|| *Comments on the 1998 Las Vegas 400:* View the most recent comment <#35> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. Dave posted: 01.05.2005 - 5:52 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Jack Roush has 5 of his cars in the top 10 as Mark Martin wins the inagural Las Vegas 400. 2. Chris posted: 01.06.2005 - 8:26 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) After 7 years, the lingering memory I have of this race is it was mind-numbingly dull. 3. Anonymous posted: 08.08.2006 - 2:48 am Rate this comment: (2) (0) 1st win for the Taurus 4. biffle16 posted: 12.28.2006 - 4:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ............. 5. biffle16 posted: 02.07.2007 - 12:51 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Also, Dale Earnhardt finishes 8th 100 races before his death. 6. DaleJrFan15 posted: 03.17.2007 - 10:46 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) And thats a good thing?How mean of you to comment on such a thing. 7. biffle16 posted: 04.22.2007 - 9:07 pm Rate this comment: (0) (1) I didn't mean it that way. I just think it is a coincidence, because Junior's number is 8. 8. Anonymous posted: 06.13.2007 - 5:35 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) "And thats a good thing?How mean of you to comment on such a thing." How was that comment mean? 9. RaceFanX posted: 01.28.2008 - 7:59 pm Rate this comment: (1) (1) Mark Martin has named this is his "Biggest Cup Series Victory," mainly because he had an all-new team for 1998 and they were still getting used to each other. It was the first of a career-high 7 wins for Mark in 1998. The race also produced some famous victory lane photos as Mark was shorter than the Vegas Showgirls he posed with. M&M's candies makes their first appearence on the #36 Pontiac, they'd become the car's primary sponsor from 1999-2002 The paint job was debuted earilier in the week in true Vegas fashion as a magician took a normal red Skittles painted car, pulled up a curtain, then dropped it quickly to reveal the yellow #36 Ernie drove in this race. 10. JeffBurtonFan posted: 10.07.2009 - 4:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This race seemed very Ford-ish to me. Seemed like that the other manufacturers just weren't fast enough that day. 11. Sébastien posted: 03.06.2010 - 5:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Lepage #91 sponsor was Pionite (was on TV panel only). 12. 18fan posted: 05.12.2010 - 2:07 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Burton battled back from a pit road speeding penalty in this race. 13. Frank posted: 03.17.2011 - 5:21 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Funny thing is that 1998 Rookie class had been presented like one to watch and look at this - 2 of 3 DNQ on a new-for-all track and other spun by himself in quite incident-free race 14. KurtBusch22Fan posted: 07.26.2011 - 8:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) From the stats, it looked like a good race, considering they're were 24 lead changes and the longest time someone was out from was 28 laps. 15. CBASS posted: 05.14.2012 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Some sponsor corrections using CIA Stock Photography's photos #35 Tabasco Green Pepper Sauce #6 Valvoline 16. Evan posted: 01.02.2014 - 1:08 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin ruled the new tracks on the NASCAR circuit in 1998. Also his first points win for the new Ford Taurus which proved to be pretty stout when put in the wind. I did watch the Las Vegas 400 and it was quite boring but I got to see it and I had no problem with Martin winning it. Nobody could keep up with those Fords in 1998 on the new tracks. Mark would win later at Texas when most of hs competitors were taken in yet another Texas tanglefest in turn 2. 17. Paul posted: 09.18.2014 - 11:37 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsors: #75 Rick Mast - Remington M597 Rifles (http://hostingbytes.us/images/3/1467689.png) #37 Larry Gunselman - Lucas Oil (http://hostingbytes.us/images/3/4555237.png) 18. chrisskreager posted: 02.25.2015 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The first of 108 wins for the Ford Taurus 19. Nascar Lead Lap Points posted: 06.19.2015 - 4:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) #38 should be listed as WD. When Larry Gunselman was on his Q lap, this said that Butch WD from the race 20. Will posted: 03.06.2016 - 11:34 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ford domination including all 5 Roushers in the top 10. The other manufacturers cried foul after the race. Mark sort of drove away with it, yet at the same time there were quite a few lead changes. Burton had a pit road speeding penalty, and I believe Mayfield had some missing lug nuts during the same pit stop. Both made their way into the top 5 by the end though. In fact, Mayfield didn't have radio contact with his crew either. He could hear them, but they couldn't hear him. He managed to snag 5th despite not being able to tell the crew what changes to make to the car, the pit road penalty, and only a scant two caution periods. I really think there would have been a 3 way battle for the win with Martin, Burton and Mayfield had the pit road penalties not happened or at least one more caution come out to allow them to catch back up. 21. Anonymous posted: 09.27.2016 - 7:33 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Johnny Benson would have been a part of that battle too. He fell a lap down during the first run (flat tire, I think) and got back onto the lead lead when the second caution came out. He restarted in 30th and made his way up to 4th. 22. Mitchell posted: 10.11.2017 - 10:54 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Butch Gilliland's owner was Bill Stroppe for his DNQ. 23. Mitchell posted: 10.11.2017 - 11:01 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) ...Also, Larry Gunselman's owner was Tamara Turner 24. 34McDowellFan posted: 04.18.2018 - 9:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Steve Park failed to make the field?? 25. Mike posted: 04.18.2018 - 9:53 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yes. The #1 was in its first full year, so they weren't nearly high enough in 1997 owners points to get a provisional. 26. CJ posted: 04.18.2018 - 10:07 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Season best finishes for Johnny Benson and Greg Sacks. 27. Joshua posted: 09.13.2018 - 4:31 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Twenty years and six months later, Las Vegas will run its second Cup weekend in one season for the first time. 28. RaceFanX posted: 01.01.2019 - 12:36 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin's win here in the inaugural Las Vegas Motor Speedway Winston Cup race proved to be his only Cup win here but he won on this track four more times in Busch/Nationwide Series competition. 29. HD11 posted: 03.17.2019 - 12:24 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Incredible Ford dominance placing 13 of the top 14 and leading every lap but eight. Very rare if not unheard of for a new track to have such a clean race in its debut but not one car hit the wall in this one. There were multiple racing grooves, also rare for a debuting track, and that likely contributed heavily to it being accident free. 30. RaceFanX posted: 12.21.2019 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Mark Martin was very impressed he got the win in this one because he didn't think his his #6 Valvoline Ford Taurus was going to make it to the finish at all. Just passed the halfway mark the car seemed to develop a vibration and Martin was sure it was going to break but stayed in the throttle on the basis that if it gave out he wanted to be leading when it did. The problem started coming and going late in the race but Martin held on for the win. Once he reached victory lane he got to celebrate in true Las Vegas style as they brought in famous singer Wayne Newton, as much a Sin City icon as the previously mentioned showgirls, to join the Valvoline team for the victory lane celebration. Dale Jarrett wasn't as lucky as Martin. While the #88 was running strong in this one the Ford's motor blew while he was running second to the #6, ending his day. Geoff Bodine led 12 laps late in this race on the back end of green flag pit stops. The driver of the Phillips #7 Ford fittingly gambled in Las Vegas as they tried to stretch their fuel and hope for a caution since it was the only way they could get into contention to win the race. No caution arrived and Mark Martin ran him down to make the winning pass on the track. Credit where it is due though, Bodine and his team stayed out as long as they could though before he pitted from second place when no caution arrived. Unfortunately for Bodine he overcooked the entrance to pit road and when sliding through the grass on his way to make his final pit stop (there wasn't a no commitment cone back then) and he fell from contention after the stop. Johnny Benson, Jr. also came into the pits too hot on his last pit stop and looped it into the grass at the end of pit road. He was running second to Martin, who was also making his last stop at the time, when he spun but still recovered to finish fourth. It was his best finish yet at this point in his Cup career. Hut Stricklin's #8 Circuit City Chevrolet had some issues very early in the race that led to an extended stay behind the wall. The team was able to get the Monte Carlo fixed and they made some more laps but parked it late in the race, still finishing last, once they determined there was no way to gain any more positions due to a lack of laps remaining. 31. Anthony2 posted: 12.21.2019 - 9:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Ford owned this race. 14 Fords inside the top16. 32. Corey posted: 12.21.2019 - 9:41 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) I believe this was the year NASCAR instituted the 5 and 5 rule. A 5 inch spoiler and 5 inch air dam clearance. With all the manufactures still using different templates, I believe this just gave the Ford's a massive aerodynamic advantage on the 1.5 mile tracks. Not only did they take 14 of the first 16 finishing positions, but they also took 16 of the first 24 starting spots. 33. Tarheel posted: 12.21.2019 - 10:49 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Assuming that the Fords did have an advantage at this type of track, imagine how much worse Gordon would have beaten everyone if the Fords hadn't had an advantage. 34. Jimnsimforever posted: 03.23.2020 - 12:05 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Sponsor update: #2 Rusty Wallace (Miller Lite/Elvis Presley) Can't believe nobody mentioned Rusty wasn't nothing but a hound dog, driving an Elvis car all day. Big Elvis picture with his name on the hood, plus Elvis Presley Memphis on the rear quarters. 35. Rich posted: 08.06.2020 - 9:27 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The commentators were Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons. The pit road reporters were Dr. Jerry Punch, Bill Weber and Jack Arute. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: