# 1988 Champion Spark Plug 400

The 1988 Champion Spark Plug 400 was the 19th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 21, 1988, before an audience of 72,000 in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway. The race took the scheduled 200 laps to complete. Taking advantage of a misfortunate Bill Elliott, Ranier-Lundy Racing driver Davey Allison would manage to lead the final 23 laps of the race to take his third career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace and Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway as MIS's oval design was a direct basis of TWS, with moderate modifications to the banking in the corners, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | Port-A-Lube, Bud Light |
| 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | Gibbs–West Tractor |
| 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 |
| 06 | Lee Raymond | Coyle Racing | Chevrolet | Riverside Auto Parts |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 07 | Larry Moyer | Stark Racing | Pontiac | Hooters, Just Say No! |
| 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 |
| 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | Coors Extra Gold |
| 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 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 31 | Donnie Allison | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 38 | Mike Laws | ProStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | ProStar Motorsports |
| 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Dingman Brothers Racing |
| 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Pontiac | Tom Company |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum, Skoal |
| 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 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | S&H Racing |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 88 | Morgan Shepherd | 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 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Sadler Brothers Racing |
| 96 | Dana Patten | Patten Racing | Buick | U.S. Chrome |
| 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 Saturday, August 20, at 11:30 AM 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 Saturday, August 20, 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, 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 were given.
Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 41.157 and an average speed of 174.940 miles per hour (281.539 km/h) in the first round.
Nine drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 41.157 | 174.940 |
| 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.289 | 174.381 |
| 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.295 | 174.355 |
| 4 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 41.342 | 174.157 |
| 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 41.343 | 174.153 |
| 6 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 41.434 | 173.770 |
| 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 41.449 | 173.707 |
| 8 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 41.472 | 173.611 |
| 9 | 88 | Morgan Shepherd | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.520 | 173.410 |
| 10 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 41.617 | 173.006 |
| 11 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 41.738 | 172.505 |
| 12 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 41.745 | 172.476 |
| 13 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 41.752 | 172.447 |
| 14 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.769 | 172.377 |
| 15 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41.779 | 172.335 |
| 16 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 41.805 | 172.228 |
| 17 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 41.814 | 172.191 |
| 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 41.844 | 172.068 |
| 19 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 41.881 | 171.916 |
| 20 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 41.884 | 171.903 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 41.885 | 171.899 |
| 22 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 41.911 | 171.793 |
| 23 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 41.924 | 171.739 |
| 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 41.931 | 171.711 |
| 25 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 41.941 | 171.670 |
| 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 41.947 | 171.645 |
| 27 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 41.991 | 171.465 |
| 28 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 42.002 | 171.420 |
| 29 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.003 | 171.416 |
| 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 42.080 | 171.103 |
| 31 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 42.082 | 171.095 |
| 32 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 42.086 | 171.078 |
| 33 | 96 | Dana Patten | Patten Racing | Buick | 42.152 | 170.810 |
| 34 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 42.153 | 170.806 |
| 35 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.182 | 170.689 |
| 36 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 42.217 | 170.547 |
| 37 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 42.225 | 170.515 |
| 38 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 42.225 | 170.515 |
| 39 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 42.259 | 170.378 |
| 40 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 42.362 | 169.964 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 31 | Donnie Allison | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 42.373 | 169.920 |
| 42 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 42.775 | 168.323 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Pontiac | 42.718 | 168.547 |
| 44 | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | 42.719 | 168.543 |
| 45 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 42.867 | 167.961 |
| 46 | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | 43.017 | 167.376 |
| 47 | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 43.033 | 167.313 |
| 48 | 38 | Mike Laws | ProStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 43.362 | 166.044 |
| 49 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 43.650 | 164.948 |
| 50 | 06 | Lee Raymond | Coyle Racing | Chevrolet | 44.078 | 163.347 |
| 51 | 07 | Larry Moyer | Stark Racing | Pontiac | - | - |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 4 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 200 | 38 | running | 180 | $60,475 |
| 2 | 7 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 75 | running | 180 | $37,250 |
| 3 | 1 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 200 | 36 | running | 170 | $31,775 |
| 4 | 9 | 88 | Morgan Shepherd | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 6 | running | 165 | $19,600 |
| 5 | 16 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 155 | $14,650 |
| 6 | 6 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 150 | $18,425 |
| 7 | 28 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 200 | 0 | running | 146 | $12,365 |
| 8 | 22 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 | running | 142 | $14,365 |
| 9 | 23 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,910 |
| 10 | 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 | running | 134 | $12,705 |
| 11 | 14 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 200 | 0 | running | 130 | $9,750 |
| 12 | 3 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 1 | running | 132 | $11,695 |
| 13 | 20 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 199 | 1 | running | 129 | $12,190 |
| 14 | 25 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 199 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,860 |
| 15 | 21 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 199 | 0 | running | 118 | $8,935 |
| 16 | 10 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 198 | 3 | engine | 120 | $7,895 |
| 17 | 15 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 198 | 1 | running | 117 | $11,085 |
| 18 | 35 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 109 | $5,175 |
| 19 | 36 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 198 | 0 | running | 106 | $3,665 |
| 20 | 13 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 198 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,205 |
| 21 | 27 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,320 |
| 22 | 18 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 197 | 0 | running | 97 | $6,160 |
| 23 | 12 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 197 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,075 |
| 24 | 29 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 197 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,965 |
| 25 | 37 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 196 | 0 | running | 88 | $3,710 |
| 26 | 42 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 196 | 0 | running | 85 | $3,030 |
| 27 | 34 | 19 | Chad Little | Little Racing | Ford | 195 | 0 | running | 82 | $2,725 |
| 28 | 38 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 195 | 0 | running | 79 | $2,670 |
| 29 | 5 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 194 | 39 | running | 81 | $14,315 |
| 30 | 33 | 96 | Dana Patten | Patten Racing | Buick | 193 | 0 | running | 73 | $2,535 |
| 31 | 32 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 186 | 0 | running | 70 | $2,490 |
| 32 | 26 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 162 | 0 | engine | 67 | $3,295 |
| 33 | 40 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 157 | 0 | engine | 64 | $2,400 |
| 34 | 17 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 127 | 0 | engine | 61 | $5,080 |
| 35 | 41 | 31 | Donnie Allison | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 114 | 0 | engine | 58 | $3,000 |
| 36 | 8 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 104 | 0 | engine | 55 | $4,955 |
| 37 | 39 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 94 | 0 | engine | 52 | $4,915 |
| 38 | 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 72 | 0 | spindle | 49 | $4,870 |
| 39 | 24 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 68 | 0 | distributor | 46 | $4,825 |
| 40 | 19 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 51 | 0 | engine | 43 | $9,210 |
| 41 | 11 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 50 | 0 | oil pan | 40 | $2,210 |
| 42 | 31 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 21 | 0 | ignition | 37 | $2,710 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 51 | David Simko | Simko Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 44 | | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 45 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 47 | | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 38 | Mike Laws | ProStar Motorsports | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 49 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 50 | | 06 | Lee Raymond | Coyle Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 51 | | 07 | Larry Moyer | Stark Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 2,873 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,852 (-21) |
| | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,716 (-157) |
| | 4 | Ken Schrader | 2,602 (–271) |
| | 5 | Terry Labonte | 2,552 (–321) |
| | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 2,470 (–403) |
| 1 | 7 | Sterling Marlin | 2,417 (–456) |
| 1 | 8 | Phil Parsons | 2,405 (–468) |
| | 9 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,353 (–520) |
| | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 2,235 (–638) |
| Official driver's standings ||||