The 1998 Dura Lube/Kmart 500 was the 31st stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 11th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 25, 1998, in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race was shortened from its scheduled 312 laps to 257 laps due to inclement weather. At race's end, Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would dominate the race when the race was stopped to take his 48th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 31 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Dura Lube/Kmart 500 program cover. | |||
| Date | October 25, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 11th Annual Dura Lube/Kmart 500 | ||
| Location | Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1 mi (1.6 km) | ||
| Distance | 257 laps, 257 mi (413.601 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km) | ||
| Average speed | 108.211 miles per hour (174.149 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Andy Petree Racing | ||
| Time | 27.432 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Laps | 196 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Friday, October 23, at 1:30 PM EST. The session would last for one hour and 25 minutes.[3] Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.757 and an average speed of 129.697 miles per hour (208.727 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 27.757 | 129.697 |
| 2 | 75 | Rick Mast | Butch Mock Motorsports | Ford | 27.760 | 129.683 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 27.863 | 129.204 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
editThe second practice session was held on Friday, October 23, at 3:35 PM EST. The session would last for 45 minutes.[3] Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 27.604 and an average speed of 130.416 miles per hour (209.884 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 27.604 | 130.416 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.785 | 129.566 |
| 3 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 27.814 | 129.431 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, October 24, after the preliminary 1998 GM Goodwrench Service/AC Delco 300. The session would last for one hour.[3] Kyle Petty, driving for Petty Enterprises, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.437 and an average speed of 126.596 miles per hour (203.737 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 44 | Kyle Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 28.437 | 126.596 |
| 2 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.441 | 126.578 |
| 3 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 28.447 | 126.551 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, October 23, at 5:15 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, October 24, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[3] 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]
Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 27.432 and an average speed of 131.234 miles per hour (211.201 km/h).[8]
Three drivers would fail to qualify: Dave Marcis, Michael Waltrip, and Jeff Ward.
Full qualifying results
edit*Time not available.
Race results
editReferences
edit- ^ Poole, David (October 25, 1998). "Wallace notches 48th win amid a desert rain". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Harris, Mike (October 26, 1998). "Wallace wins Dura-Lube". Boca Raton News. p. 14. Retrieved September 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c d "Schedule for events at Phoenix International Raceway". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "First practice session speeds". That's Racin'. October 23, 1998. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "Second session practice speeds from Phoenix". That's Racin'. October 23, 1998. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "B. Labonte, Cope must go to backup cars". That's Racin'. October 24, 1998. Archived from the original on August 17, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ Poole, David (October 23, 1998). "Schrader's Phoenix success hasn't extended to Cup racing". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on May 1, 2001. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ "1998 Dura Lube/Kmart 500 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 19, 2022.