1998 AC Delco 400

{{Short description|32nd race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Official_name=34th Annual AC Delco 400|Date=November 1|Pole_Driver=Mark Martin|Pole_Team=Roush Racing|Announcers=Eli Gold, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren|Most_Driver=Dale Jarrett|First_Driver=Jeff Gordon|Most_laps=195|Most_Team=Robert Yates Racing|First_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|Car=24|Network=TNN|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Avg={{convert|128.423|mph|km/h}}|Attendance=|Location=Rockingham, North Carolina, North Carolina Speedway|Distance_km=643.224|Scheduled_km=643.224|Scheduled_mi=399.681|Scheduled_laps=393|Distance_laps=393|Course_km=1.636|Course_mi=1.017|Season_No=33|Race_No=32|Race_Name=AC Delco 400|Year=1998|Pole_Time=23.394|Distance_mi=399.681|Caption=The 1998 AC Delco 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Earnhardt.|Image=1998_AC_Delco_400.jpg}}

The 1998 AC Delco 400 was the 32nd stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 1, 1998, in Rockingham, North Carolina, at North Carolina Speedway, a {{Convert|1.017|mi|km}} permanent high-banked racetrack. The race took the scheduled 393 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would manage to make a late race pass on Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace to take his 41st career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his 12th victory of the season.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=November 1, 1998 |title=Gordon picks up championship, drives it to Victory Lane |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/98/1101/1102weblede.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817225557/http://www.thatsracin.com/98/1101/1102weblede.htm |archive-date=August 17, 2000 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Kurz Jr. |first=Hank |date=November 2, 1998 |title='A killer day' |pages=25 |work=York Daily Record |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109922981/a-killer-day/ |access-date=September 21, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

In the process, Jeff Gordon would manage to clinch his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship, completing a dominant and historic run.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=November 1, 1998 |title=Victory puts proper garnish on title season |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/98/1101/1102400lede.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817225515/http://www.thatsracin.com/98/1101/1102400lede.htm |archive-date=August 17, 2000 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |website=That's Racin'}}

Background

File:Rockingham_Speedway.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]

North Carolina Speedway was opened as a flat, one-mile oval on October 31, 1965. In 1969, the track was extensively reconfigured to a high-banked, D-shaped oval just over one mile in length. In 1997, North Carolina Motor Speedway merged with Penske Motorsports, and was renamed North Carolina Speedway. Shortly thereafter, the infield was reconfigured, and competition on the infield road course, mostly by the SCCA, was discontinued. Currently, the track is home to the Fast Track High Performance Driving School.{{cite web |date= |title=Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Inc |url=http://www.fasttrackracing.com/ |accessdate=July 16, 2012 |publisher=Fasttrackracing.com}}

= Entry list =

(R) denotes rookie driver.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Sponsor

|Steve Park (R)

|Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

1998 AC Delco 400

Background

= Entry list =

Practice

= First practice =

= Final practice =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

References