1998 Miller Lite 400
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1998 Miller Lite 400 program cover, featuring Rusty Wallace. | |||
| Date | June 14, 1998 | ||
| Official name | 30th Annual Miller Lite 400 | ||
| Location | Brooklyn, Michigan, Michigan International Speedway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2 miles (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Average speed | 158.695 miles per hour (255.395 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Bill Davis Racing | ||
| Time | 39.656 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 132 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Dick Berggren, Buddy Baker | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 1998 Miller Lite 400 was the 14th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 14, 1998, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin was able to dominate to take his 26th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth of the season.[1][2] To fill out the podium, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett and Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
[edit]
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list
[edit]- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Practice
[edit]First practice
[edit]The first practice session was held on the afternoon of Friday, June 12. Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.678 and an average speed of 181.461 mph (292.033 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 39.678 | 181.461 |
| 2 | 98 | Rich Bickle | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Ford | 39.736 | 181.196 |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.741 | 181.173 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
[edit]The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on the afternoon of Friday, June 13. Jeff Burton, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 39.985 and an average speed of 180.068 mph (289.791 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 99 | Jeff Burton | Roush Racing | Ford | 39.985 | 180.068 |
| 2 | 22 | Ward Burton | Bill Davis Racing | Pontiac | 40.089 | 179.600 |
| 3 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 40.133 | 179.403 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
[edit]Ward Burton, driving for Bill Davis Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 39.656 and an average speed of 181.561 miles per hour (292.194 km/h).[5]
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Derrike Cope, Tony Raines, Dave Marcis, and Todd Bodine.
Full qualifying results
[edit]Race results
[edit]Media
[edit]Television
[edit]The Miller Lite 400 was covered by CBS in the United States for the sixteenth straight year. Mike Joy, two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett and 1979 race winner Buddy Baker called the race from the broadcast booth. Dick Berggren, Ralph Sheheen and Bill Stephens handled pit road for the television side. Ken Squier would serve as host.
| CBS | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Booth announcers | Pit reporters | |
| Lap-by-lap | Color-commentators | ||
| Ken Squier | Mike Joy | Ned Jarrett Buddy Baker |
Dick Berggren Ralph Sheheen Bill Stephens |
References
[edit]- ^ Utter, Jim (June 14, 1998). "Martin rides winner of a car to Victory Lane". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ Harris, Mike (June 15, 1998). "Martin wins '400', outraces Jarrett". The Daily Advocate. p. 8. Retrieved September 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Ward Burton fastest in practice". That's Racin'. June 12, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. June 13, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ Utter, Jim (June 12, 1998). "Ward Burton gets best of Michigan Speedway". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
- ^ "1998 Miller Lite 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
