1988 Winston Cup Series

1988 Winston Cup Series
Bill Elliott won the 1988 Winston Cup Championship
Duration	February 14 through November 20
TV	CBS, TBS, ESPN, ABC, SETN, SCORE, PPV
Season Statistics
No. of races	29
First race	1988 Daytona 500
Last race	1988 Atlanta Journal 500
Drivers' champion	Bill Elliott
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Ken Bouchard
Most popular driver	Bill Elliott
Previous	1987
Next	1989

The 1988 Winston Cup Series was the 40th season of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14 and ended with the Atlanta Journal 500 at Atlanta International Raceway on November 20.

The season began with an emotional father-son one-two finish in the Daytona 500, with Bobby Allison defeating Davey Allison to collect what would become his final win in NASCAR. Neil Bonnett went on to win the next two races, briefly leading the points standings before surrendering the lead to Dale Earnhardt. However, a set of 6 wins and consistent high finishes vaulted Rusty Wallace and Bill Elliott into the points lead. Wallace would lead the points from Riverside through the Champion Spark Plug 400, while Elliott would take the lead at Bristol and hold on to win his first and only Cup Series championship. It was Melling Racing’s only championship and the first drivers championship for Ford since 1969. Elliott won the championship by having no finishes outside the top 20 and a streak of 16 consecutive Top 10 finishes.

It was the final season for Cale Yarborough and Benny Parsons, with Yarborough moving to team ownership and Parsons moving to the TV booth with ESPN at the season’s end. It was also the final season for Bobby Allison, who sustained serious injuries in an opening lap crash at Pocono.

Riverside International Raceway hosted its final event in June 1988, with its traditional second date moved to Phoenix International Raceway. Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway underwent a reconfiguration to a ¾ mile oval during the season, becoming Richmond International Raceway. Carburetor restrictor plates were used at Daytona and Talladega for both races at both tracks in 1988.

It was the first season for a redesigned Pontiac Grand Prix and the first season for a new model of the Buick Regal. It was also the first season that Dale Earnhardt competed with GM Goodwrench sponsorship.

Major Teams

Car No.	Driver	Sponsor	Make	Team
2	Ernie Irvan*	Kroger / Pepsi		U.S. Racing
3	Dale Earnhardt	GM Goodwrench		Richard Childress Racing
4	Rick Wilson	Kodak Film		Morgan-McClure Motorsports
5	Geoff Bodine	Levi Garrett		Hendrick Motorsports
6	Mark Martin	Stroh's Light		Roush Racing
7	Alan Kulwicki	Zerex		AK Racing
8	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	Miller High Life		Stavola Brothers Racing
9	Bill Elliott	Coors		Melling Racing
10	Ken Bouchard*			Whitcomb Racing
11	Terry Labonte	Budweiser		Junior Johnson & Associates
12	Bobby Allison (13) Mike Alexander (16)	Miller High Life		Stavola Brothers Racing
15	Brett Bodine	Crisco		Bud Moore Engineering
17	Darrell Waltrip	Tide		Hendrick Motorsports
21	Kyle Petty	Citgo		Wood Brothers Racing
23	Eddie Bierschwale	Wayne Paging		B&B Racing
25	Ken Schrader	Folgers		Hendrick Motorsports
26	Ricky Rudd	Quaker State		King Racing
27	Rusty Wallace	Kodiak		Blue Max Racing
28	Davey Allison	Havoline		Ranier-Lundy Racing
29	Cale Yarborough (10) Dale Jarrett (19)	Hardee's		Cale Yarborough Motorsports
30	Michael Waltrip	Country Time		Bahari Racing
31	Brad Teague (9) Joe Ruttman (9) Donnie Allison (1) Butch Miller (2) Jim Sauter (4) Lee Faulk* (3) Johnny Rutherford (1)	Slender You Figure Salons		Bob Clark Motorsports
33	Harry Gant (24) Morgan Shepherd (5)	Skoal Bandit		Mach 1 Racing
43	Richard Petty	STP		Petty Enterprises
44	Sterling Marlin	Piedmont Airlines		Hagan Racing
52	Jimmy Means	Eureka Vacuum Cleaners		Means Racing
55	Phil Parsons	Skoal Classic / Crown Petroleum		Jackson Brothers Motorsports
68	Derrike Cope	Purolator		Testa Racing
71	Dave Marcis	Lifebuoy Soap		Marcis Auto Racing
75	Neil Bonnett (27) Morgan Shepherd (2)	Valvoline		RahMoc Enterprises
83	Lake Speed	Wynns / Kmart		Speed Racing
88	Buddy Baker (17) Morgan Shepherd (3) Rick Mast (2) Greg Sacks (7)	Red Baron Frozen Pizza		Baker-Schiff Racing
90	Benny Parsons (27) Tommy Ellis (1) Jimmy Means (1)	Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce		Donlavey Racing
97	Morgan Shepherd (3) Rodney Combs (21) Tommy Ellis (2) Joe Ruttman (1)	AC Spark Plug		Winkle Motorsports
98	Ed Pimm (3) Brad Noffsinger* (25)	Sunoco		Curb Racing

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track
	February 7, 1988	Busch Clash	Daytona International Speedway
	February 11, 1988	Twin 125 Qualifiers	Daytona International Speedway
1	February 14, 1988	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway
2	February 21, 1988	Pontiac Excitement 400	Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway
	February 28, 1988	Goodyear NASCAR 500	Calder Park Thunderdome
3	March 6, 1988	Goodwrench 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway
4	March 20, 1988	Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Atlanta International Raceway
5	March 27, 1988	TranSouth 500	Darlington Raceway
6	April 10, 1988	Valleydale Meats 500	Bristol International Speedway
7	April 17, 1988	First Union 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway
8	April 24, 1988	Pannill Sweatshirts 500	Martinsville Speedway
9	May 1, 1988	Winston 500	Alabama International Motor Speedway
	May 22, 1988	The Winston	Charlotte Motor Speedway
10	May 29, 1988	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway
11	June 5, 1988	Budweiser 500	Dover Downs International Speedway
12	June 12, 1988	Budweiser 400	Riverside International Raceway
13	June 19, 1988	Miller High Life 500	Pocono International Raceway
14	June 26, 1988	Miller High Life 400	Michigan International Speedway
15	July 2, 1988	Pepsi Firecracker 400	Daytona International Speedway
16	July 24, 1988	AC Spark Plug 500	Pocono International Raceway
17	July 31, 1988	Talladega DieHard 500	Alabama International Motor Speedway
18	August 14, 1988	The Budweiser At The Glen	Watkins Glen International
19	August 21, 1988	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway
20	August 27, 1988	Busch 500	Bristol International Speedway
21	September 4, 1988	Southern 500	Darlington Raceway
22	September 11, 1988	Miller High Life 400	Richmond International Raceway
23	September 18, 1988	Delaware 500	Dover Downs International Speedway
24	September 25, 1988	Goody's 500	Martinsville Speedway
25	October 9, 1988	Oakwood Homes 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway
26	October 16, 1988	Holly Farms 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway
27	October 23, 1988	AC Delco 500	North Carolina Motor Speedway
28	November 6, 1988	Checker 500	Phoenix Interational Raceway
29	November 20, 1988	Atlanta Journal 500	Atlanta International Raceway

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	1988 Busch Clash	Geoff Bodine	Dale Earnhardt		0	0	191.489	2
	1988 Twin 125 Qualifier (Race #1)	Ken Schrader	Bobby Allison		4	16	130.966	3
	1988 Twin 125 Qualifier (Race #2)	Davey Allison	Darrell Waltrip		3	14	133.889	1
1	1988 Daytona 500	Ken Schrader	Bobby Allison		7	42	137.531	26
2	1988 Pontiac Excitement 400	Morgan Shepherd	Neil Bonnett		14	83	66.401	11
	1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500	Neil Bonnett	Neil Bonnett		11	52	101.670	25
3	1988 Goodwrench 500	Bill Elliott	Neil Bonnett		7	40	120.159	23
4	1988 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500	Geoff Bodine	Dale Earnhardt		7	40	137.588	19
5	1988 TranSouth 500	Ken Schrader	Lake Speed		8	42	131.284	18
6	1988 Valleydale Meats 500	Rick Wilson	Bill Elliott		12	70	83.115	11
7	1988 First Union 400	Terry Labonte	Terry Labonte		5	20	99.075	12
8	1988 Pannill Sweatshirts 500	Ricky Rudd	Dale Earnhardt		7	46	74.740	10
9	1988 Winston 500	Davey Allison	Phil Parsons		7	29	156.547	23
	1988 The Winston	Darrell Waltrip	Terry Labonte		3	16	139.228	8
10	1988 Coca-Cola 600	Davey Allison	Darrell Waltrip		13	89	124.460	43
11	1988 Budweiser 500	Alan Kulwicki	Bill Elliott		7	45	118.726	25
12	1988 Budweiser 400	Ricky Rudd	Rusty Wallace		7	27	88.341	14
13	1988 Miller High Life 500	Alan Kulwicki	Geoff Bodine		6	31	126.147	17
14	1988 Miller High Life 400	Bill Elliott	Rusty Wallace		4	15	153.551	13
15	1988 Pepsi Firecracker 400	Darrell Waltrip	Bill Elliott		3	15	163.302	22
16	1988 AC Spark Plug 500	Morgan Shepherd	Bill Elliott		6	37	122.866	22
17	1988 Talladega DieHard 500	Darrell Waltrip	Ken Schrader		8	31	154.505	30
18	1988 The Budweiser At The Glen	Geoff Bodine	Ricky Rudd		8	36	74.096	13
19	1988 Champion Spark Plug 400	Bill Elliott	Davey Allison		2	9	156.863	21
20	1988 Busch 500	Alan Kulwicki	Dale Earnhardt		14	83	78.775	23
21	1988 Southern 500	Bill Elliott	Bill Elliott		10	39	128.297	24
22	1988 Miller High Life 400	Davey Allison	Davey Allison		5	42	95.770	14
23	1988 Delaware 500	Mark Martin	Bill Elliott		14	84	109.349	22
24	1988 Goody's 500	Rusty Wallace	Darrell Waltrip		11	53	74.988	11
25	1988 Oakwood Homes 500	Alan Kulwicki	Rusty Wallace		10	63	130.677	36
26	1988 Holly Farms 400	Bill Elliott	Rusty Wallace		9	34	94.192	15
27	1988 AC Delco 500	Bill Elliott	Rusty Wallace		11	76	111.557	18
28	1988 Checker 500	Geoff Bodine	Alan Kulwicki		6	53	90.457	15
29	1988 Atlanta Journal 500	Rusty Wallace	Rusty Wallace		9	55	129.024	33

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Bill Elliott	29	6	15	22	6	4488
2	Rusty Wallace	29	6	19	23	2	4464	-24
3	Dale Earnhardt	29	3	13	19	0	4256	-232
4	Terry Labonte	29	1	11	18	1	4007	-481
5	Ken Schrader	29	1	4	17	2	3858	-630
6	Geoffrey Bodine	29	1	10	16	3	3799	-689
7	Darrell Waltrip	29	2	10	14	2	3764	-724
8	Davey Allison	29	2	12	16	3	3631	-857
9	Phil Parsons	29	1	6	15	0	3630	-858
10	Sterling Marlin	29	0	6	13	0	3621	-867
11	Ricky Rudd	29	1	6	11	2	3547	-941
12	Bobby Hillin, Jr.	29	0	1	7	0	3446	-1,042
13	Kyle Petty	29	0	2	8	0	3296	-1,192
14	Alan Kulwicki	29	1	7	9	4	3176	-1,312
15	Mark Martin	29	0	3	10	1	3142	-1,346
16	Neil Bonnett	27	2	3	7	0	3040	-1,448
17	Lake Speed	29	1	4	7	0	2984	-1,504
18	Michael Waltrip	29	0	1	3	0	2949	-1,539
19	Dave Marcis	29	0	0	2	0	2854	-1,634
20	Brett Bodine	29	0	2	5	0	2828	-1,660
21	Rick Wilson	28	0	2	5	1	2762	-1,726
22	Richard Petty	29	0	1	5	0	2644	-1,844
23	Dale Jarrett	29	0	0	1	0	2622	-1,866
24	Benny Parsons	27	0	0	1	0	2559	-1,929
25	Ken Bouchard	24	0	0	1	0	2378	-2,110
26	Ernie Irvan	25	0	0	0	0	2319	-2,169
27	Harry Gant	24	0	0	3	0	2266	-2,222
28	Morgan Shepherd	23	0	2	6	2	2193	-2,295
29	Buddy Baker	17	0	0	7	0	2056	-2,432
30	Jimmy Means	27	0	0	0	0	2045	-2,443
31	Derrike Cope	26	0	0	0	0	1985	-2,503
32	Mike Alexander	16	0	2	6	0	1931	-2,557
33	Bobby Allison	13	1	3	6	0	1654	-2,834
34	Eddie Bierschwale	20	0	0	0	0	1481	-3,007
35	Rodney Combs	19	0	0	0	0	1468	-3,020
36	Brad Noffsinger	17	0	0	0	0	1316	-3,172
37	Greg Sacks	15	0	0	3	0	1237	-3,251
38	Cale Yarborough	10	0	0	3	0	940	-3,548
39	Joe Ruttman	12	0	0	1	0	803	-3,685
40	Brad Teague	13	0	0	0	0	802	-3,686
41	Jimmy Horton	8	0	0	0	0	647	-3,841
42	A.J. Foyt	7	0	0	0	0	523	-3,965
43	H.B. Bailey	7	0	0	0	0	478	-4,010
44	Jim Sauter	9	0	0	0	0	463	-4,025
45	Chad Little	4	0	0	0	0	405	-4,083

Rookie of the Year

Ken Bouchard won the Rookie of the Year award, joining Ron Bouchard as the only pair of brothers to win the Rookie of the Year award.

Rookie of the Year Standings

Position	Driver	Points	Race Wins
1	Ken Bouchard	242	0
2	Ernie Irvan	239	0
3	Brad Noffsinger	188	0
4	Jimmy Horton	104	0

Manufacturer's Championship

Despite Ford winning 9 races, Chevrolet won the manufacturer's championship.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		165	8
2		163	9
3		160	8
4		106	2
5		102	2