1998 NAPA Autocare 500

{{Short description|27th race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Location=Ridgeway, Virginia, Martinsville Speedway|Distance_mi=263|Pole_Time=20.229|Course_mi=0.526|Car=10|Scheduled_km=423.257|Distance_km=423.257|Distance_laps=500|Scheduled_laps=500|Scheduled_mi=263|Avg={{convert|73.35|mph|km/h}}|Date=September 27|Race_No=27|Season_No=33|Year=1998|Race_Name=NAPA Autocare 500|Most_laps=231|Most_Driver=Sterling Marlin|Most_Team=Team SABCO|First_Driver=Ricky Rudd|First_Team=Rudd Performance Motorsports|Pole_Driver=Ernie Irvan|Pole_Team=MB2 Motorsports|Network=ESPN|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons|Official_name=50th Annual NAPA Autocare 500|Course_km=0.847|Caption=The 1998 NAPA Autocare 500 program cover.|Image=1998_NAPA_Autocare_500.jpg}}

The 1998 NAPA Autocare 500 was the 27th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 50th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 27, 1998, in Martinsville, Virginia at Martinsville Speedway, a {{Convert|0.526|mi|km}} permanent oval-shaped short track. The race took the scheduled 500 laps to complete. Battling immense heat, Rudd Performance Motorsports driver Ricky Rudd would manage to dominate the late stages of the race to take his 20th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.{{Cite web |last=Poole |first=David |date=September 27, 1998 |title=Rudd refuses to lose despite feeling the heat |url=http://www.thatsracin.com/98/0927/0928500lede.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817232127/http://www.thatsracin.com/98/0927/0928500lede.htm |archive-date=August 17, 2000 |access-date=September 18, 2022 |website=That's Racin' |publisher=The Charlotte Observer}}{{Cite news |last=Macur |first=Juliet |date=September 28, 1998 |title=Rudd overcomes heat to extend win streak |pages=31 |work=The Orlando Sentinel |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109746342/rudd-overcomes-heat-to-extend-win-streak/ |access-date=September 18, 2022 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the podium, Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon and Roush Racing driver Mark Martin would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

File:Martinsville_Speedway_track_map.png, the venue where the race was held.]]

Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing track located in Henry County, in Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At 0.526 miles (0.847 km) in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in NASCAR, being built in 1947 by H. Clay Earles. It is also the only remaining race track that has been on the NASCAR circuit from its beginning in 1948.

= Entry list =

(R) denotes rookie driver.

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

!Driver

!Team

!Make

!Sponsor

|Steve Park (R)

|Dale Earnhardt, Inc.

1998 NAPA Autocare 500

Background

= Entry list =

Practice

= First practice =

= Final practice =

Qualifying

= Full qualifying results =

Race results

References