Winston Cup (WC)
Racing 500 laps at Bristol, is more than a days work. The heat, the constant inertia pull from the high banks, and the bumping and grinding while concentrating on getting ahead of the guy in front of you, took its toll on the drivers Saturday night. They were all pretty well beat when the race was in the books. Mark Martin recorded his 27th career win in Winston Cup, and his fifth win of the '98 season, by holding off Jeff Burton, and hard charging Rusty Wallace. Rusty drove his heart out, after brake problems put him a lap down early in the race. His teammate, Jeremy Mayfield was in the lead at the right time for Wallace, allowing him to get his lap back. Then, he had to work his way up through the lead lap cars, and with the help of pit stops, was up with the front runners again.
Jeff Gordon failed in his bid to win five in a row, but his fifth place finish left him on top of the points battle. Although, Martin's win lowered his deficit from 97 to 67 points behind Gordon, in his bid for the elusive WC championship. Top ten finishers, with money won:
- Mark Martin $80, 315
- Jeff Burton $58, 615
- Rusty Wallace $58, 165
- Dale Jarrett $58, 855
- Jeff Gordon $58, 650
- Dale Earnhardt $42, 540
- Mike Skinner $33, 965
- Jeremy Mayfield $45, 015
- Ricky Rudd $45, 540
- Kevin Lepage $42, 590
Kudos to Kevin Lepage, driver of the No. 16 Primestar car for Roush Racing, for a top ten finish in his new ride. The driver he replaced, Ted Musgrave, finished 20th in Travis Carter's No. 23 Winston No Bull car, while regular driver Jimmy Spencer is recovering from a concussion he suffered at Indy. Not a bad job, you have to take into consideration that he was working with a team that he wasn't used to. Mike Skinner, driver of the No. 31 Lowe's car, showed his consistency by again placing in the top ten, this time right behind his teammate Dale Earnhardt. Skinners qualifying efforts earned him a front row start beside pole sitter Rusty Wallace. Skinner and crew chief Larry McReynolds are definitely doing something right!
The news is out that Michael Waltrip and the Wood Bros. might be parting company. He's going to look for a new ride at the end of the season, and the Woods' are going to look for a new driver. If neither party can find what they're looking for, Waltrip will continue driving the No. 21 CITGO Ford in '99.
