1988 The Winston Explained

Year:1988
Race Name:The Winston
Details Ref:[1]
Type:CUST
Description:Race 2 of 2 exhibition races in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Location:Concord, North Carolina
Course:Charlotte Motor Speedway
Course Mi:1.5
Course Km:2.4
Distance Laps:135
Distance Mi:202.5
Distance Km:324
Weather:85F, humidity of 41% and winds of 9mph, partly cloudy
Avg:153.023mph
Pole Driver:Darrell Waltrip
Pole Team:Hendrick Motorsports
Most Driver:Darrell Waltrip
Most Team:Hendrick Motorsports
Most Laps:50
Car:11
First Driver:Terry Labonte
First Team:Junior Johnson & Associates
Network:ABC
Announcers:Keith Jackson and Jerry Punch

The 1988 edition of The Winston was a stock car racing competition that took place on May 22, 1988. Held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, the 135-lap race was an exhibition race in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series. Darrell Waltrip of Hendrick Motorsports won the pole and led the most laps (50), but it was Terry Labonte of Junior Johnson & Associates who won the race.[2]

Background

The Winston was open to race winners from last season through the 1988 Winston 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. The winner of The Winston Open advanced to complete the starting grid. Because the field did not meet the minimum requirement of 19 cars, the remaining spots were awarded to the most recent winning drivers prior to the 1987 season. Richard Petty lost his eligibility when Phil Parsons won the Talladega race a week earlier.

Tim Richmond opted not to participate in the race due to a then-ongoing legal dispute with NASCAR after he was suspended for testing positive for banned substances early that year. He died of complications from AIDS on August 13, 1989.[3] [4]

The 1988 season saw the first of two tire wars between Goodyear and Hoosier. For this race, NASCAR allowed teams to switch between both tire brands once during pit stops.

1988 The Winston drivers and eligibility

Race winners in 1987 and 1988

Race winners from previous years, not eligible by the above criteria

Winner of The Winston Open

Race summary

As the race broadcast was using a boxing motif, the segments were referred to as "rounds".

Round 1 (75 laps)

Darrell Waltrip won the pole with a track record of 174.154mph. Geoff Bodine started on the outside pole after achieving a qualifying time of 173.98mph. Both drivers beat Bill Elliott's 1987 pole record of 170.827mph. Sterling Marlin made the starting grid by winning the Winston Open. Bodine and Phil Parsons served as the onboard camera cars throughout the race. Waltrip and Bodine were first and second during the first five laps before the first caution was triggered by Greg Sacks blowing an engine and spilling oil on the track. Shortly after the restart on lap 9, Waltrip extended his lead over Bodine and the rest of the field. Davey Allison took the lead from Waltrip on lap on lap 34. The yellow flag was waved again on lap 49, when Cale Yarborough's engine expired. Harry Gant retired on lap 52 due to oil pan issues. Parsons blew an engine and was eliminated on lap 57. A precise strategy during the green-flag pit stop saw Dale Earnhardt take the lead. With one lap to go, Davey Allison closed in on Earnhardt until he reclaimed the lead on lap 74 and concluded Round 1 by collecting . Following the end of the round, Earnhardt blew a right-front tire and slammed the turn one wall, requiring major repairs during the 10-minute intermission.

Round results
  1. 28-Davey Allison ($20,000)
  2. 3-Dale Earnhardt
  3. 17-Darrell Waltrip

Round 2 (50 laps)

At the start of Round 2, Earnhardt's repaired car overtook Davey Allison, but quickly fell back as Waltrip, Davey Allison, and Terry Labonte overtook him. Lake Speed then took the lead from Waltrip halfway through the round. The caution was triggered on lap 98, when Ricky Rudd lost control and slammed the turn two wall; he collapsed after exiting his car and was rushed to the infield care center. He sustained a torn ligament on his right knee from the accident.[5] Round 2 ended with Elliott, Speed, and Marlin in the top three. During the 10-minute intermission, Davey Allison's pit crew installed a new rear end differential, but NASCAR ordered them to reinstall the old unit. Bodine was forced to retire after his pit crew were unable to resolve an engine problem.

Round results
  1. 9-Bill Elliott ($20,000)
  2. 83-Lake Speed
  3. 44-Sterling Marlin

Round 3 (10 laps)

Elliott and Speed duked it out at the beginning of the 10-lap shootout until Speed lost momentum and tagged the turn two wall while Labonte challenged Elliott for the lead. Both Rusty Wallace and Bobby Hillin Jr. experienced engine problems and retired. Marlin took second place from Elliott and slowly closed in on Labonte. In the end, Labonte extended his lead and crossed the finish line to win the race and collect .

+ Race results
PosGridCarDriverOwnerManufacturerLaps runLaps led
11211Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet1359
21944Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile1350
3728Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord1340
459Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord13519
5412Bobby AllisonStavola Brothers RacingBuick1350
61221Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord1350
733Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet13517
81647Morgan ShepherdShepherd RacingBuick1340
9117Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet13350
101575Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac1330
111883Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile12713
1225Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1250
131027Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac1240
14148Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick1240
15826Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick960
161355Phil ParsonsJackson MotorsportsOldsmobile570
171152Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet1210
18929Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile480
191750Greg SacksDingman Brothers RacingPontiac50

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 1988 The Winston. Racing-Reference . January 24, 2019.
  2. Web site: Photos: 30 years of NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race winners . . October 20, 2016 . January 25, 2019.
  3. News: Tim Richmond, 34, Auto Racer . . August 16, 1989 . January 24, 2019.
  4. Web site: More than Tim Richmond died in 1989 . Ed . Hinton . . August 17, 2009 . January 24, 2019.
  5. Web site: Charlotte: Rudd ready for "Iron Man" record . . May 23, 2002 . February 1, 2019.