Cobra427, your right, Dick most likely didn't do 198 mph. It's pretty clear he actually exceeded 200 mph unofficially, with 198 being the official time.
Seriously, the evidence and support for Dick's run is substantial, I have no doubt he did it. What is really interesting to me is that Dick did not necessarily set out to break any speed records. This occured during a RACE, with other cars on the track at the time, he was just trying to win.