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1988 Southern 500

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1988 Southern 500
Race details
Race 21 of 29 in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1988 Southern 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
The 1988 Southern 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt.
Date September 4, 1988
Official name 39th Annual Southern 500
Location Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.221 km)
Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Scheduled Distance 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km)
Average speed 128.297 miles per hour (206.474 km/h)
Attendance 50,000
Pole position
Driver Melling Racing
Time 30.577
Most laps led
Driver Bill Elliott Melling Racing
Laps 154
Winner
No. 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Gary Nelson
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

The 1988 Southern 500 was the 21st stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 39th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 4, 1988, before an audience of 50,000 in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. In the final laps of the race, Melling Racing's Bill Elliott would manage to fend off Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace to the finish to take his 28th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fifth victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Rusty Wallace and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of Darlington Raceway, the venue where the race was held.

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
2 Ernie Irvan (R) U.S. Racing Chevrolet Kroger
3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet GM Goodwrench Service
4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile Kodak
04 Hershel McGriff McGriff Racing Pontiac U.S. Bank
5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett
6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Stroh Light
7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Zerex
8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller High Life
9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors Light
10 Ken Bouchard (R) Whitcomb Racing Ford Whitcomb Racing
11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet Budweiser
12 Mike Alexander Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller High Life
15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford Crisco
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
23 Eddie Bierschwale B&B Racing Oldsmobile Wayne Paging
25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Folgers
26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick Quaker State
27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac Kodiak
28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford Havoline
29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile Hardee's
30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Country Time
31 Jim Sauter Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile Slender You Figure Salons
32 Philip Duffie Duffie Racing Buick Bob Beard Buick
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac Almeda Auto Parts
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Eureka
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Crown Central Petroleum, Skoal Classic
57 Morgan Shepherd Osterlund Racing Buick Heinz Ketchup
68 Derrike Cope Testa Racing Ford Purolator Filters
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
77 Ken Ragan Ragan Racing Ford Bob Beard Ford
80 Jimmy Horton (R) S&H Racing Ford S&H Racing
83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile Wynn's, Kmart
87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Oldsmobile Sony Magnetic Products
88 Rick Mast Baker-Schiff Racing Oldsmobile Red Baron Frozen Pizza
90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
97 Rodney Combs Winkle Motorsports Buick AC Spark Plug
98 Brad Noffsinger (R) Curb Racing Buick Sunoco

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, September 1, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 20 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 Friday, September 2, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 would be decided on time[3] and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.

Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.577 and an average speed of 160.827 miles per hour (258.826 km/h) in the first round.[4]

Two drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 30.577 160.827
2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 30.697 160.198
3 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 30.704 160.162
4 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.750 159.922
5 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 30.781 159.761
6 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.803 159.647
7 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 30.929 158.996
8 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 30.989 158.689
9 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 31.007 158.596
10 57 Morgan Shepherd Osterlund Racing Buick 31.085 158.198
11 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 31.115 158.046
12 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 31.124 158.000
13 97 Rodney Combs Winkle Motorsports Buick 31.145 157.894
14 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 31.165 157.792
15 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 31.172 157.757
16 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 31.190 157.666
17 2 Ernie Irvan (R) U.S. Racing Chevrolet 31.213 157.550
18 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.222 157.504
19 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.247 157.378
20 77 Ken Ragan Ragan Racing Ford 31.251 157.358
Failed to lock in Round 1
21 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.256 157.333
22 88 Rick Mast Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 31.265 157.288
23 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 31.296 157.132
24 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 31.328 156.971
25 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.333 156.946
26 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 31.343 156.896
27 90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford 31.350 156.861
28 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 31.391 156.656
29 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 31.415 156.537
30 12 Mike Alexander Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 31.419 156.517
31 68 Derrike Cope Testa Racing Ford 31.432 156.452
32 31 Jim Sauter Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile 31.493 156.149
33 23 Eddie Bierschwale B&B Racing Oldsmobile 31.539 155.921
34 36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 31.582 155.709
35 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 31.602 155.610
36 10 Ken Bouchard (R) Whitcomb Racing Ford 31.617 155.537
37 87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Oldsmobile 31.733 154.968
38 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 31.748 154.896
39 32 Philip Duffie Duffie Racing Buick 31.886 154.224
40 80 Jimmy Horton (R) S&H Racing Ford 31.922 154.050
Failed to qualify
41 98 Brad Noffsinger (R) Curb Racing Buick -* -*
42 04 Hershel McGriff McGriff Racing Pontiac 32.292 152.285
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 367 154 running 185 $75,800
2 5 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 367 50 running 175 $38,850
3 2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 367 85 running 170 $31,375
4 6 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 367 5 running 165 $19,850
5 12 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 367 21 running 160 $21,130
6 21 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 366 0 running 150 $12,950
7 4 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 366 7 running 151 $11,310
8 23 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 366 0 running 142 $13,260
9 15 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 366 9 running 143 $15,105
10 29 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 366 6 running 139 $13,130
11 25 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 366 0 running 130 $10,980
12 11 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 366 0 running 127 $6,815
13 27 90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford 365 25 running 129 $19,305
14 30 12 Mike Alexander Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 365 2 running 126 $11,495
15 3 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 365 0 running 118 $8,735
16 24 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 364 0 running 115 $11,195
17 8 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 363 2 running 117 $12,635
18 36 10 Ken Bouchard (R) Whitcomb Racing Ford 360 0 running 109 $6,240
19 7 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 358 0 running 106 $5,040
20 17 2 Ernie Irvan (R) U.S. Racing Chevrolet 358 0 running 103 $4,985
21 13 97 Rodney Combs Winkle Motorsports Buick 357 0 running 100 $3,320
22 38 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 355 0 running 97 $6,320
23 32 31 Jim Sauter Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile 351 0 running 0 $4,120
24 28 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac 350 0 running 91 $5,000
25 14 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 343 0 running 88 $5,955
26 33 23 Eddie Bierschwale B&B Racing Oldsmobile 340 0 running 85 $2,815
27 34 36 H. B. Bailey Bailey Racing Pontiac 340 0 running 82 $2,725
28 35 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 337 1 running 84 $9,630
29 39 32 Philip Duffie Duffie Racing Buick 332 0 running 76 $2,540
30 16 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 317 0 oil pressure 73 $5,335
31 20 77 Ken Ragan Ragan Racing Ford 308 0 accident 70 $2,340
32 22 88 Rick Mast Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 305 0 running 0 $5,530
33 26 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 266 0 engine 64 $4,925
34 18 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 239 0 engine 61 $2,850
35 31 68 Derrike Cope Testa Racing Ford 203 0 accident 58 $4,755
36 37 87 Randy Baker Buck Baker Racing Oldsmobile 135 0 engine 55 $2,055
37 40 80 Jimmy Horton (R) S&H Racing Ford 114 0 engine 52 $2,005
38 19 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 82 0 engine 49 $2,580
39 10 57 Morgan Shepherd Osterlund Racing Buick 53 0 engine 46 $1,910
40 9 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 50 0 engine 43 $4,450
Failed to qualify
41 98 Brad Noffsinger (R) Curb Racing Buick
42 04 Hershel McGriff McGriff Racing Pontiac
Official race results

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (September 5, 1988). "Elliott Holds Off Wallace At Darlington". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ McLaurin, Jim (September 5, 1988). "Elliott nabs Southern 500". The State. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. September 1, 1988. pp. 5B. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Higgins, Tom (September 2, 1988). "Elliott To Start Out Front". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1D, 4D. Retrieved July 18, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon


Previous race:
1988 Busch 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1988 season
Next race:
1988 Miller High Life 400 (Richmond)