Coca-Cola 500 (Motegi)

1998 Coca-Cola 500

Race details
Exhibition race in the 1998 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Date	November 22, 1998 (1998-11-22)
Location	Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi, Japan
Course	Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.5 km)
Distance	201 laps, 311.3 mi (500.9 km)
Weather	Temperatures ranging between 5 °C (41 °F) and 10 °C (50 °F)[1]
Average speed	112.558 mph (181.145 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Jeremy Mayfield	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 a non-championship exhibition NASCAR stock car race 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.^[2] 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.