| Type: | NASWINSTON |
| Caption: | The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 program cover, featuring Jeff Gordon. |
| Announcers: | Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Benny Parsons |
| Radio: | Performance Racing Network |
| Network: | ESPN |
| Pole Driver: | Jeff Gordon |
| First Team: | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Most Team: | Hendrick Motorsports |
| First Driver: | Jeff Gordon |
| Most Driver: | Jeff Gordon |
| Pole Team: | Hendrick Motorsports |
| Most Laps: | 48 |
| Avg: | 72.387mph |
| Date: | June 28 |
| Season No: | 33 |
| Location: | Sonoma, California, Sears Point Raceway |
| Race No: | 16 |
| Car: | 24 |
| Race Name: | Save Mart/Kragen 350 |
| Scheduled Mi: | 218.288 |
| Course Km: | 3.137 |
| Scheduled Km: | 351.3 |
| Distance Km: | 351.3 |
| Scheduled Laps: | 112 |
| Distance Laps: | 112 |
| Course Mi: | 1.949 |
| Year: | 1998 |
| Pole Time: | 1:11.080 |
| Distance Mi: | 218.288 |
| Official Name: | 10th Annual Save Mart/Kragen 350 |
The 1998 Save Mart/Kragen 350 was the 16th stock car race of the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 10th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, June 28, 1998, in Sonoma, California, at the club layout in Sears Point Raceway, a 1.949miles permanent road course layout. The race took the scheduled 112 laps to complete. Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon would lead a charge from 20th to the lead within the closing laps of the race to take his 33rd career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth of the season.[1] [2] To fill out the podium, Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Bobby Hamilton and Petty Enterprises driver John Andretti would finish second and third, respectively.
Sears Point Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Sears Point Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52miles long;[3] the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95miles. The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout.[4] In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99miles.[5]
The first practice session was held on Friday, June 23, at 10:00 AM PST. The session would last for three hours.[6] Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:11.209 and an average speed of 98.532mph.[7]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:11.209 | 98.532 | |
| 2 | 46 | Tommy Kendall | Team SABCO | Chevrolet | 1:11.556 | 98.055 | |
| 3 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:11.624 | 97.962 | |
| Full first practice results | |||||||
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, June 24, at 8:00 AM PST. The session would last for one hour and 15 minutes. Jerry Nadeau, driving for Elliott-Marino Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 1:12.230 and an average speed of 97.14mph.[8]
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 | Jerry Nadeau (R) | Elliott-Marino Racing | Ford | 1:12.230 | 97.140 | |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:12.377 | 96.942 | |
| 3 | 88 | Dale Jarrett | Robert Yates Racing | Ford | 1:12.567 | 96.689 | |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | |||||||
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, June 19, at 2:00 PM PST. 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, June 20, at 10:00 AM PST. 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.[9]
Jeff Gordon, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:11.080 and an average speed of 98.711mph.[10]
Six drivers would fail to qualify: Tommy Kendall, Dave Marcis, Todd Bodine, Rick Ware, and Chris Raudman.