New Hampshire International Speedway is a 1.058-mile (1.703 km) oval speedway located in Loudon, New Hampshire which has hosted NASCAR racing annually since the early 1990s, as well as an IndyCar weekend and the oldest motorcycle race in North America, the Loudon Classic. Nicknamed "The Magic Mile", the speedway is often converted into a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) road course, which includes much of the oval. The track was originally the site of Bryar Motorsports Park before being purchased and redeveloped by Bob Bahre. The track is currently one of eight major NASCAR tracks owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports.
The first practice session was held on the morning of Friday, July 10. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.419 and an average speed of 129.467 mph (208.357 km/h).[3]
The second practice session was held on the afternoon of Friday, July 10. Ken Schrader, driving for Andy Petree Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.517 and an average speed of 129.038 mph (207.667 km/h).[4]
The final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Saturday, July 11. Mark Martin, driving for Roush Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.761 and an average speed of 127.980 mph (205.964 km/h).[5]
Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 10, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 25 drivers in the round would be guaranteed a starting spot in the race. If a driver was not able to guarantee a spot in the first round, they had the option to scrub their time from the first round and try and run a faster lap time in a second round qualifying run, held on Saturday, July 11, at 10:00 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time.[6] On January 24, 1998, NASCAR would announce that the amount of provisionals given would be increased from last season. Positions 26-36 would be decided on time, while positions 37-43 would be based on provisionals. Six spots are awarded by the use of provisionals based on owner's points. The seventh is awarded to a past champion who has not otherwise qualified for the race. If no past champion needs the provisional, the next team in the owner points will be awarded a provisional.[7]
Ricky Craven, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 29.665 and an average speed of 128.394 miles per hour (206.630 km/h).[8]
Dave Marcis was the only driver to fail to qualify.
