was forced to skip the event due to gallbladder surgery that needed to be performed immediately after the NAPA 500 so that he would be ready for Daytona in February. Darrell Waltrip drove the No. 88 in Jarrett's place. Final points standings (key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by owner's points standings. * – Most laps led. Rookie of the Year This would be the last time until 2004 in which a rookie candidate did not win a race. The winner of this year's award was Kenny Irwin Jr., who qualified for 32 of the 33 races, had four top-tens, and one pole position in his Robert Yates Racing Ford. Kevin Lepage finished in second-place despite missing six races and starting the year with an underfunded team. Third-place finisher Jerry Nadeau also switched teams, starting the year with Bill Elliott Racing but winding up at Melling Racing at season's end. Finally, the last-place finisher was pre-season favorite Steve Park, who missed most of the year after suffering a broken leg in a practice crash at Atlanta Motor Speedway. See also 1998 NASCAR Busch Series 1998 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Sources Racing Reference TV schedule provided by Race2Win The Auto Channel References NASCAR Cup Series seasons