Coca-Cola 500 (Motegi)
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition race in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
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| Date | November 22, 1998 | ||
| Location | Twin Ring Motegi, , Japan | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.5 km) |
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| Distance | 201 laps, 311.3 mi (500.9 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures ranging between 5 °C (41 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F) | ||
| Average speed | 112.558 mph (181.145 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing South | ||
| Time | 35.116 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 94 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 31 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Buddy Baker, Dick Berggren | ||
The Coca-Cola 500 was an exhibition NASCAR held on November 22, 1998, during the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. The race took place on the Twin Ring Motegi oval course in the town of Motegi on the main Japanese island of Honshu. It was the third straight year that NASCAR held an exhibition race in Japan, previously hosting races on the Suzuka Circuit in 1996 and 1997. Teams from the Winston Cup Series, Busch Series, Craftsman Truck Series and Winston West Series made the trip to Japan to compete in the race. Four Japanese drivers entered the event, as well. The race was also the first in which Dale Earnhardt and his son, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. competed against one another in a NASCAR race, driving Nos. 3 and 1 Chevrolets, respectively. The pole position was won by Jeremy Mayfield of Penske Racing South, while Mike Skinner of Richard Childress Racing won the race. Hendrick Motorsports' Jeff Gordon finished second, while Mayfield finished third.
Located 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Tokyo, Twin Ring Motegi opened on August 1, 1997. In early 1998, plans to continue hosting the NASCAR Thunder 100 at Suzuka Circuit were cancelled, and as a result, the NASCAR race in Japan was moved to the 1.5 mi (2.4 km) Motegi oval. 28 cars traveled to Japan for the race, and a total of 31 drivers competed in the race, 13 from the Winston Cup Series, 11 from the Winston West Series, 2 from the Busch Series, 1 from the Craftsman Truck Series and 4 from Japan.
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