# 1988 AC Spark Plug 500

The 1988 AC Spark Plug 500 was the 16th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 16th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 24, 1988, before an audience of 70,000 in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, at Pocono Raceway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) triangular permanent course. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. At race's end, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott would manage to dominate a majority of the race, leading 122 laps to take his 27th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader and Ranier-Lundy Racing driver Davey Allison would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Pocono International Raceway, which is a three-turn superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. The track hosts two annual NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, as well as one Xfinity Series and Camping World Truck Series event. Until 2019, the track also hosted an IndyCar Series race.
Pocono International Raceway is one of a very few NASCAR tracks not owned by either Speedway Motorsports, Inc. or International Speedway Corporation. It is operated by the Igdalsky siblings Brandon, Nicholas, and sister Ashley, and cousins Joseph IV and Chase Mattioli, all of whom are third-generation members of the family-owned Mattco Inc, started by Joseph II and Rose Mattioli.
Outside of the NASCAR races, the track is used throughout the year by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and motorcycle clubs as well as racing schools and an IndyCar race. The triangular oval also has three separate infield sections of racetrack – North Course, East Course and South Course. Each of these infield sections use a separate portion of the tri-oval to complete the track. During regular non-race weekends, multiple clubs can use the track by running on different infield sections. Also some of the infield sections can be run in either direction, or multiple infield sections can be put together – such as running the North Course and the South Course and using the tri-oval to connect the two.

### Entry list

* (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 |
| 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 |
| 16 | Bob Schacht | Chilson Racing | Ford | Ed Learn Ford |
| 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 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | Hylton Motorsports |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Dingman Brothers Racing |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum, Skoal Classic |
| 64 | Mike Potter | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | Bullfrog Knits |
| 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator Filters |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | S&H Racing |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | James Chevrolet |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | Salmon Racing |
| 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | AC Spark Plug |
| 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | Sunoco |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, July 22, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver would have one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 15 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 Saturday, July 23, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 16-40 would be 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; up to two provisionals were given.
Morgan Shepherd, driving for RahMoc Enterprises, would win the pole, setting a time of 57.269 and an average speed of 157.153 miles per hour (252.913 km/h) in the first round.
Five drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 57.269 | 157.153 |
| 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 57.485 | 156.563 |
| 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 57.496 | 156.533 |
| 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57.613 | 156.215 |
| 5 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57.632 | 156.163 |
| 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 57.729 | 155.901 |
| 7 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 57.857 | 155.556 |
| 8 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 57.915 | 155.400 |
| 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 57.927 | 155.368 |
| 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 57.985 | 155.213 |
| 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 58.019 | 155.122 |
| 12 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 58.049 | 155.041 |
| 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 58.094 | 154.921 |
| 14 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 58.148 | 154.777 |
| 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 58.211 | 154.610 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 16 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 57.743 | 155.863 |
| 17 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 58.289 | 154.403 |
| 18 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 58.361 | 154.213 |
| 19 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 58.378 | 154.168 |
| 20 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 58.382 | 154.157 |
| 21 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 58.450 | 153.978 |
| 22 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 58.463 | 153.944 |
| 23 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 58.567 | 153.670 |
| 24 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 58.640 | 153.479 |
| 25 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 58.715 | 153.283 |
| 26 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 58.716 | 153.280 |
| 27 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 58.842 | 152.952 |
| 28 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 58.964 | 152.636 |
| 29 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 59.024 | 152.480 |
| 30 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 59.042 | 152.434 |
| 31 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 59.075 | 152.349 |
| 32 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 59.150 | 152.156 |
| 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 59.185 | 152.066 |
| 34 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 59.284 | 151.812 |
| 35 | 16 | Bob Schacht | Chilson Racing | Ford | 59.533 | 151.177 |
| 36 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 59.557 | 151.116 |
| 37 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 59.573 | 151.075 |
| 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 59.879 | 150.303 |
| 39 | 64 | Mike Potter | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | 1:00.033 | 149.918 |
| 40 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 1:01.512 | 146.313 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 42 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 43 | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 44 | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | -* | -* |
| 45 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 2 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 122 | running | 185 | $53,200 |
| 2 | 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 5 | running | 175 | $30,725 |
| 3 | 12 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 165 | $26,275 |
| 4 | 5 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 28 | running | 165 | $17,775 |
| 5 | 10 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 6 | running | 160 | $17,925 |
| 6 | 1 | 75 | Morgan Shepherd | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 200 | 13 | running | 155 | $16,600 |
| 7 | 6 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $8,600 |
| 8 | 3 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $11,425 |
| 9 | 17 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 200 | 15 | running | 143 | $13,775 |
| 10 | 23 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 8 | running | 139 | $10,025 |
| 11 | 9 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $15,025 |
| 12 | 25 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 200 | 2 | running | 132 | $7,875 |
| 13 | 13 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 124 | $5,575 |
| 14 | 8 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $7,275 |
| 15 | 18 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 199 | 0 | running | 118 | $10,875 |
| 16 | 30 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 115 | $3,925 |
| 17 | 24 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 112 | $6,675 |
| 18 | 20 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 198 | 0 | running | 109 | $10,725 |
| 19 | 37 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 197 | 0 | running | 106 | $3,100 |
| 20 | 7 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 197 | 0 | running | 103 | $11,875 |
| 21 | 26 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 196 | 0 | running | 100 | $5,925 |
| 22 | 34 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 195 | 0 | running | 97 | $2,525 |
| 23 | 32 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 195 | 0 | running | 94 | $5,525 |
| 24 | 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 189 | 0 | running | 91 | $11,175 |
| 25 | 21 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 88 | $3,425 |
| 26 | 40 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Bobby Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 187 | 0 | running | 85 | $2,275 |
| 27 | 28 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 166 | 0 | steering | 82 | $3,175 |
| 28 | 15 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 161 | 1 | engine | 84 | $6,525 |
| 29 | 36 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 141 | 0 | engine | 76 | $2,125 |
| 30 | 33 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 128 | 0 | engine | 73 | $4,825 |
| 31 | 29 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 119 | 0 | engine | 70 | $4,725 |
| 32 | 16 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 92 | 0 | crash | 67 | $4,150 |
| 33 | 19 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 91 | 0 | crash | 64 | $5,550 |
| 34 | 14 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 91 | 0 | suspension | 61 | $1,850 |
| 35 | 31 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | engine | 58 | $4,425 |
| 36 | 22 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 78 | 0 | engine | 55 | $1,750 |
| 37 | 39 | 64 | Mike Potter | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | 44 | 0 | rear end | 52 | $1,700 |
| 38 | 27 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 34 | 0 | engine | 49 | $1,675 |
| 39 | 38 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 26 | 0 | engine | 46 | $4,250 |
| 40 | 35 | 16 | Bob Schacht | Chilson Racing | Ford | 5 | 0 | engine | 43 | $1,600 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 43 | | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 48 | Tony Spanos | Hylton Motorsports | Buick | | | | | |
| 45 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 2,363 |
| 1 | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,360 (-3) |
| 1 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,315 (-48) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 2,188 (–175) |
| | 5 | Ken Schrader | 2,151 (–212) |
| 1 | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 2,094 (–269) |
| 1 | 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,054 (–309) |
| 2 | 8 | Phil Parsons | 2,002 (–361) |
| | 9 | Sterling Marlin | 1,995 (–368) |
| | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 1,947 (–416) |
| Official driver's standings ||||