# 1988 Winston 500

The 1988 Winston 500 was the ninth stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 19th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 1, 1988, before an audience of 135,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. In the closing laps of the race, Jackson Brothers Motorsports driver Phil Parsons would fiercely defend the field en route to his first and only career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the podium, Stavola Brothers Racing driver Bobby Allison and Hendrick Motorsports driver Geoff Bodine would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### 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, Pepsi |
| 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 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 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 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 31 | Brad Teague | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal |
| 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 |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Crown, Skoal Classic |
| 67 | Rick Jeffrey | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator Filters |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | Helen Rae Motorsports |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Branch-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 |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 95 | Trevor Boys | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Sadler Brothers Racing |
| 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | AC Spark Plug |
| 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | Sunoco Ultra |
| 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ball Motorsports |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, April 28, at 3:00 PM CST. 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, April 29, at 5:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver would have one lap to set a time. One more position, the last starting spot on the field, was given to the driver who was not locked into the top 40 on owner's points.
Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 48.128 and an average speed of 198.969 miles per hour (320.210 km/h).
Four drivers would fail to qualify: Jimmy Horton, Trevor Boys, Connie Saylor, and Ken Bouchard.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 48.128 | 198.969 |
| 2 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.289 | 198.306 |
| 3 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Brothers Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 48.364 | 197.999 |
| 4 | 12 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 48.604 | 197.021 |
| 5 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 48.613 | 196.984 |
| 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 48.793 | 196.258 |
| 7 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 48.813 | 196.177 |
| 8 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.859 | 195.993 |
| 9 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 48.887 | 195.880 |
| 10 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.213 | 194.583 |
| 11 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 49.220 | 194.555 |
| 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 49.231 | 194.512 |
| 13 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49.288 | 194.287 |
| 14 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 49.513 | 193.404 |
| 15 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 49.523 | 193.365 |
| 16 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.524 | 193.361 |
| 17 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 49.531 | 193.333 |
| 18 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 49.582 | 193.135 |
| 19 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 49.628 | 192.956 |
| 20 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 49.723 | 192.587 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 49.597 | 193.076 |
| 22 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 49.661 | 192.827 |
| 23 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 49.830 | 192.173 |
| 24 | 31 | Brad Teague | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 49.857 | 192.069 |
| 25 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 49.981 | 191.593 |
| 26 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 50.085 | 191.195 |
| 27 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 50.269 | 190.495 |
| 28 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 50.351 | 190.185 |
| 29 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 50.395 | 190.019 |
| 30 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 50.399 | 190.004 |
| 31 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 50.462 | 189.767 |
| 32 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 50.517 | 189.560 |
| 33 | 67 | Rick Jeffrey | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | 50.523 | 189.537 |
| 34 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 50.574 | 189.346 |
| 35 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Branch-Ragan Racing | Ford | 50.577 | 189.335 |
| 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 50.614 | 189.197 |
| 37 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 50.703 | 188.865 |
| 38 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 50.823 | 188.419 |
| 39 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 50.872 | 188.237 |
| 40 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | 51.030 | 187.654 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 51.546 | 185.776 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 51.425 | 186.213 |
| 43 | 95 | Trevor Boys | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | 51.438 | 186.166 |
| 44 | 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.799 | 184.868 |
| 45 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 51.899 | 184.512 |
| Official qualifying results |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 3 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Brothers Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 188 | 52 | running | 180 | $86,850 |
| 2 | 4 | 12 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 188 | 13 | running | 175 | $50,060 |
| 3 | 13 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 99 | running | 175 | $37,560 |
| 4 | 19 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 188 | 1 | running | 165 | $28,425 |
| 5 | 6 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 188 | 11 | running | 160 | $27,165 |
| 6 | 8 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 1 | running | 155 | $17,775 |
| 7 | 11 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 146 | $21,375 |
| 8 | 5 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 142 | $18,000 |
| 9 | 16 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 188 | 0 | running | 138 | $21,500 |
| 10 | 15 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 188 | 3 | running | 139 | $19,300 |
| 11 | 28 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 188 | 0 | running | 130 | $9,790 |
| 12 | 12 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 188 | 0 | running | 127 | $7,240 |
| 13 | 7 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 188 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,840 |
| 14 | 9 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 188 | 0 | running | 121 | $13,440 |
| 15 | 18 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 188 | 0 | running | 118 | $6,640 |
| 16 | 10 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 187 | 0 | running | 115 | $9,740 |
| 17 | 17 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 187 | 0 | running | 112 | $5,120 |
| 18 | 37 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 186 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,920 |
| 19 | 39 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 106 | $13,320 |
| 20 | 32 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 185 | 0 | running | 103 | $8,970 |
| 21 | 24 | 31 | Brad Teague | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 185 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,260 |
| 22 | 26 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 185 | 0 | running | 97 | $7,760 |
| 23 | 22 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 184 | 0 | running | 94 | $7,320 |
| 24 | 27 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 184 | 0 | running | 91 | $6,920 |
| 25 | 34 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 183 | 0 | running | 88 | $4,670 |
| 26 | 31 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 183 | 0 | running | 85 | $6,695 |
| 27 | 36 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 183 | 0 | running | 82 | $6,545 |
| 28 | 21 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Oldsmobile | 182 | 0 | flagged | 79 | $4,145 |
| 29 | 14 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 177 | 0 | engine | 76 | $6,345 |
| 30 | 33 | 67 | Rick Jeffrey | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | 176 | 0 | engine | 73 | $6,245 |
| 31 | 40 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Chevrolet | 176 | 0 | running | 70 | $3,450 |
| 32 | 41 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 169 | 0 | overheating | 67 | $4,350 |
| 33 | 23 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 148 | 0 | crash | 64 | $6,050 |
| 34 | 1 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 132 | 4 | engine | 66 | $18,475 |
| 35 | 20 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 122 | 0 | oil leak | 58 | $3,975 |
| 36 | 25 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 100 | 0 | transmission | 55 | $5,925 |
| 37 | 2 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 83 | 4 | engine | 57 | $11,850 |
| 38 | 29 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 13 | 0 | crash | 49 | $3,275 |
| 39 | 30 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 13 | 0 | crash | 46 | $3,225 |
| 40 | 38 | 01 | Mickey Gibbs | Gibbs Racing | Ford | 13 | 0 | crash | 43 | $3,200 |
| 41 | 35 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Branch-Ragan Racing | Ford | 13 | 0 | crash | 40 | $3,200 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 43 | | 95 | Trevor Boys | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 44 | | 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,382 |
| | 2 | Sterling Marlin | 1,322 (-60) |
| | 3 | Bill Elliott | 1,275 (-107) |
| 1 | 4 | Terry Labonte | 1,262 (–120) |
| 1 | 5 | Bobby Allison | 1,260 (–122) |
| 2 | 6 | Rusty Wallace | 1,260 (–122) |
| 4 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | 1,175 (–207) |
| 1 | 8 | Neil Bonnett | 1,173 (–209) |
| 1 | 9 | Ken Schrader | 1,173 (–209) |
| 2 | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 1,154 (–228) |
| Official driver's standings ||||