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1998 TranSouth Financial 400

Race details
Race 5 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1998 TranSouth Financial 400 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
Date	March 22, 1998
Official name	42nd Annual TranSouth Financial 400
Location	Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance	293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km)
Scheduled Distance	293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km)
Average speed	127.962 miles per hour (205.935 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Mark Martin	Roush Racing
Time	29.156
Most laps led
Driver	Jeff Burton	Roush Racing
Laps	195
Winner
No. 88	Dale Jarrett	Robert Yates Racing
Television in the United States
Network	ESPN
Announcers	Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons
Radio in the United States
Radio	Motor Racing Network

The 1998 TranSouth Financial 400 was the fifth stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 42nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, March 22, 1998, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 293 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race, Robert Yates Racing driver Dale Jarrett would manage to defend Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon to take his 16th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top 3, Gordon and Penske-Kranefuss Racing driver Rusty Wallace would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Entry list

• (R) denotes rookie driver.

*Changed to 17 after NASCAR did not allow car digits to exceed two digits.

Practice

First practice

The first practice session was held on the morning of Friday, March 20. Kenny Irwin Jr., driving for Robert Yates Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.286 and an average speed of 167.919 mph (270.239 km/h).

Second practice

The second practice session was held on the afternoon of Friday, March 20. Bobby Labonte, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.336 and an average speed of 167.630 mph (269.774 km/h).

Final practice

The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, March 21. Ted Musgrave, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.758 and an average speed of 165.253 mph (265.949 km/h).

Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, March 20, at 3:30 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, March 21, at 11:30 AM EST. 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.

Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.156 and an average speed of 168.665 miles per hour (271.440 km/h).

Six drivers would fail to qualify: Wally Dallenbach Jr., Dave Marcis, Hut Stricklin, Gary Bradberry, Morgan Shepherd, and Ron Hornaday Jr.

Full qualifying results

Race results

References

1. Poole, David (March 22, 1998). "Jarrett holds off Gordon for victory at Darlington". That's Racin'. The Charlotte Observer. Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
2. "Jarrett edges Gordon for win". The Brattleboro Reformer. March 23, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved September 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
3. McLaurin, Jim (March 21, 1998). "Waltrip revs up plan to help former driver". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
4. "Darlington practice speeds from Friday morning session". That's Racin'. March 20, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
5. "Winston Cup afternoon Practice". That's Racin'. March 20, 1998. Archived from the original on May 3, 2001. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
6. "Happy Hour practice speeds". That's Racin'. March 21, 1998. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
7. "This Week's Races". Asbury Park Press. March 19, 1998. p. 36. Retrieved September 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Additional Provisionals announced". Motorsport.com. January 24, 1998. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
9. McLaurin, Jim (March 20, 1998). "Martin didn't need smarts to win Darlington pole". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on August 18, 2000. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
10. "1998 TranSouth Financial 400 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved September 20, 2022.

• 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
• NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway
• March 1998 sports events in the United States
• 1998 in sports in South Carolina