# 1988 Atlanta Journal 500

The 1988 Atlanta Journal 500 was the 29th and final stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 20, 1988, before an audience of 70,000 in Hampton, Georgia, at Atlanta International Raceway, a 1.522 miles (2.449 km) permanent asphalt quad-oval intermediate speedway. The race took the scheduled 328 laps to complete.
For the battle of the race's victory, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace managed to dominate a majority of the race, leading 166 laps en route to his tenth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series and his sixth and final victory of the season, earning the maximum points possible for a driver to gain in a race. To fill out the top three, Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison and Stavola Brothers Racing's Mike Alexander finished second and third, respectively.
In the battle for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship, championship leader Bill Elliott was able to defend his lead in the championship, needing an 18th place or better finish in order to guarantee the championship. While Elliott was not a contender for the race's victory, suffering numerous problems during the race, he was able to maintain a consistent position running around 11th-15th position, finishing 11th to secure the championship, winning the championship over Wallace by 24 points.
The race was the final start for 3-time Winston Cup champion Cale Yarborough, who managed to round out his driving career with a Top 10 finish.

## Background

Atlanta International Raceway is a 1.522-mile race track in Hampton, Georgia, United States, 20 miles (32 km) south of Atlanta. It has annually hosted NASCAR Winston Cup Series stock car races since its inauguration in 1960.
The venue was bought by Speedway Motorsports in 1990. In 1994, 46 condominiums were built over the northeastern side of the track. In 1997, to standardize the track with Speedway Motorsports' other two intermediate ovals, the entire track was almost completely rebuilt. The frontstretch and backstretch were swapped, and the configuration of the track was changed from oval to quad-oval, with a new official length of 1.54-mile (2.48 km) where before it was 1.522-mile (2.449 km). The project made the track one of the fastest on the NASCAR circuit.

### Entry list

* (R) - denotes rookie driver.
| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | Port-A-Lube, Bud Light |
| 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 |
| 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | Meacham Racing |
| 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 | Jerry Churchill | Churchill Racing | Oldsmobile | Churchill Racing |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Crisco |
| 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | Chattanooga Chew |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 20 | Alan Russell | Russell Racing | Chevrolet | Russell Racing |
| 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 | Texaco, Havoline |
| 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 34 | Rodney Combs | AAG Racing | Buick | Fab Detergent |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 48 | Don Hume | Hylton Motorsports | Ford | Hylton Motorsports |
| 50 | Bobby Coyle | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Dingman Brothers Racing |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 57 | Morgan Shepherd | Osterlund Racing | Buick | Valvoline |
| 64 | Brad Teague | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | Hardy Chevrolet |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Joe Ruttman | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | Barkdoll Racing |
| 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 | Greg Sacks | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 92 | David Sosebee | LC Racing | Buick | LC Racing |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | Salmon Racing |
| 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Sadler Brothers Racing |
| 97 | Tommy Ellis | 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, November 18, at 2:00 PM EST. Each driver had 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 19, at 10:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver had 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; up to two were given.
Rusty Wallace, driving for Blue Max Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 30.525 and an average speed of 179.499 miles per hour (288.876 km/h) in the first round.
11 drivers failed to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 30.525 | 179.499 |
| 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 30.875 | 177.464 |
| 3 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 30.925 | 177.177 |
| 4 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 30.934 | 177.125 |
| 5 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 30.944 | 177.068 |
| 6 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.977 | 176.880 |
| 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 30.992 | 176.794 |
| 8 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.105 | 176.152 |
| 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 31.109 | 176.129 |
| 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.142 | 175.942 |
| 11 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.164 | 175.818 |
| 12 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 31.174 | 175.762 |
| 13 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.203 | 175.599 |
| 14 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.215 | 175.531 |
| 15 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.246 | 175.357 |
| 16 | 64 | Brad Teague | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | 31.249 | 175.340 |
| 17 | 57 | Morgan Shepherd | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 31.335 | 174.859 |
| 18 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 31.349 | 174.781 |
| 19 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.351 | 174.770 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 30.903 | 177.303 |
| 21 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.041 | 176.515 |
| 22 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 31.090 | 176.237 |
| 23 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 31.102 | 176.169 |
| 24 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.170 | 175.784 |
| 25 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 31.221 | 175.497 |
| 26 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.335 | 174.859 |
| 27 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | 31.353 | 174.758 |
| 28 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.393 | 174.536 |
| 29 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.408 | 174.452 |
| 30 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 31.435 | 174.303 |
| 31 | 97 | Tommy Ellis | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 31.444 | 174.253 |
| 32 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 31.448 | 174.230 |
| 33 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.457 | 174.181 |
| 34 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 31.463 | 174.147 |
| 35 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 31.493 | 173.982 |
| 36 | 34 | Rodney Combs | AAG Racing | Buick | 31.501 | 173.937 |
| 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 31.513 | 173.871 |
| 38 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.532 | 173.766 |
| 39 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 31.594 | 173.425 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 40 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 31.742 | 172.617 |
| 41 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.607 | 168.038 |
| Forced to start at rear |||||||
| 42 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.389 | 174.558 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 48 | Don Hume | Hylton Motorsports | Ford | -* | -* |
| 44 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 73 | Joe Ruttman | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 46 | 50 | Bobby Coyle | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 11 | Jerry Churchill | Churchill Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 48 | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 49 | 20 | Alan Russell | Russell Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 50 | 92 | David Sosebee | LC Racing | Buick | -* | -* |
| 51 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 52 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 53 | 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 328 | 166 | running | 185 | $87,575 |
| 2 | 23 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 328 | 26 | running | 175 | $35,625 |
| 3 | 4 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 328 | 20 | running | 170 | $23,610 |
| 4 | 5 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 328 | 1 | running | 165 | $14,725 |
| 5 | 13 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 14 | running | 160 | $16,525 |
| 6 | 7 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 328 | 1 | running | 155 | $12,350 |
| 7 | 28 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 146 | $14,950 |
| 8 | 9 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 327 | 0 | running | 142 | $12,025 |
| 9 | 38 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 327 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,650 |
| 10 | 26 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 327 | 0 | running | 134 | $7,800 |
| 11 | 29 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 327 | 0 | running | 130 | $12,500 |
| 12 | 8 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 327 | 23 | running | 132 | $8,375 |
| 13 | 18 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 327 | 0 | running | 124 | $10,150 |
| 14 | 2 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 326 | 49 | running | 126 | $16,750 |
| 15 | 6 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 326 | 1 | running | 123 | $7,425 |
| 16 | 19 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 115 | $6,550 |
| 17 | 14 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 325 | 0 | running | 112 | $4,230 |
| 18 | 30 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 325 | 0 | running | 109 | $4,575 |
| 19 | 40 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 320 | 1 | running | 111 | $7,620 |
| 20 | 10 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 276 | 0 | engine | 103 | $5,960 |
| 21 | 27 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | 272 | 0 | engine | 100 | $2,205 |
| 22 | 21 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | engine | 97 | $9,125 |
| 23 | 41 | 31 | Jim Sauter | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 265 | 6 | flywheel | 99 | $2,990 |
| 24 | 15 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 252 | 0 | running | 91 | $1,960 |
| 25 | 12 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 250 | 13 | crash | 93 | $5,230 |
| 26 | 35 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 234 | 0 | engine | 85 | $2,100 |
| 27 | 3 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 228 | 0 | engine | 82 | $10,420 |
| 28 | 42 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 224 | 1 | engine | 84 | $4,540 |
| 29 | 36 | 34 | Rodney Combs | AAG Racing | Buick | 220 | 0 | engine | 76 | $1,760 |
| 30 | 22 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 206 | 0 | crash | 73 | $4,425 |
| 31 | 24 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 199 | 5 | engine | 75 | $1,690 |
| 32 | 32 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 190 | 0 | water pump | 67 | $1,670 |
| 33 | 25 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 166 | 0 | engine | 64 | $1,650 |
| 34 | 33 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 134 | 0 | crash | 61 | $5,060 |
| 35 | 39 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 105 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,605 |
| 36 | 20 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 84 | 0 | crash | 55 | $2,195 |
| 37 | 11 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 66 | 0 | engine | 52 | $3,550 |
| 38 | 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 63 | 1 | engine | 54 | $1,540 |
| 39 | 16 | 64 | Brad Teague | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | 60 | 0 | engine | 46 | $1,525 |
| 40 | 17 | 57 | Morgan Shepherd | Osterlund Racing | Pontiac | 52 | 0 | water pump | 43 | $1,525 |
| 41 | 34 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 5 | 0 | crash | 40 | $1,525 |
| 42 | 31 | 97 | Tommy Ellis | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 2 | 0 | transmission | 37 | $1,525 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 48 | Don Hume | Hylton Motorsports | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 73 | Joe Ruttman | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 46 | | 50 | Bobby Coyle | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 11 | Jerry Churchill | Churchill Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 48 | | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 49 | | 20 | Alan Russell | Russell Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 92 | David Sosebee | LC Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 51 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 52 | | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 53 | | 04 | Bill Meacham | Meacham Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Bill Elliott | 4,488 |
| | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 4,464 (-24) |
| | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 4,256 (-232) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 4,007 (–481) |
| | 5 | Ken Schrader | 3,858 (–630) |
| | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 3,799 (–689) |
| | 7 | Darrell Waltrip | 3,764 (–724) |
| 2 | 8 | Davey Allison | 3,631 (–857) |
| 1 | 9 | Phil Parsons | 3,630 (–858) |
| 1 | 10 | Sterling Marlin | 3,621 (–867) |
| Official driver's standings ||||