simon (April 3, 1998). "Eddie Gossage gives `simple' advice for TMS racing". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  8. ^ Poole, David (April 5, 1998). "France warns TMS to get the leaks plugged". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Herrin, Rick (April 3, 1998). "Drivers steaming over water-logged corner in Turn 1". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  10. ^ Lebreton, Gil (April 4, 1998). "Win by Jarrett on TMS stage would dry track's tears". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  11. ^ Markiewicz, David (April 3, 1998). "Drivers at TMS work out the kinks". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  12. ^ Blount, Terry (April 4, 1998). "Texas 500 track test drivers". That's Racin'. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Blount, Terry (April 3, 1998). "Drivers resume issuing TMS complaints". That's Racin'. Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  14. ^ Gonzalez, Simon (April 2, 1998). "Bruton Smith's message: Shut Up And Race". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  15. ^ Reeves, Jim (April 3, 1998). "Joke turns all wet as TMS springs its latest leak". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  16. ^ Strubin, John (April 3, 1998). "Bump on track tests drivers' dip-lomacy". That's Racin'. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Archived from the original on October 9, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  17. ^ Poole, David (April 4, 1998). "It was just a matter of time for Mayfield". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 3, 2022.
  18. ^ "1998 Texas 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
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1998 Food City 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1998 season
Next race:
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