Born to Boogie: 1998 Ford F-150 NASCAR Edition

NASCAR and Ford celebrated the series’ 50th anniversary with this cool special edition truck.

If you were a NASCAR fan back in the ’90s, there’s three things that you likely remember. There’s the famous Earnhardt/Gordon rivalry, the introduction of the Craftsman (Gander RV & Outdoors) Truck Series, and the sport’s 50th anniversary celebration back in 1998.

This 1998 Ford F-150 NASCAR Edition combines two of those events into what may be the ultimate ’90s collectible for stock car fans. Just 3,000 of these trucks are made, and this one is likely one of the nicest examples around.

This truck has remained with its original owner since 1998, and in that time, it’s covered fewer than 40,000 miles. Besides some NASCAR-specifics striping and decals, the 1998 NASCAR Edition F-150s had several other cool features that made them stand out from standard Ford pickups from that year.

Short Bed Utility With Short Track Style

Naturally, it’s a single cab, shortbed model, with a 4.6 liter Modular V8 under the hood. The grey interior features several optional creature comforts, including air conditioning, cruise control, and an AM/FM cassette stereo. You’ll also find a 60/40 split bench seat with a center armrest and cupholder, and a sliding rear window.

Trucks have come a long way, and become far more luxurious since 1998. However, this was a pretty well-equipped truck by 1998 standards.

This truck rides on 16 inch NASCAR style wheels wrapped in yellow letter Goodyear tires. For a street car, this is as close as you’re going to get if you want the stock car (or stock truck) aesthetic. They look cool combined with the truck’s black paint and the checkerboard motif.

You won’t find hardly any chrome on this truck – the grille and bumpers are blacked out like the Nite from earlier in the decade. The only chrome you’ll find is the polished dual tips of the side exit exhaust, which exits right behind the rear wheel on the passenger side.

This was the second year of this body style, which was a major departure for Ford’s F-Series truck lineup. Thankfully, it was a success. While the NASCAR Edition is more of an appearance package, some details seem to hint at the Lightning, which would debut the following year.

Photos: Hemmings/GR Auto Gallery

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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