# 1988 Checker 500

The 1988 Checker 500 was the 28th and penultimate stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the eighth and final race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 6, 1988, before an audience of 60,000 in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete.
In the closing laps of the race, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki took advantage of a misfortunate Ricky Rudd, who suffered an engine failure after being the dominant driver of the race. Passing Rudd for the lead with 16 laps left in the race, Kulwicki was able to defend a large gap to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte and Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison finished second and third, respectively.
In the driver's championship battle for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, championship leader Bill Elliott maintained a 79-point lead over second-place driver Rusty Wallace heading into the final race of the season, the 1988 Atlanta Journal 500. In order for Elliott to guarantee the title victory in the final race, he needed to finish 18th or better in the race.
In the driver's championship for the NASCAR Winston West Series, Razore Racing's Roy Smith won the championship over runner-up Bill Schmitt.

## Background

Phoenix International Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.
The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5 mi (4.0 km) road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51 mi (2.43 km) interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Jim Bown | Bown Racing | Chevrolet | Rose Auto Wrecking |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench Service |
| 03 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | Schmitt Racing |
| 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 |
| 14 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Buick | Anaheim Brakes & Wheels |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Crisco |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 19 | Chad Little | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | Coors Extra Gold |
| 20 | Scott Gaylord | Burney Racing | Oldsmobile | Oliver Manufacturing |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 22 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | St. James Racing |
| 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | Wayne Paging |
| 24 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Nex Shop |
| 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 | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 31 | Johnny Rutherford | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 41 | Jack Sellers | Vincent Racing | Chevrolet | Coca-Cola |
| 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 | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 66 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Oldsmobile | Skoal |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator |
| 69 | Trevor Boys | Boys Racing | Oldsmobile | Boys Racing |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Joe Ruttman | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | Helen Rae |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 79 | Roy Smith | Razore Racing | Ford | Peterbilt |
| 82 | J. C. Danielsen | Gautsche Racing | Buick | Chico Auto Parts |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Evinrude Outboard Motors |
| 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 95 | Harry Jefferson | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | Peterbilt |
| 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, November 4, 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 were 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 Saturday, November 5, at 1:30 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 were decided on time, and depending on who needed it, a select amount of positions were given to cars who had not otherwise qualified but were high enough in owner's points; which was up to two for cars in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and up to two extra provisionals for the cars in the NASCAR Winston West Series.
Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 29.220 and an average speed of 123.203 miles per hour (198.276 km/h) in the first round.
Seven drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.220 | 123.203 |
| 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 29.299 | 122.871 |
| 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 29.314 | 122.808 |
| 4 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 29.368 | 122.582 |
| 5 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 29.371 | 122.570 |
| 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 29.395 | 122.470 |
| 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 29.422 | 122.357 |
| 8 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.432 | 122.316 |
| 9 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.438 | 122.291 |
| 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 29.468 | 122.166 |
| 11 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 29.503 | 122.021 |
| 12 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.537 | 121.881 |
| 13 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.546 | 121.844 |
| 14 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 29.558 | 121.794 |
| 15 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 29.581 | 121.700 |
| 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.593 | 121.650 |
| 17 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 29.603 | 121.609 |
| 18 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 29.627 | 121.511 |
| 19 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | McGriff Racing | Pontiac | 29.655 | 121.396 |
| 20 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 29.667 | 121.347 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 29.465 | 122.179 |
| 22 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 29.535 | 121.889 |
| 23 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 29.624 | 121.523 |
| 24 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.625 | 121.519 |
| 25 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 29.634 | 121.482 |
| 26 | 73 | Joe Ruttman | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 29.674 | 121.322 |
| 27 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 29.678 | 121.302 |
| 28 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 29.711 | 121.167 |
| 29 | 79 | Roy Smith | Razore Racing | Ford | 29.740 | 121.049 |
| 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 29.756 | 120.984 |
| 31 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.758 | 120.976 |
| 32 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 29.775 | 120.907 |
| 33 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 29.794 | 120.830 |
| 34 | 31 | Johnny Rutherford | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 29.862 | 120.555 |
| 35 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 29.878 | 120.490 |
| 36 | 1 | Jim Bown | Bown Racing | Chevrolet | 29.987 | 120.052 |
| 37 | 19 | Chad Little | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | 29.993 | 120.028 |
| 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 30.111 | 119.558 |
| 39 | 24 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 30.145 | 119.423 |
| 40 | 69 | Trevor Boys | Boys Racing | Oldsmobile | 30.156 | 119.379 |
| Winston Cup provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 42 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| Winston West provisional |||||||
| 43 | 03 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||
| 44 | 14 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 45 | 20 | Scott Gaylord | Burney Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 46 | 22 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 47 | 41 | Jack Sellers | Vincent Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 66 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 49 | 82 | J. C. Danielsen | Gautsche Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 50 | 95 | Harry Jefferson | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 312 | 41 | running | 180 | $54,100 |
| 2 | 17 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 312 | 2 | running | 175 | $31,075 |
| 3 | 20 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 165 | $24,275 |
| 4 | 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 312 | 0 | running | 160 | $19,475 |
| 5 | 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 312 | 68 | running | 160 | $20,400 |
| 6 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 311 | 2 | running | 155 | $13,700 |
| 7 | 33 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 311 | 0 | running | 146 | $11,400 |
| 8 | 15 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 311 | 0 | running | 142 | $9,650 |
| 9 | 18 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 311 | 0 | running | 138 | $9,050 |
| 10 | 9 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 311 | 11 | running | 139 | $10,150 |
| 11 | 13 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 130 | $15,100 |
| 12 | 3 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 311 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,850 |
| 13 | 16 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,550 |
| 14 | 24 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 310 | 0 | running | 121 | $9,250 |
| 15 | 12 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 310 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,850 |
| 16 | 23 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 115 | $2,450 |
| 17 | 25 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 309 | 0 | running | 112 | $9,500 |
| 18 | 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 308 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,575 |
| 19 | 37 | 19 | Chad Little | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | 307 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,450 |
| 20 | 40 | 69 | Trevor Boys | Boys Racing | Oldsmobile | 306 | 0 | running | 103 | $2,875 |
| 21 | 8 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 306 | 0 | running | 100 | $9,150 |
| 22 | 27 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 305 | 0 | running | 97 | $3,875 |
| 23 | 41 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | 304 | 0 | running | 94 | $3,300 |
| 24 | 28 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 303 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,080 |
| 25 | 42 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 299 | 0 | running | 88 | $2,175 |
| 26 | 4 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 296 | 183 | engine | 95 | $17,350 |
| 27 | 14 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 293 | 5 | running | 87 | $9,550 |
| 28 | 11 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 292 | 0 | running | 79 | $4,750 |
| 29 | 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 221 | 0 | running | 76 | $2,690 |
| 30 | 29 | 79 | Roy Smith | Razore Racing | Ford | 218 | 0 | running | 73 | $1,975 |
| 31 | 32 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 215 | 0 | engine | 70 | $2,600 |
| 32 | 5 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 213 | 0 | engine | 67 | $1,900 |
| 33 | 39 | 24 | Gary Collins | Collins Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 212 | 0 | engine | 64 | $2,525 |
| 34 | 19 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | McGriff Racing | Pontiac | 177 | 0 | engine | 61 | $2,475 |
| 35 | 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 168 | 0 | oilpan | 58 | $4,435 |
| 36 | 7 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 | crash | 55 | $3,805 |
| 37 | 43 | 03 | Bill Schmitt | Schmitt Racing | Chevrolet | 157 | 0 | crash | 52 | $1,795 |
| 38 | 35 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 157 | 0 | crash | 49 | $3,775 |
| 39 | 34 | 31 | Johnny Rutherford | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 155 | 0 | crash | 46 | $3,775 |
| 40 | 31 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 133 | 0 | engine | 43 | $1,750 |
| 41 | 26 | 73 | Joe Ruttman | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 65 | 0 | crash | 40 | $1,725 |
| 42 | 36 | 1 | Jim Bown | Bown Racing | Chevrolet | 64 | 0 | engine | 37 | $1,725 |
| 43 | 22 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 13 | 0 | engine | 34 | $1,725 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) |||||||||||
| 44 | | 14 | Butch Gilliland | Gilliland Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 45 | | 20 | Scott Gaylord | Burney Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 46 | | 22 | St. James Davis | St. James Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 47 | | 41 | Jack Sellers | Vincent Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 66 | John Krebs | Krebs Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 49 | | 82 | J. C. Danielsen | Gautsche Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 50 | | 95 | Harry Jefferson | George Jefferson Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Bill Elliott | 4,358 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 4,279 (-79) |
| | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,130 (-228) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 3,835 (–493) |
| | 5 | Ken Schrader | 3,703 (–655) |
| | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 3,676 (–682) |
| | 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,604 (–754) |
| | 8 | Phil Parsons | 3,515 (–843) |
| | 9 | Sterling Marlin | 3,489 (–869) |
| | 10 | Davey Allison | 3,456 (–902) |
| Official driver's standings ||||