The 1998 Goody's Headache Powder 500 was the 22nd stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 38th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, August 22, 1998, in Bristol, Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway, a 0.533 miles (0.858 km) permanent oval-shaped racetrack. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. At race's end, Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would dominate the late stages of the race to take his 27th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Roush Racing driver Jeff Burton and Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.
Background
The Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Despite its short length, Bristol is among the most popular tracks on the NASCAR schedule because of its distinct features, which include extraordinarily steep banking, an all concrete surface, two pit roads, and stadium-like seating. It has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver.
#DriverTeamMakeSponsor1Steve Park (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.ChevroletPennzoil2Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFordMiller Lite, Elvis Presley "Taking Care of Business"3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench Service Plus4Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevroletKodak5Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevroletKellogg's Frosted Flakes6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordValvoline7Geoff BodineMattei MotorsportsFordPhilips9Jerry Nadeau (R)Melling RacingFordCartoon Network "Happy Birthday NASCAR!"10Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFordTide11Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFordPaychex12Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFordMobil 113Dennis SetzerElliott-Marino RacingFordFirstPlus Financial Group16Kevin Lepage (R)Roush RacingFordPrimeStar18Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiacInterstate Batteries21Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo22Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiacMBNA23Ted MusgraveTravis Carter EnterprisesFordWinston No Bull24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevroletDuPont26Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFordTrix, Cocoa Puffs, Lucky Charms28Kenny Irwin Jr. (R)Robert Yates RacingFordTexaco, Havoline30Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiacGumout31Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevroletLowe's33Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevroletSkoal35Darrell WaltripTyler Jet MotorsportsPontiacTabasco36Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiacSkittles40Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevroletCoors Light41Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevroletKodiak42Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevroletBellSouth43John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP44Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacHot Wheels46Jeff GreenTeam SABCOChevroletThe Money Store50Wally Dallenbach Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevroletBudweiser71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletTeam Realtree Camouflage75Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFordRemington Arms77Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFordJasper Engines & Transmissions78Gary BradberryTriad MotorsportsFordPilot Travel Centers81Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFordSquare D85Ken BouchardMansion MotorsportsFordMansion Motorsports88Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFordQuality Care Service, Ford Credit90Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFordHeilig-Meyers91Morgan ShepherdLJ RacingChevroletLJ Racing92Elliott SadlerDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevroletPhillips 66, TropArtic94Bill ElliottElliott-Marino RacingFordMcDonald's Mac Tonight96Hut StricklinAmerican Equipment RacingChevroletCaterpillar97Chad LittleRoush RacingFordJohn Deere98Rich BickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsFordThorn Apple Valley "Go Grill Crazy!"99Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFordExide Batteries
Practice
First practice The first practice session was held on the morning of Friday, August 21. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.669 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed16Mark MartinRoush RacingFord15.669122.45822Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord15.675122.411390Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord15.712122.123Full first practice results
Second practice The second practice session was held on the afternoon of Friday, August 21. Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 15.574 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed118Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac15.574123.20526Mark MartinRoush RacingFord15.598123.01632Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord15.607122.945Full second practice results
Final practice The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on the afternoon Saturday, August 22. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 16.143 and an average speed of . Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed16Mark MartinRoush RacingFord16.143118.86322Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord16.211118.364324Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet16.224118.269Full Happy Hour practice results
Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, August 21, 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, August 22, at 12:30 PM . As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. 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.
Rusty Wallace, driving for Penske-Kranefuss Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 15.530 and an average speed of .
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Steve Grissom, Dave Marcis, Ken Bouchard, and Gary Bradberry.
Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed12Rusty WallacePenske-Kranefuss RacingFord15.530123.554231Mike SkinnerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet15.534123.523310Ricky RuddRudd Performance MotorsportsFord15.562123.30046Mark MartinRoush RacingFord15.565123.277512Jeremy MayfieldPenske-Kranefuss RacingFord15.581123.150623Ted MusgraveTravis Carter EnterprisesFord15.581123.150724Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.595123.039822Ward BurtonBill Davis RacingPontiac15.595123.039988Dale JarrettRobert Yates RacingFord15.599123.0081018Bobby LabonteJoe Gibbs RacingPontiac15.599123.008117Geoff BodineMattei MotorsportsFord15.613122.8981221Michael WaltripWood Brothers RacingFord15.651122.5991333Ken SchraderAndy Petree RacingChevrolet15.653122.5841446Jeff GreenTeam SABCOChevrolet15.654122.576155Terry LabonteHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.655122.5681611Brett BodineBrett Bodine RacingFord15.656122.5601798Rich BickleCale Yarborough MotorsportsFord15.656122.560189Jerry Nadeau (R)Melling RacingFord15.660122.5291999Jeff BurtonRoush RacingFord15.663122.5052030Derrike CopeBahari RacingPontiac15.663122.5052144Kyle PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac15.677122.3962242Joe NemechekTeam SABCOChevrolet15.684122.3412326Johnny Benson Jr.Roush RacingFord15.696122.2482416Kevin Lepage (R)Roush RacingFord15.697122.2402577Robert PressleyJasper MotorsportsFord15.697122.2402675Rick MastButch Mock MotorsportsFord15.706122.1702794Bill ElliottElliott-Marino RacingFord15.711122.1312843John AndrettiPetty EnterprisesPontiac15.716122.0922940Sterling MarlinTeam SABCOChevrolet15.716122.092303Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet15.727122.0073181Kenny WallaceFILMAR RacingFord15.755121.7903292Elliott SadlerDiamond Ridge MotorsportsChevrolet15.765121.713334Bobby HamiltonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsChevrolet15.808121.3823428Kenny Irwin Jr. (R)Robert Yates RacingFord15.810121.3663597Chad LittleRoush RacingFord15.817121.313361Steve Park (R)Dale Earnhardt, Inc.Chevrolet15.827121.236Provisionals3736Ernie IrvanMB2 MotorsportsPontiac -* -*3850Wally Dallenbach Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*3990Dick TrickleDonlavey RacingFord -* -*4091Morgan ShepherdLJ RacingChevrolet -* -*4113Dennis SetzerElliott-Marino RacingFord -* -*4296Hut StricklinAmerican Equipment RacingChevrolet -* -*Champion's Provisional4335Darrell WaltripTyler Jet MotorsportsPontiac -* -*Failed to qualify4441Steve GrissomLarry Hedrick MotorsportsChevrolet15.974120.1204571Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet16.186118.5474685Ken BouchardMansion MotorsportsFord16.345117.3944778Gary BradberryTriad MotorsportsFord16.441116.708Official qualifying results
Race results