A. J. Foyt Enterprises and the 1998 Indy Racing League title

Kenny Brack won the 1998 Indy Racing League championship for A. J. Foyt Enterprises in a season that finally ran as one continuous spring, summer and fall calendar. Fifteen drivers completed all 11 races, twice as many as the year before. The title was settled in the last race, where Brack finished tenth and took the championship.

What made the 1998 season different?

The 1998 season was one of relative stability compared with the two years before it. It was the first time the series ran a single full season across spring, summer and fall, like other motorsports. The Riley and Scott chassis made its first complete season, though it proved unpopular because it had arrived late in the development cycle.

A. J. Foyt Enterprises had a strong year. Its drivers captured four wins, the Indianapolis 500 pole and the championship, which made it arguably the most successful year in the team's history.

A season of stability, a late chassis and a title won by finishing tenth.

How did the schedule change?

Eight races from 1997 returned, and three new ones were added. The series ran its second Indy-car race ever at Dover International Speedway, the first at that track since 1969, as part of a push into traditional stock-car markets. It also competed at the reconfigured Atlanta Motor Speedway, which had hosted Indy cars eight times between 1965 and 1983, before its final event of the season at Texas Motor Speedway in the fall.

All the races were run on oval speedways. The Walt Disney World Speedway opened the year on January 24, when qualifying was rained out and the grid was set by 1996-97 entrant standings for the first 20 positions.

Who won the early races?

Tony Stewart won the Indy 200 from pole at Walt Disney World, ahead of Jeff Ward and Davey Hamilton. At Phoenix on March 22 Jeff Ward took pole, but Scott Sharp won the Dura-Lube 200, with Stewart second and Billy Boat third.

The Indianapolis 500 on May 24 was the year's biggest race. Billy Boat took pole, but Eddie Cheever won the race, becoming the first owner-driver to win since A. J. Foyt in 1977. Cheever's team had been unsponsored before the event, and sponsorship from Rachel's Gourmet Potato Chips kept the team open for Robby Unser and Cheever for the rest of the season.

The race had its share of drama. Lyn St. James failed to qualify, so the starting lineup was all men for the first time since 1991. Brack ran out of fuel while leading, and his owner, A. J. Foyt, threw the laptop computer that had said Brack had enough fuel.

The True Value 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 6 saw Tony Stewart on pole and Billy Boat win, his only IndyCar victory. Boat had been declared the 1997 Texas winner, but a scoring error had given Arie Luyendyk that victory. John Paul Jr. replaced Mike Groff at Byrd-Cunningham Racing for the rest of the season.

At New England on June 28 Boat took pole and Stewart won, his final IndyCar victory. Boat's accident on lap 95 kept him out of the next two races. Team owner John Menard Jr. suspected that A. J. Foyt Enterprises was cheating, and he pulled the Robbie Buhl car from those same two events, while Stewart's entry stayed in because it was leading the points.

Which races decided the title?

At Dover Downs on July 19 Stewart was on pole again, but Scott Sharp won the Pep Boys 400K. Only 10 of the 22 starters were still running at the finish. Greg Ray replaced the injured Billy Boat and crashed with Eddie Cheever on lap 104, finishing 15th.

Kenny Brack had his first IndyCar win at Charlotte on July 25, after Tony Stewart had taken pole. Brack then won at Pikes Peak on August 16, when Billy Boat had taken pole and Robbie Buhl finished second after starting sixth. Brack won again at Atlanta on August 29, where only the top ten cars finished.

John Paul Jr. won the Lone Star 500 at Texas on September 20, his second and final IndyCar victory. He had won the 1983 Michigan 500 sixteen years earlier. Going into the season finale, Brack led Davey Hamilton by 31 points and Stewart by 41.

How was the champion settled?

The Las Vegas 500K on October 11 went to Arie Luyendyk, his final IndyCar win, and he went into semi-retirement the following year. Tony Stewart started second but spun on lap seven and finished 14th, 30 laps down. Davey Hamilton crashed with Roberto Guerrero on lap 130 and finished 19th.

Brack finished tenth, six laps down, and that was enough to win the championship. He had driven steadily while the title contenders around him lost ground.

Which penalties changed the standings?

Orlando's qualifying was rained out, so the first grid was set by 1996-97 entrant points for the first 20 positions. At Phoenix Scott Sharp lost 7 points after his car failed the post-race fuel capacity inspection. At Pikes Peak Tony Stewart and Robbie Buhl each lost 15 points because the rear wings of both Team Menard cars broke the technical rules.

The Pikes Peak race where Stewart and Buhl lost their points was won by Brack, the driver who went on to take the title. The deductions still counted in the championship table.

The points system awarded 3 points for pole, 2 for the second-best qualifier, 1 for the third-best and 2 for leading the most laps. Ties were broken first by wins, then by seconds and thirds.

How did the rest of the field finish?

At Walt Disney World the top ten was Stewart, Ward, Hamilton, Gregoire, Dismore, Sharp, Mike Groff, Luyendyk, Sam Schmidt and John Paul Jr. Billy Roe, John Hollansworth Jr., Affonso Giaffone and Jim Guthrie failed to qualify. At Phoenix the order was Sharp, Stewart, Boat, Gregoire, Ward, Goodyear, Schmidt, Raul Boesel, Calkins and Cheever.

The Indianapolis 500 top ten was Cheever, Lazier, Steve Knapp, Hamilton, Robby Unser, Brack, John Paul Jr., Andy Michner, J. J. Yeley and Calkins. Eliseo Salazar, Tyce Carlson, Scott Harrington, Hideshi Matsuda and Jaques Lazier were among those who did not make the field.

At Texas in June the top ten was Boat, Greg Ray, Brack, Goodyear, Sharp, Buhl, Hamilton, Marco Greco, Robby Unser and Stan Wattles. At New England the order was Stewart, Goodyear, Sharp, Hamilton, Luyendyk, Salazar, Buddy Lazier, Dismore, Cheever and Buhl. At Dover, Luyendyk retired from the top ten after a crash.

At Charlotte the top ten was Brack, Ward, Goodyear, Luyendyk, Greco, John Paul Jr., Hamilton, Gregoire, Jack Miller and Stevie Reeves, the last of whom retired with a CV joint failure. At Pikes Peak the order was Brack, Buhl, Stewart, Gregoire, Hamilton, Greco, Buddy Lazier, Cheever, Boat and Donnie Beechler, and Boat, back after missing two races, finished ninth.

The Atlanta top ten was Brack, Hamilton, Cheever, Goodyear, Stewart, Ward, Dismore, Luyendyk, Andy Michner and Boesel, and only the top ten finished. At Texas in the autumn the top ten was John Paul Jr., Robby Unser, Ward, Roberto Guerrero, Brack, Buddy Lazier, Buhl, Stan Wattles, Hamilton and Dismore. In the finale at Las Vegas the order was Luyendyk, Schmidt, Buddy Lazier, Paul, Cheever, Brian Tyler, Buhl, Greco, Steve Knapp and Brack.

Season results