| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 33 in the1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Pocono 500 program cover, featuringRichard Petty. | |||
| Date | June 21, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 17th Annual Pocono 500 | ||
| Location | Long Pond, Pennsylvania,Pocono Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.5 miles (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Average speed | 134.389 miles per hour (216.278 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 53.558 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | |
| Laps | 122 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | 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 | ||
The1998 Pocono 500 was the 15thstock car race of the1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 17th iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, June 21, 1998, inLong Pond, Pennsylvania, atPocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Within the last 25 laps,Penske-Kranefuss Racing driverJeremy Mayfield was able to defend againstHendrick Motorsports driverJeff Gordon to complete a dominant run to win the race, securing his first careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Gordon andRobert Yates Racing driverDale Jarrett would finish second and third, respectively.
The race was held atPocono Raceway, which is a three-turnsuperspeedway located inLong Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annualNASCARSprint Cup Series races, as well as oneXfinity Series andCamping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted anIndyCar Series race.
Pocono Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by eitherSpeedway Motorsports, Inc. orInternational Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year bySports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and anIndyCarrace. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.
The first practice session was held on Friday, June 19.Jeremy Mayfield, driving forPenske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 53.639 and an average speed of 167.788 mph (270.029 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 53.639 | 167.788 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 53.771 | 167.376 |
| 3 | 42 | Joe Nemechek | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 53.773 | 167.370 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 20.Jeremy Mayfield, driving forPenske-Kranefuss Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 54.681 and an average speed of 164.591 mph (264.884 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | Jeremy Mayfield | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.681 | 164.591 |
| 2 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | Penske-Kranefuss Racing | Ford | 54.803 | 164.225 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.816 | 164.186 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, at 3:00 PMEST. 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 11:30 AMEST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[5] 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.[6]Jeff Gordon, driving forHendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 53.558 and an average speed of 168.042 miles per hour (270.437 km/h).[7]
Two drivers would fail to qualify:Dave Marcis andBuckshot Jones.
| Previous race: 1998 Miller Lite 400 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1998 season | Next race: 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 |