1988 Southern 500

21st race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series July 2023 NASWINSTON 806.799 ESPN Melling Racing Bill Elliott 9 154 Melling Racing Bill Elliott 30.577 Melling Racing Bill Elliott 128.297 mi/h km/h 501.322 367 2.198 1.366 Darlington Raceway, Darlington, South Carolina The 1988 Southern 500 program cover, featuring Dale Earnhardt. 1988 Southern 500 program cover and logo.jpg 29 21 1988 Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett, Gary Nelson Motor Racing Network Southern 500 39th Annual Southern 500 1988 9 4 50,000 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 mi 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.Higgins Tom September 5, 1988 Elliott Holds Off Wallace At Darlington 1C, 4C The Charlotte Observer https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-elliott-holds-off/128446974/ July 18, 2023 Newspapers.com McLaurin Jim September 5, 1988 Elliott nabs Southern 500 1C, 4C The State https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-state-elliott-nabs-southern-500-par/128447382/ July 18, 2023 Newspapers.com To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Rusty Wallace and Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively. Background thumb|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 (R) denotes rookie driver. #DriverTeamMake2Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile04Hershel McGriffMcGriff RacingPontiac5Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord8Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord10Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord11Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet12Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick15Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord17Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet21Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord23Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac28Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord29Dale JarrettCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac31Jim SauterBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile32Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick33Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet36H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac55Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile57Morgan ShepherdOsterlund RacingBuick68Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet75Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac77Ken RaganRagan RacingFord80Jimmy Horton (R)S&H RacingFord83Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile87Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingOldsmobile88Rick MastBaker-Schiff RacingOldsmobile90Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord97Rodney CombsWinkle MotorsportsBuick98Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuick Qualifying 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 timeSeptember 1, 1988 NASCAR Today 5B The Charlotte Observer https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-nascar-today/128464143/ July 18, 2023 Newspapers.com 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 mph km/h in the first round.Higgins Tom September 2, 1988 Elliott To Start Out Front 1D, 4D The Charlotte Observer https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-elliott-to-start/128465240/ July 18, 2023 Newspapers.com Two drivers would fail to qualify. Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed19Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord30.577160.82723Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30.697160.19837Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord30.704160.16245Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.750159.922527Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac30.781159.761617Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.803159.64776Mark MartinRoush RacingFord30.929158.996815Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord30.989158.689933Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet31.007158.5961057Morgan ShepherdOsterlund RacingBuick31.085158.1981183Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile31.115158.0461244Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile31.124158.0001397Rodney CombsWinkle MotorsportsBuick31.145157.8941430Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac31.165157.7921528Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord31.172157.757168Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick31.190157.666172Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet31.213157.5501829Dale JarrettCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile31.222157.504194Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile31.247157.3782077Ken RaganRagan RacingFord31.251157.358Failed to lock in Round 12155Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile31.256157.3332288Rick MastBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobile31.265157.2882311Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet31.296157.1322475Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac31.328156.9712525Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.333156.9462643Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac31.343156.8962790Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord31.350156.8612852Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac31.391156.6562926Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick31.415156.5373012Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick31.419156.5173168Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord31.432156.4523231Jim SauterBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile31.493156.1493323Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile31.539155.9213436H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac31.582155.7093521Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord31.602155.6103610Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord31.617155.5373787Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingOldsmobile31.733154.9683871Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet31.748154.8963932Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick31.886154.2244080Jimmy Horton (R)S&H RacingFord31.922154.050Failed to qualify4198Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuick -* -*4204Hershel McGriffMcGriff RacingPontiac32.292152.285Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings119Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord367154running185$75,8002527Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac36750running175$38,850323Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet36785running170$31,3754617Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3675running165$19,85051244Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile36721running160$21,13062155Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile3660running150$12,950745Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3667running151$11,31082311Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet3660running142$13,26091528Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord3669running143$15,105102926Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick3666running139$13,130112525Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet3660running130$10,980121183Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile3660running127$6,815132790Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord36525running129$19,305143012Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick3652running126$11,4951537Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord3650running118$8,735162475Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac3640running115$11,19517815Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord3632running117$12,635183610Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord3600running109$6,2401976Mark MartinRoush RacingFord3580running106$5,04020172Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet3580running103$4,985211397Rodney CombsWinkle MotorsportsBuick3570running100$3,320223871Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet3550running97$6,320233231Jim SauterBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile3510running0$4,120242852Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac3500running91$5,000251430Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac3430running88$5,955263323Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile3400running85$2,815273436H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac3400running82$2,725283521Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord3371running84$9,630293932Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick3320running76$2,54030168Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick3170oil pressure73$5,335312077Ken RaganRagan RacingFord3080accident70$2,340322288Rick MastBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobile3050running0$5,530332643Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac2660engine64$4,925341829Dale JarrettCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile2390engine61$2,850353168Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord2030accident58$4,755363787Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingOldsmobile1350engine55$2,055374080Jimmy Horton (R)S&H RacingFord1140engine52$2,00538194Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile820engine49$2,580391057Morgan ShepherdOsterlund RacingBuick530engine46$1,91040933Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet500engine43$4,450Official race results Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 10px 1 Bill Elliott 3,212 10px 2 Rusty Wallace 3,186 (-26) 10px 3 Dale Earnhardt 3,071 (-141) 10px 4 Ken Schrader 2,832 (–380) 10px 5 Terry Labonte 2,796 (–416) 10px 6 Geoff Bodine 2,791 (–421) 10px 7 Sterling Marlin 2,704 (–508) 10px 1 8 Darrell Waltrip 2,669 (–543) 10px 1 9 Phil Parsons 2,661 (–551) 10px 1 10 Davey Allison 2,509 (–703)Official driver's standings Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings. References 1988 Busch 500 1988 Miller High Life 400 (Richmond) 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Category:1988 in sports in South Carolina Category:1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Category:September 1988 sports events in the United States Category:NASCAR races at Darlington Raceway