The 1998 Daytona 500 was a Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup) event held at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 1998. It was the season opener. Dale Earnhardt overcame 20 years of frustration to win his first Daytona 500, leading 107 of 200 laps in route to victory. It was by far Earnhardt's crowning achievement, illustrated by the fact that every pit crew member lined pit road following the victory to shake Earnhardt's hand. Stats