| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 33 in the1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 1998 Las Vegas 400 logo | |||
| Date | March 1, 1998 (1998-03-01) | ||
| Location | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.41 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.54 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 60.1 °F (15.6 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 146.554 miles per hour (235.856 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Robert Yates Racing | ||
| Time | 168.224 miles per hour (270.730 km/h) | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Laps | 82 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins,Benny Parsons,Bill Weber,Jack Arute andJerry Punch | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth announcers | Allen Bestwick andBarney Hall | ||
| Turn announcers | Joe Moore (1 & 2) and Fred Armstrong (3 & 4) | ||
The1998 Las Vegas 400 was the inaugural running of theNASCARWinston Cup Series race atLas Vegas Motor Speedway.Mark Martin, driver of theValvoline Ford, won the race, and also led the most laps with 82.Dale Jarrett of theQuality Care Service/Ford Credit Ford won the pole position, but finished 40th due to an engine problem.[2] A total of 120,000 people attended the race, with the profits from all three NASCAR races totaling $40 million for the local economy.[3]
The command to start the engines was given by boxing announcerMichael Buffer. Jimmy Howell was the Chief Starter per MRN's Allen Bestwick. As of the2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, none of the top 16 finishers are currently racing full-time;Jeff Gordon, the lone current full-time driver, finished 17th.[4]
This race has been self-acclaimed byMark Martin as being his "biggest victory in the Winston Cup Series." Martin's 5 foot 5 inch stature made him shorter than the Vegasshowgirls that posed with him after the race. He would collect six more career wins after this race; making him a strong contender for the championship with an all-new NASCAR team.[5] TheFord Taurus would win more than 100 races after this event before it was retired and replaced with a new Ford model, theFusion.
Jeff Burton had to fight back from a pit road penalty in order to finish the race with a decent position.[2]
Source:[2]
The race was aired live onABC in the United States.Bob Jenkins and1973Cup Series championBenny Parsons called the race from the broadcast booth.Jerry Punch,Bill Weber andJack Arute handled pit road for the television side.
| ABC | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | |
| Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | |
| Bob Jenkins | Benny Parsons | Jerry Punch Bill Weber Jack Arute |
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rusty Wallace | 505 |
| 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 449 |
| 3 | Jeremy Mayfield | 446 |
| 4 | Jimmy Spencer | 429 |
| 5 | Bill Elliott | 427 |
| 6 | Jeff Gordon | 412 |
| 7 | Mark Martin | 409 |
| 8 | Terry Labonte | 394 |
| 9 | Chad Little | 380 |
| 10 | Bobby Hamilton | 373 |