The initial practice laps on 4 September 98 at Road Atlanta ended in the pits with the failure of the rear main oil seal.
The master mechanics worked all night and had the machine back on the track on Saturday, 5 September. After a few fast qualifying laps Dave qualified 29th out of a field of 33.
On Sunday, 6 September, Dave took a courageous start, passing several cars on the first lap. He improved his personal best lap times by 5 seconds. On lap three, he spun out in turn seven, but recovered to continue for two more laps. On lap three, the engine began overheating and by lap five, the end was near with catastrophic engine failure as a connecting rod passed through the side of the block, starting a small underhood fire. He pulled over in turn five, leaving the race for the day.
