The 1998 California 500 Presented by NAPA was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on May 3, 1998, at California Speedway in Fontana, California. Contested over 250 laps on the speedway, it was the 10th race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Mark Martin of Roush Racing won the race.
Background The track, California Speedway, was a four-turn superspeedway that was long. The track's turns were banked from fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, was banked at eleven degrees. Unlike the front stretch, the backstraightaway was banked at three degrees.
Entry list DriverTeamManufacturer1Darrell WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet2Rusty WallacePenske–Kranefuss RacingFord3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Geoff BodineMattei MotorsportsFord8Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingChevrolet9Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord12Jeremy MayfieldPenske–Kranefuss RacingFord13Jerry NadeauElliott–Marino RacingFord16Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac19Tony RainesRoehrig MotorsportsFord21Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac23Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFord28Kenny Irwin Jr.Yates RacingFord30Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiac31Mike DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet33Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet35Wally Dallenbach Jr.ISM RacingPontiac36Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiac40Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet41Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet42Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet43John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Kyle PettyPE2 MotorsportsPontiac46Morgan ShepherdTeam SABCOChevrolet50Randy LaJoieHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord77Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord78Gary BradberryTriad MotorsportsFord81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord88Dale JarrettYates RacingFord90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord91Kevin LepageLJ RacingChevrolet94Bill ElliottElliott–Marino RacingFord96David GreenAmerican Equipment RacingChevrolet97Chad LittleRoush RacingFord98Rich BickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord
Race results PosGridDriverTeamManufacturerLaps136Mark MartinRoush RacingFord2502212Jeremy MayfieldPenske–Kranefuss RacingFord250395Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2504124Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet2505111Darrell WaltripDale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet25064097Chad LittleRoush RacingFord2507267Geoff BodineMattei MotorsportsFord2508526Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFord2509433Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet250102199Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord250112310Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord25012822Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac250132236Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiac250141440Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet250151533Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet250161828Kenny Irwin Jr.Yates RacingFord249172077Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord249181996David GreenAmerican Equipment RacingChevrolet249193481Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord249203721Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord249212823Jimmy SpencerTravis Carter EnterprisesFord24922642Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet248233578Gary BradberryTriad MotorsportsFord247241046Morgan ShepherdTeam SABCOChevrolet247253075Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord247263313Jerry NadeauElliott–Marino RacingFord24727314Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet246283811Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord245294235Wally Dallenbach Jr.ISM RacingPontiac245304141Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet245312543John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac24432169Lake SpeedMelling RacingFord243332416Ted MusgraveRoush RacingFord2433442Rusty WallacePenske–Kranefuss RacingFord242352731Mike DillonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet239363950Randy LaJoieHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet210372990Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord19338718Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac191393230Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiac153401391Kevin LepageLJ RacingChevrolet93413688Dale JarrettYates RacingFord86421744Kyle PettyPE2 MotorsportsPontiac85431294Bill ElliottElliott–Marino RacingFord84Failed to Qualify44–71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet–4598Rich BickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord4619Tony RainesRoehrig MotorsportsFord478Hut StricklinStavola Brothers RacingChevroletRace Results
Race Statistics Time of race: 3:33:57 Average Speed: Pole Speed: Cautions: 6 for 35 laps Margin of Victory: 1.287 sec Lead changes: 18 Percent of race run under caution: 14% Average green flag run: 30.7 laps
References