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The 1998 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 was the 25th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 41st iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, September 12, 1998, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. In a close finish, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton was able to fend off Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon at the line by 0.051 seconds to win his fifth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 25 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 program cover, featuring Jeff Burton. | |||
| Date | September 12, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 41st Annual Exide NASCAR Select Batteries 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 91.985 miles per hour (148.036 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | ||
| Time | 21.535 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Jeff Burton | |
| Laps | 203 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
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Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
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First practice
The first practice session was held on Friday, September 11, at 11:00 AM EST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes.[3] Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.864 and an average speed of 123.491 mph (198.739 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 21.864 | 123.491 |
| 2 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.986 | 122.805 |
| 3 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 22.034 | 122.538 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Second practice
The second practice session was held on Friday, September 11, at 2:30 PM EST. The session would last for two hours and 10 minutes.[3] Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 21.793 and an average speed of 123.893 mph (199.386 km/h).[5]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Ken Schrader | Andy Petree Racing | Chevrolet | 21.793 | 123.893 |
| 2 | 23 | Jimmy Spencer | Travis Carter Enterprises | Ford | 21.881 | 123.395 |
| 3 | 4 | Bobby Hamilton | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Chevrolet | 21.883 | 123.383 |
| Full second practice results | ||||||
Final practice
The final practice session, sometimes known as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, September 12, at 12:00 PM EST. The session would last for one hour.[3] Dick Trickle, driving for Donlavey Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 22.281 and an average speed of 121.179 mph (195.019 km/h).[6]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90 | Dick Trickle | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 22.281 | 121.179 |
| 2 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22.339 | 120.865 |
| 3 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 22.361 | 120.746 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 11, at 5:30 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, September 12, 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]
Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.535 and an average speed of 125.377 miles per hour (201.775 km/h).[8]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Buckshot Jones, Gary Bradberry, Ken Bouchard, and Rich Bickle.
Full qualifying results
*Time not available.
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