NASCAR Cup
Indianapolis qualifying report
IRVAN REIGNS IN QUALIFYING FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR INDIANAPOLIS, July 30, 1998 - Ernie Irvan posted a track-record speed of 179.394 mph on the first qualifying attempt Thursday for the Brickyard 400, and he held on to win the pole for the second ...
Edited: May 8, 2001, 12:19 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
IRVAN REIGNS IN QUALIFYING FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
INDIANAPOLIS, July 30, 1998 - Ernie Irvan posted a track-record speed of 179.394 mph on the first qualifying attempt Thursday for the Brickyard 400, and he held on to win the pole for the second consecutive year when the following 49 drivers couldn't top his fast lap at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Irvan's lap in the Skittles Pontiac came after a six-hour, 15-minute rain delay. He became the second two-time pole winner for this NASCAR Winston Cup Series event, as Jeff Gordon won the pole in 1995-96.
"It was an awesome lap," Irvan said. "I don't know what I could have done differently. My nerves are still in a bucket because I was the first to go out. I'm not good at waiting.
"A lot of good drivers went out late. The one we were so nervous about was Jeff Gordon."
Gordon, 1994 Brickyard 400 winner and defending NASCAR Winston Cup champion, qualified third at 178.324 in the DuPont/Quaker State/Pepsi/GMAC Chevrolet. 1996 Brickyard 400 winner Dale Jarrett qualified beside Irvan on the front row at 178.596 in the Quality Care Service/Ford Credit Ford.
"He knows how to get around this place," Gordon said of Irvan. "That was a heck of a lap. Everybody was shooting at him, but no one could come close."
Rookie Kenny Irwin Jr., an Indianapolis native, will start fourth in the Texaco/Havoline Ford after a lap of 178.260.
The fifth annual Brickyard 400 starts at 12:15 p.m. (CDT) Saturday. Second-round qualifying starts at noon Friday on the 2.5-mile oval. Defending race champion Ricky Rudd and past Winston Cup champions Dale Earnhardt, Bill Elliott and Darrell Waltrip will try to get into the field Friday after failing to qualify Thursday. Earnhardt won this event in 1995.
BRICKYARD 400 NOTEBOOK
Broadcast schedule: The Brickyard 400 will be broadcast live on ABC and the IMS Radio Network at 1 p.m. (EDT) Aug. 1. ESPN's "On The Grid" prerace show starts at noon (EDT) Aug. 1, while the IMS Radio Network prerace show starts at 12:30 p.m. Aug. 1.
ESPN2 will offer live second-day qualifying from 1-2 p.m. July 31.
ESPN and ESPN2 also will provide thorough coverage of Brickyard 400 practice and race previews July 31. Practices will be shown on ESPN2 from 6-7 p.m. July 31. The "Before They Go Green" preview will be shown on ESPN from 7:30-8:30 p.m. July 31.
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Wallace on the Rebound at Brickyard
Next article Brickyard 400: Irwin making progress for Yates
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Dale Jarrett
Elliott, Busch clash would turn “ugly” in normal times – Jarrett
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Darlington II
Elliott, Busch clash would turn “ugly” in normal times – Jarrett
Jarrett slams “consequences” of Talladega manufacturer orders
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Talladega II
Jarrett slams “consequences” of Talladega manufacturer orders
Robert Yates reflects on Hall of Fame career with posthumous speech
NASCAR Cup
NASCAR Cup
Robert Yates reflects on Hall of Fame career with posthumous speech
Latest news
Christian Horner blames Dietrich Mateschitz’s death for the “painful” end of his F1 reign
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
23 min
Christian Horner blames Dietrich Mateschitz’s death for the “painful” end of his F1 reign
F1 signs historic 10-year Rwanda deal to host African Grand Prix
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 58 min
F1 signs historic 10-year Rwanda deal to host African Grand Prix
Fred Vasseur "not sure" if Red Bull is currently F1's best team
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
2 h
Fred Vasseur "not sure" if Red Bull is currently F1's best team
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe