1988 Coca-Cola 600
# 1988 Coca-Cola 600

The 1988 Coca-Cola 600 was the tenth stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, May 29, 1988, before an audience of 165,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. On the final restart with nine laps left in the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Darrell Waltrip would manage to fend off the field to take his 72nd 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 owner-driver Alan Kulwicki would finish second and third, respectively.

The race was marred by a series of tire failures that had lasted throughout the entire race. With almost every starter for the race deciding to run tires made by Hoosier Racing Tire (with Dave Marcis being the only exception, deciding to instead run tires made by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company), numerous drivers suffered tire blowouts. Notable drivers who suffered tire blowouts include Harry Gant, Neil Bonnett, and Rick Wilson, all of whom had to be hospitalized after their accidents. Marcis did not suffer any tire failures, but still failed to finish after Sterling Marlin also suffered a tire failure and collected Marcis in the process. The increased amount of tire blowouts was blamed on an increase of both track temperature and higher speeds than Hoosier had expected, according to the company's CEO, Bob Newton.

## Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is a motorsports complex located in Concord, North Carolina, United States 13 miles from Charlotte, North Carolina. The complex features a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including the prestigious Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend and the NEXTEL All-Star Challenge, as well as the UAW-GM Quality 500. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams located in the Charlotte area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith (son of Bruton Smith) as track president.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | Gary Brooks | Brooks Racing | Chevrolet | Brooks Racing |
| 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger |
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench |
| 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Kodak |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Stroh's 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 | Chevrolet | Whitcomb Racing |
| 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 12 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Crisco |
| 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | Chattanooga Chew |
| 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 | Texaco, 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 Bandit |
| 34 | Donnie Allison | AAG Racing | Chevrolet | Allen's Associated Glass |
| 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts |
| 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | Hess Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing | Buick | Winner's Circle Auto Products |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Dingman Brothers Racing |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Skoal, Crown Central Petroleum |
| 64 | Mike Potter | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | Potter Racing |
| 67 | Dale Jarrett | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | Raven Boats, Bud Light |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator |
| 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 |
| 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | Auto Bell Car Wash |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Oldsmobile | Sony Magnetic Products |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | 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 |
| 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | Salmon Racing |
| 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | Sadler Brothers Racing |
| 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | AC Spark Plug |
| 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | Sunoco |
| 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ball Motorsports |

## Qualifying

Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, May 27, at 3:00 PM 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 Thursday, May 28, 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.

Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 31.107 and an average speed of 173.594 miles per hour (279.372 km/h) in the first round.

11 drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 31.107 | 173.594 |
| 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.300 | 172.524 |
| 3 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 31.447 | 171.717 |
| 4 | 12 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.455 | 171.674 |
| 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.480 | 171.537 |
| 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 31.511 | 171.369 |
| 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.550 | 171.157 |
| 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 31.556 | 171.124 |
| 9 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 31.590 | 170.940 |
| 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.593 | 170.924 |
| 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 31.599 | 170.891 |
| 12 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.622 | 170.767 |
| 13 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.622 | 170.767 |
| 14 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 31.636 | 170.692 |
| 15 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.638 | 170.681 |
| 16 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing | Buick | 31.675 | 170.481 |
| 17 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 31.685 | 170.428 |
| 18 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 31.699 | 170.352 |
| 19 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.725 | 170.213 |
| 20 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.772 | 169.961 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 31.723 | 170.223 |
| 22 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 31.813 | 169.742 |
| 23 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 31.921 | 169.168 |
| 24 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 31.939 | 169.072 |
| 25 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 31.943 | 169.051 |
| 26 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 31.966 | 168.929 |
| 27 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 31.972 | 168.898 |
| 28 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 31.993 | 168.787 |
| 29 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 32.021 | 168.639 |
| 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.024 | 168.624 |
| 31 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 32.052 | 168.476 |
| 32 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 32.084 | 168.308 |
| 33 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 32.126 | 168.088 |
| 34 | 26 | Mike Alexander | King Racing | Buick | 32.161 | 167.905 |
| 35 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 32.175 | 167.832 |
| 36 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 32.181 | 167.801 |
| 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 32.203 | 167.686 |
| 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 32.261 | 167.385 |
| 39 | 67 | Dale Jarrett | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | 32.276 | 167.307 |
| 40 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 32.281 | 167.281 |
| Provisional |||||||
| 41 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 32.281 | 167.281 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 42 | 34 | Donnie Allison | AAG Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 43 | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 44 | 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 45 | 64 | Mike Potter | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 46 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | -* | -* |
| 47 | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 48 | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | -* | -* |
| 49 | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 50 | 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Oldsmobile | -* | -* |
| 51 | 00 | Gary Brooks | Brooks Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* |
| 52 | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | - | - |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 73 | running | 180 | $104,250 |
| 2 | 11 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 400 | 4 | running | 175 | $56,425 |
| 3 | 9 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 400 | 12 | running | 170 | $38,100 |
| 4 | 14 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 400 | 96 | running | 165 | $49,305 |
| 5 | 1 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 400 | 27 | running | 160 | $62,050 |
| 6 | 19 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 400 | 1 | running | 155 | $23,900 |
| 7 | 34 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 399 | 0 | running | 146 | $17,050 |
| 8 | 12 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 398 | 1 | running | 147 | $15,550 |
| 9 | 3 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 138 | $22,600 |
| 10 | 36 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 396 | 0 | running | 134 | $10,900 |
| 11 | 24 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 396 | 0 | running | 130 | $9,325 |
| 12 | 37 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 395 | 6 | running | 132 | $12,765 |
| 13 | 7 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 394 | 0 | running | 124 | $19,205 |
| 14 | 28 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 393 | 0 | running | 121 | $11,045 |
| 15 | 30 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 392 | 1 | running | 123 | $10,985 |
| 16 | 13 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 375 | 0 | engine | 115 | $13,000 |
| 17 | 4 | 12 | Bobby Allison | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 365 | 19 | running | 117 | $17,750 |
| 18 | 10 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 353 | 106 | accident | 119 | $13,950 |
| 19 | 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 340 | 17 | running | 111 | $17,200 |
| 20 | 25 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 339 | 0 | running | 0 | $5,500 |
| 21 | 15 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 338 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,600 |
| 22 | 23 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 0 | running | 97 | $5,950 |
| 23 | 22 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 326 | 0 | running | 94 | $7,400 |
| 24 | 2 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 317 | 1 | running | 96 | $12,100 |
| 25 | 18 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 294 | 0 | engine | 88 | $6,700 |
| 26 | 16 | 47 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing | Buick | 270 | 0 | engine | 85 | $3,000 |
| 27 | 20 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 247 | 18 | running | 87 | $6,400 |
| 28 | 32 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 243 | 0 | accident | 79 | $2,400 |
| 29 | 27 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 243 | 6 | accident | 81 | $5,350 |
| 30 | 21 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 231 | 10 | accident | 78 | $5,900 |
| 31 | 26 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 230 | 0 | engine | 70 | $2,200 |
| 32 | 40 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 227 | 0 | engine | 67 | $2,600 |
| 33 | 41 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 191 | 1 | accident | 69 | $2,000 |
| 34 | 38 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 166 | 1 | accident | 66 | $4,625 |
| 35 | 35 | 36 | H. B. Bailey | Bailey Racing | Pontiac | 155 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,750 |
| 36 | 31 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 113 | 0 | accident | 55 | $8,700 |
| 37 | 8 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 83 | 0 | engine | 52 | $2,150 |
| 38 | 33 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 58 | 0 | accident | 49 | $1,625 |
| 39 | 17 | 89 | Jim Sauter | Mueller Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 57 | 0 | accident | 46 | $1,600 |
| 40 | 29 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 57 | 0 | accident | 43 | $2,275 |
| 41 | 39 | 67 | Dale Jarrett | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | 27 | 0 | engine | 40 | $4,200 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 42 | | 34 | Donnie Allison | AAG Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 43 | | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 44 | | 99 | Connie Saylor | Ball Motorsports | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 45 | | 64 | Mike Potter | Potter Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 46 | | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 93 | Charlie Baker | Salmon Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 48 | | 82 | Mark Stahl | Stahl Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 49 | | 95 | Slick Johnson | Sadler Brothers Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 87 | Randy Baker | Buck Baker Racing | Oldsmobile | | | | | |
| 51 | | 00 | Gary Brooks | Brooks Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 52 | | 16 | Larry Pearson | Pearson Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Dale Earnhardt | 1,506 |
| 4 | 2 | Rusty Wallace | 1,435 (-71) |
| 1 | 3 | Sterling Marlin | 1,409 (-97) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 1,400 (–106) |
| 2 | 5 | Bill Elliott | 1,386 (–120) |
| 1 | 6 | Bobby Allison | 1,377 (–129) |
| 2 | 7 | Ken Schrader | 1,328 (–178) |
| 2 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 1,275 (–231) |
| 2 | 9 | Geoff Bodine | 1,271 (–235) |
| 2 | 10 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,264 (–242) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
