1998 Pepsi 400
The 1998 Pepsi 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car race held on October 17, 1998, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Originally scheduled to be held on the Fourth of July, the race was postponed until the fall due to widespread wildfires in central Florida; it was the first superspeedway race to be held at night, and the first time (and, as of 2023, the only time) there were two consecutive points-paying restrictor plate races, with the Winston 500 being run first on October 11.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 30 of 33 in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
|
1998 Pepsi 400 program, showing the original planned date of July 4, 1998 | |||
| Date | October 17, 1998 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643.738 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures descending as low as 72 °F (22 °C); wind speeds approaching 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 144.549 miles per hour (232.629 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 46.485 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 49 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Eli Gold, Dick Berggren and Buddy Baker | ||
Contested over 160 laps, it was the thirtieth race of the 1998 season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports took his eleventh win of the season, while Bobby Labonte finished second and Mike Skinner finished third. Gordon retained his point lead on the way to his third Winston Cup championship title.