1998 Indy Racing League

1998 Indy Racing League season
Pep Boys Indy Racing League
1998 Indy Racing League
Season
Races11
Start dateJanuary 24
End dateOctober 11
Awards
Drivers' champion Kenny Bräck
Manufacturers' Cup Oldsmobile
Rookie of the Year Robby Unser
Indianapolis 500 winner Eddie Cheever
Kenny Bräck (left) won his first and only Drivers' Championship while Davey Hamilton (right) finished second in the championship again.

The 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League was one of relative stability compared to the previous two seasons. For the first time the season consisted of a single and complete spring, summer, and fall like all other motorsports. 15 drivers completed the entire 11 race schedule, twice as many as the previous season. It was also the first complete season for the new Riley & Scott chassis, though it proved unpopular due to its late introduction. A. J. Foyt Enterprises drivers captured 4 wins, the Indy 500 pole, and the championship, arguably the most successful year in the team's history.

Confirmed entries

Team Chassis Engine Tires No. Driver(s) Round(s)
A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Oldsmobile G 11 Billy Boat[N 1] 1–5, 8–11
Greg Ray 6–7
14 Kenny Bräck All
Beck Motorsports Dallara Infiniti F 54 Hideshi Matsuda 3
Blueprint Racing Dallara Oldsmobile F 27 Robbie Groff 1–2
Claude Bourbonnais 3
Billy Roe 4
Bradley Motorsports G-Force
Dallara[N 2] 		Oldsmobile G 12 Buzz Calkins 1–6, 8–11
Byrd-Cunningham Racing G-Force Oldsmobile F 10 Mike Groff[N 3][N 4] 1–3
John Paul Jr. 4–11
Cahill Auto Racing G-Force
Dallara[N 5] 		Oldsmobile F 98 Donnie Beechler  R  3–5, 7–11
CBR Cobb Racing G-Force Oldsmobile G[N 6]
F 		23 Paul Durant 2–4
Jim Guthrie[N 7] 6–7
Infiniti Roberto Guerrero 8–11
Chastain Motorsports G-Force
Dallara[N 8] 		Oldsmobile G 77 Stéphan Grégoire All
Chitwood Motorsports Dallara Oldsmobile G 17 Brian Tyler  R  1–2
Andy Michner  R  3
D. B. Mann Motorsports Dallara Oldsmobile G 24 Billy Roe 1
Dan Drinan  R  3
Hemelgarn Racing Dallara Oldsmobile G 9 Johnny Unser 3
91 Buddy Lazier All
Immke Racing Dallara Oldsmobile G 20 Tyce Carlson 1–3
ISM Racing G-Force Oldsmobile G 35 Jeff Ward All
53 Jim Guthrie 1–3
55 Steve Knapp  R  3
Kelley Racing Dallara Oldsmobile G 8 Scott Sharp All
28 Mark Dismore All
Knapp Motorsports Dallara Oldsmobile F 97 Greg Ray 1–4, 9–11
Liberty Racing G-Force Oldsmobile F 29 Joe Gosek  R [N 9] 3–4
LP Racing Dallara Oldsmobile F 66 Scott Harrington  R [N 9] 3
99 Sam Schmidt All
Lyn St. James Racing G-Force Infiniti G 90 Lyn St. James 3
McCormack Motorsports G-Force Oldsmobile G 30 Raul Boesel All
Metro Racing Systems Riley & Scott Oldsmobile G 19 Stan Wattles[N 10] 1–5, 7–11
Nienhouse Motorsports G-Force
Dallara[N 11] 		Oldsmobile G 6 Davey Hamilton All
Pagan Racing Dallara Oldsmobile G 21 Roberto Guerrero 1–4
Stevie Reeves  R  7
Panther Racing G-Force Oldsmobile G 4 Scott Goodyear All
43 Dave Steele  R  10–11
PDM Racing G-Force Oldsmobile G 18 John Paul Jr. 1–2
Jack Hewitt  R  3–5
Steve Knapp  R [N 12] 6, 8–11
Tyce Carlson 7
Phoenix Racing G-Force Oldsmobile F 16 Marco Greco All
Riley & Scott Cars Riley & Scott Oldsmobile G 15 Eliseo Salazar[N 13] 1–5
Scott Harrington  R  6
Andy Michner  R [N 14] 7–10
Jim Guthrie 11
RSM Marko Dallara Oldsmobile F 22 Dave Steele  R  2
Sinden Racing Services Dallara Infiniti
Oldsmobile[N 15] 		F 40 Dr. Jack Miller All
44 J. J. Yeley  R  2–5, 9
Jimmy Kite 7
Team Cheever Dallara[N 16]
G-Force 		Oldsmobile G 51 Eddie Cheever All
52 Robby Unser  R [N 12] 3–6, 8–11
Team Coulson Racing G-Force Oldsmobile F 41 Affonso Giaffone 1
Team Menard Dallara
G-Force[N 17] 		Oldsmobile F 1 Tony Stewart All
3 Robbie Buhl 1–5, 8–11
Team Pelfrey Dallara Oldsmobile G 81 John Paul Jr.[N 18] 3
Tyce Carlson 4
Brian Tyler  R  5–11
Team Scandia Dallara Oldsmobile G 7 Jimmy Kite[N 10] 1–4
33 Billy Roe 3
Treadway Racing G-Force Oldsmobile F
[N 19]G 		5 Arie Luyendyk All

Schedule

Rnd Date Race Name Track Location
1 January 24 Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Walt Disney World Speedway Bay Lake, Florida
2 March 22 Dura Lube 200 Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona
3 May 24 82nd Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
4 June 6 True Value 500 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas
5 June 28 New England 200 New Hampshire International Speedway Loudon, New Hampshire
6 July 19 Pep Boys 400K Dover International Speedway Dover, Delaware
7 July 25 VisionAire 500K Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, North Carolina
8 August 16 Radisson 200 Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain, Colorado
9 August 29 Atlanta 500 Classic Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Georgia
10 September 20 Lone Star 500 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas
11 October 11 Las Vegas 500K Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada
Source:[1]

All races were run on oval speedways.

The eight races that were held in calendar year 1997 returned in 1998, with the addition of three new races. As part of their effort to venture in traditional stock-car markets, the IRL held the second Indy-car race ever, the first since 1969, at Dover International Speedway, and also competed at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, which had been raced eight times by Indy-cars in its former shape between 1965 and 1983. A second race at Texas Motor Speedway in the fall completed the calendar.

Results

Rd. Race Pole position Fastest lap Most laps led Race Winner Report
Driver Team Chassis Engine
1 Walt Disney World Tony Stewart Kenny Bräck Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Team Menard G-Force Oldsmobile Report
2 Phoenix Jeff Ward Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Scott Sharp Kelley Racing Dallara Oldsmobile Report
3 Indianapolis Billy Boat Tony Stewart Eddie Cheever Eddie Cheever Team Cheever Dallara Oldsmobile Report
4 Texas 1 Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Billy Boat Billy Boat A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Oldsmobile Report
5 New Hampshire Billy Boat Davey Hamilton Tony Stewart Tony Stewart Team Menard Dallara Oldsmobile Report
6 Dover Tony Stewart Greg Ray Scott Sharp Scott Sharp Kelley Racing Dallara Oldsmobile Report
7 Charlotte Tony Stewart Kenny Bräck Kenny Bräck Kenny Bräck A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Oldsmobile Report
8 Pikes Peak Billy Boat Jeff Ward Jeff Ward Kenny Bräck A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Oldsmobile Report
9 Atlanta Billy Boat Billy Boat Scott Goodyear Kenny Bräck A. J. Foyt Enterprises Dallara Oldsmobile Report
10 Texas 2 Billy Boat Jeff Ward Tony Stewart John Paul Jr. Byrd-Cunningham Racing G-Force Oldsmobile Report
11 Las Vegas Billy Boat Arie Luyendyk Arie Luyendyk Arie Luyendyk Treadway Racing G-Force Oldsmobile Report

Race summaries

Indy 200

The Indy 200 was held on January 24 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Qualifying was rained out, so Tony Stewart won the pole position due to the race being lined up by 1996–97 entrant standings for the first 20 positions and the remaining eight came from the best practice speeds of the remaining cars.

Top 10 results

  1. 1- Tony Stewart
  2. 35- Jeff Ward
  3. 6- Davey Hamilton
  4. 77- Stéphan Grégoire
  5. 28- Mark Dismore
  6. 8- Scott Sharp
  7. 10- Mike Groff
  8. 5- Arie Luyendyk
  9. 99- Sam Schmidt
  10. 18- John Paul Jr.

Dura-Lube 200

The Dura-Lube 200 was held on March 22 at Phoenix International Raceway. Jeff Ward qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 8- Scott Sharp
  2. 1- Tony Stewart
  3. 11- Billy Boat
  4. 77- Stéphan Grégoire
  5. 35- Jeff Ward
  6. 4- Scott Goodyear
  7. 99- Sam Schmidt
  8. 30- Raul Boesel
  9. 12- Buzz Calkins
  10. 51- Eddie Cheever

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 was held on May 24 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position.

Top ten results

  1. 51- Eddie Cheever
  2. 91- Buddy Lazier
  3. 55- Steve Knapp
  4. 6- Davey Hamilton
  5. 52- Robby Unser
  6. 14- Kenny Bräck
  7. 81- John Paul Jr.
  8. 17- Andy Michner
  9. 44- J. J. Yeley
  10. 12- Buzz Calkins
  • Failed to qualify: 10-Brian Tyler, 10, 20, 29-Joe Gosek, 15, 19-Eliseo Salazar, 20-Tyce Carlson, 23-Paul Durant, 24-Dan Drinan, 27-Claude Bourbonnais, 54-Hideshi Matsuda, 66-Scott Harrington, 68-Jaques Lazier, 81-Danny Ongais and 90-Lyn St. James
  • Cheever became the first owner/driver to win the Indianapolis 500 since A. J. Foyt in 1977.
  • Cheever, whose team was unsponsored prior to this race, planned to shut down his team after the race. However, he and teammate Robby Unser received sponsorship from Rachel's Gourmet Potato Chips. This, combined with Cheever's victory, kept the team open the rest of the season.
  • Because St. James failed to qualify, the starting lineup consisted of only men for the first time since 1991.
  • On the first lap, Yeley spun out and collected Cheever. Both recovered to finish in the top 10.
  • Bräck ran out of fuel while leading. As a result, owner Foyt threw the laptop computer that said that Bräck had enough fuel in anger.

True Value 500

The True Value 500 was held June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 11- Billy Boat
  2. 97- Greg Ray
  3. 14- Kenny Bräck
  4. 4- Scott Goodyear
  5. 8- Scott Sharp
  6. 3- Robbie Buhl
  7. 6- Davey Hamilton
  8. 16- Marco Greco
  9. 52- Robby Unser
  10. 19- Stan Wattles

New England 200

The New England 200 was held on June 28 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position.

Top ten results

  1. 1- Tony Stewart
  2. 4- Scott Goodyear
  3. 8- Scott Sharp
  4. 6- Davey Hamilton
  5. 5- Arie Luyendyk
  6. 15- Eliseo Salazar
  7. 91- Buddy Lazier
  8. 28- Mark Dismore
  9. 51- Eddie Cheever
  10. 3- Robbie Buhl
  • Stewart's final IndyCar win.
  • Boat was involved in a large crash lap 95 and missed the next two races.
  • Team owner John Menard Jr. believed that A. J. Foyt Enterprises was cheating and withdrew his car driven by Robbie Buhl from the next two races. His other car, driven by Stewart, was not withdrawn as it was leading the point standings.

Pep Boys 400K

The Pep Boys 400K was held on July 19 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Tony Stewart qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 8- Scott Sharp (248 laps)
  2. 91- Buddy Lazier (248 laps)
  3. 16- Marco Greco (246 laps)
  4. 6- Davey Hamilton (246 laps)
  5. 77- Stephan Gregoire (244 laps)
  6. 4- Scott Goodyear (242 laps)
  7. 23- Jim Guthrie (229 laps)
  8. 1- Tony Stewart (220 laps)
  9. 5- Arie Luyendyk (203 laps, DNF - Crash)
  10. 14- Kenny Bräck (197 laps)
  • Failed to qualify: 15-Eliseo Salazar
  • Greg Ray replaced the injured Billy Boat. He started 7th, but crashed with Eddie Cheever on lap 104 and finished 15th.
  • Only 10 (1st through 8th, 10th, and 12th) of the 22 starters were running at the finish.

VisionAire 500K

The VisionAire 500K was held on July 25 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Tony Stewart qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 14- Kenny Bräck (208 laps)
  2. 35- Jeff Ward (208 laps)
  3. 4- Scott Goodyear (208 laps)
  4. 5- Arie Luyendyk (206 laps)
  5. 16- Marco Greco (205 laps)
  6. 10- John Paul Jr. (203 laps)
  7. 6- Davey Hamilton (202 laps)
  8. 77- Stéphan Grégoire (201 laps)
  9. 40- Jack Miller (194 laps)
  10. 21- Stevie Reeves (184 laps, DNF - CV Joint)
  • Bräck's first IndyCar win.

Radisson 200

The Radisson 200 was held August 16 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 14- Kenny Bräck
  2. 3- Robbie Buhl
  3. 1- Tony Stewart
  4. 77- Stéphan Grégoire
  5. 6- Davey Hamilton
  6. 16- Marco Greco
  7. 91- Buddy Lazier
  8. 51- Eddie Cheever
  9. 11- Billy Boat
  10. 98- Donnie Beechler
  • Boat returned in this race. He qualified on the pole position and finished 9th, one lap down.
  • Buhl also returned in this race, finishing 2nd after starting 6th.

Atlanta 500 Classic

The Atlanta 500 Classic was held on August 29 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 14- Kenny Bräck
  2. 6- Davey Hamilton
  3. 51- Eddie Cheever
  4. 4- Scott Goodyear
  5. 1- Tony Stewart
  6. 35- Jeff Ward
  7. 28- Mark Dismore
  8. 5- Arie Luyendyk
  9. 15- Andy Michner
  10. 30- Raul Boesel
  • Only the top 10 finishers finished the race.

Lone Star 500

The Lone Star 500 was held on September 20 at Texas Motor Speedway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 10- John Paul Jr.
  2. 52- Robby Unser
  3. 35- Jeff Ward
  4. 23- Roberto Guerrero
  5. 14- Kenny Bräck
  6. 91- Buddy Lazier
  7. 3- Robbie Buhl
  8. 19- Stan Wattles
  9. 6- Davey Hamilton
  10. 28- Mark Dismore

Las Vegas 500K

The Las Vegas 500K was held on October 11 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

  1. 5- Arie Luyendyk
  2. 99- Sam Schmidt
  3. 91- Buddy Lazier
  4. 10- John Paul Jr.
  5. 51- Eddie Cheever
  6. 81- Brian Tyler
  7. 3- Robbie Buhl
  8. 16- Marco Greco
  9. 18- Steve Knapp
  10. 14- Kenny Bräck
  • Luyendyk's final IndyCar win. It would also be his final season as a full-time driver, as he would choose to go into semi-retirement in 1999.
  • Of the championship contenders, Tony Stewart started 2nd, but spun on lap seven and finished 14th (30 laps down), Davey Hamilton was involved in a crash with Roberto Guerrero on lap 130, finishing 19th. Bräck cruised the rest of the way to finish 10th, six laps down, enough to win the championship.

Points standings

Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems
Pos Driver WDW
 PHX
 INDY
 TMS1
 NHS
 DOV
 CHA
 PPR
 ATL
 TMS2
 LVS
 Pts
1 Kenny Bräck 13 14 6 3 18 10 1* 1 1 5 10 332
2 Davey Hamilton 3 26 4 7 4 4 7 5 2 9 19 292
3 Tony Stewart 1* 2* 33 14 1* 8 21 3 5 20* 14 289
4 Scott Sharp 6 1 16 5 3 1* 18 11 18 23 12 272
5 Buddy Lazier 15 28 2 11 7 2 13 7 17 6 3 262
6 Jeff Ward 2 5 13 17 22 19 2 20* 6 3 21 252
7 Scott Goodyear 17 6 24 4 2 6 3 18 4* 22 22 244
8 Arie Luyendyk 8 24 20 13 5 9 4 22 8 28 1* 227
9 Eddie Cheever 24 10 1* 26 9 16 20 8 3 25 5 222
10 Marco Greco 27 20 14 8 13 3 5 6 13 16 8 219
11 John Paul Jr. 10 19 7 16 26 21 6 15 23 1 4 216
12 Stéphan Grégoire 4 4 17 25 24 5 8 4 20 26 17 201
13 Billy Boat 21 3 23 1* 21 9 12 14 26 194
14 Sam Schmidt 9 7 26 18 12 17 14 13 15 27 2 186
15 Mark Dismore 5 16 27 21 8 18 15 19 7 10 15 180
16 Robby Unser  RY  5 9 11 11 12 16 2 16 176
17 Robbie Buhl 20 12 31 6 10 2 11 7 7 174
18 Brian Tyler  R  19 17 DNQ 14 12 16 16 21 13 6 140
19 Buzz Calkins 14 9 10 15 15 Wth 24 28 11 11 134
20 Raul Boesel 18 8 19 28 19 14 24 25 10 17 18 132
21 Greg Ray 25 11 18 2 15 17 24 21 25 128
22 Steve Knapp  R  3 13 14 14 18 9 118
23 Dr. Jack Miller 23 DNQ 21 22 16 20 9 23 27 12 28 100
24 Andy Michner  R  8 12 17 9 15 92
25 Stan Wattles 22 DNQ 28 10 17 Wth 26 8 13 88
26 Roberto Guerrero 26 27 22 24 21 19 4 20 83
27 Tyce Carlson 11 13 DNQ 12 11 73
28 Donnie Beechler  R  32 27 20 19 10 22 19 23 71
29 Eliseo Salazar 12 23 DNQ 23 6 Wth 60
30 Mike Groff 7 15 15 56
31 Jimmy Kite 16 18 11 23 52
32 J. J. Yeley  R  25 9 19 23 25 50
33 Jim Guthrie DNQ DNQ 29 7 22 24 41
34 Jack Hewitt  R  12 25 23
35 Stevie Reeves  R  10 20
36 Dave Steele  R  22 24 27 17
37 Billy Roe DNQ 30 20 11
38 Paul Durant 21 DNQ 9
39 Scott Harrington  R  DNQ 22 8
40 Johnny Unser 25 5
41 Robbie Groff 28 DNQ 2
– Affonso Giaffone DNQ 0
– Claude Bourbonnais DNQ 0
– Dan Drinan  R  DNQ 0
– Joe Gosek  R  DNQ 0
– Hideshi Matsuda DNQ 0
– Lyn St. James DNQ 0
– Danny Ongais Wth 0
Pos Driver WDW
 PHX
 INDY
 TMS1
 NHS
 DOV
 CHA
 PPR
 ATL
 TMS2
 LVS
 Pts
Color Result
Gold Winner
Silver 2nd place
Bronze 3rd place
Green 4th & 5th place
Light Blue 6th–10th place
Dark Blue Finished
(Outside Top 10)
Purple Did not finish
(Ret)
Red Did not qualify
(DNQ)
Brown Withdrawn
(Wth)
Black Disqualified
(DSQ)
White Did not start
(DNS)
Blank Did not
participate
(DNP)
Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
(2 points)
Italics Ran fastest race lap
* Led most race laps
(1 point)
DNS Any driver who qualifies
but does not start (DNS),
earns all the points
had they taken part.
 RY  Rookie of the Year
 R  Rookie
  • Ties in points broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., and then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.

Additional points were awarded to the pole winner (3 points), the second best qualifier (2 points), the third best qualifier (1 point) and to the driver leading the most laps (2 point).

Notes:
Orlando: No additional points for the qualifying were awarded due to rain; starting grid were determined by 1996–97 entrant points for the first 20 positions and the remaining eight went to top practice times from Thursday.
Phoenix: Scott Sharp had 7 points deduction, because his car failed the post-race fuel capacity inspection.
Pikes Peak: Tony Stewart and Robbie Buhl had 15 points deduction each, because the rear wings of both Team Menard cars were found to be in violation of technical specifications.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ Injured at New Hampshire.
  2. ^ Used from Atlanta onwards.
  3. ^ Initially replaced by Brian Tyler on Bump Day for the Indy 500, before Tyler relinquished the seat after practising.
  4. ^ Joe Gosek passed his Indianapolis rookie test in the car.
  5. ^ Used from Charlotte onwards.
  6. ^ Used at Phoenix, Indianapolis and Pikes Peak.
  7. ^ Signed after being injured at the Indy 500 while driving for ISM Racing.
  8. ^ Used at New Hampshire, Charlotte, Atlanta and Texas 2.
  9. ^ a b Not considered rookie for the Indy 500.
  10. ^ a b Considered rookie only for the Indy 500.
  11. ^ Used at Charlotte, and from Atlanta onwards.
  12. ^ a b Injured at Dover.
  13. ^ Injured in a practice crash at Dover.
  14. ^ Injured in a NASCAR Busch Series test at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
  15. ^ Used by J. J. Yeley at Phoenix and Indianapolis.
  16. ^ Used by Eddie Cheever. Robby Unser used it at Indianapolis and New Hampshire.
  17. ^ Used at Walt Disney World. Tony Stewart used it at Phoenix and Dover.
  18. ^ He replaced Danny Ongais, who got injured in a practice crash.
  19. ^ Used at Las Vegas.

References

  1. ^ "NTT IndyCar Series Calendar 1998". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
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