1988 The Budweiser at The Glen
# 1988 The Budweiser at The Glen

The 1988 The Budweiser at The Glen was the 18th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the third iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, August 13, 1989, before an audience of 100,000 in Watkins Glen, New York, at the shortened layout of Watkins Glen International, a 2.428-mile (3.907 km) permanent road course layout. In the final laps of the race, King Racing driver Ricky Rudd would manage to fend off Blue Max Racing driver Rusty Wallace to the finish to take his ninth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Rusty Wallace and Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott would finish second and third, respectively.

## Background

Watkins Glen International (nicknamed "The Glen") is an automobile race track located in Watkins Glen, New York at the southern tip of Seneca Lake. It was long known around the world as the home of the Formula One United States Grand Prix, which it hosted for twenty consecutive years (1961–1980), but the site has been home to road racing of nearly every class, including the World Sportscar Championship, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the International Motor Sports Association and the IndyCar Series.

Initially, public roads in the village were used for the race course. In 1956 a permanent circuit for the race was built. In 1968 the race was extended to six hours, becoming the 6 Hours of Watkins Glen. The circuit's current layout has more or less been the same since 1971, although a chicane was installed at the uphill Esses in 1975 to slow cars through these corners, where there was a fatality during practice at the 1973 United States Grand Prix. The chicane was removed in 1985, but another chicane called the "Inner Loop" was installed in 1992 after J.D. McDuffie's fatal accident during the previous year's NASCAR Winston Cup event.

The circuit is known as the Mecca of North American road racing and is a very popular venue among fans and drivers. The facility is currently owned by International Speedway Corporation.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 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 | Hershel McGriff | McGriff Racing | Pontiac | U.S. Bank |
| 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 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | Miller High Life |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Crisco |
| 16 | Tom Rotsell | Chilson Racing | Ford | Ed Learn Ford |
| 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Tide |
| 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Citgo |
| 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 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Hardee's |
| 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | Country Time |
| 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 37 | Patty Moise | Randy Hope Motorsports | Buick | Randy Hope Motorsports |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum, Skoal Classic |
| 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | Linro Motorsports |
| 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator Filters |
| 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | Rumple Furniture |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 76 | Phil Good | Good Racing | Ford | United Way |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 88 | Morgan Shepherd | Baker-Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | Red Baron Frozen Pizza |
| 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce |
| 97 | Rodney Combs | 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, August 12, at 1:00 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 Saturday, August 13, at 11:00 AM 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 on time but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.

Geoff Bodine, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 1:12.537 and an average speed of 120.501 miles per hour (193.928 km/h) in the first round.

Phil Good was the only driver to fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:12.537 | 120.501 |
| 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 1:12.579 | 120.432 |
| 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 1:12.629 | 120.349 |
| 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 1:12.985 | 119.762 |
| 5 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 1:13.377 | 119.122 |
| 6 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 1:13.400 | 119.084 |
| 7 | 88 | Morgan Shepherd | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:13.451 | 119.002 |
| 8 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.488 | 118.942 |
| 9 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:13.509 | 118.908 |
| 10 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1:13.838 | 118.378 |
| 11 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 1:13.941 | 118.213 |
| 12 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:13.994 | 118.128 |
| 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 1:14.000 | 118.119 |
| 14 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:14.006 | 118.109 |
| 15 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 1:14.019 | 118.089 |
| 16 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 1:14.031 | 118.069 |
| 17 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1:14.088 | 117.979 |
| 18 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1:14.300 | 117.642 |
| 19 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.307 | 117.631 |
| 20 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 1:14.365 | 117.539 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1:14.491 | 117.340 |
| 22 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 1:14.603 | 117.164 |
| 23 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 1:14.717 | 116.985 |
| 24 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:14.725 | 116.973 |
| 25 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 1:15.238 | 116.175 |
| 26 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 1:15.311 | 116.063 |
| 27 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 1:15.386 | 115.947 |
| 28 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 1:15.390 | 115.941 |
| 29 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 1:15.447 | 115.854 |
| 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 1:15.494 | 115.781 |
| 31 | 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1:15.554 | 115.639 |
| 32 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 1:15.719 | 115.437 |
| 33 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 1:16.279 | 114.590 |
| 34 | 37 | Patty Moise | Randy Hope Motorsports | Buick | 1:16.078 | 114.893 |
| 35 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 1:16.586 | 114.131 |
| 36 | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Oldsmobile | 1:16.610 | 114.095 |
| 37 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 1:16.628 | 114.068 |
| 38 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | McGriff Racing | Pontiac | 1:17.131 | 113.321 |
| 39 | 16 | Tom Rotsell | Chilson Racing | Ford | 1:17.365 | 112.981 |
| To the rear |||||||
| 40 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 1:13.008 | 119.724 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 41 | 76 | Phil Good | Good Racing | Ford | 1:17.426 | 112.892 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 90 | 4 | running | 180 | $49,625 |
| 2 | 2 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 7 | running | 175 | $33,900 |
| 3 | 3 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 90 | 19 | running | 175 | $26,640 |
| 4 | 10 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 90 | 6 | running | 165 | $16,540 |
| 5 | 29 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 90 | 0 | running | 155 | $19,295 |
| 6 | 19 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 90 | 0 | running | 150 | $18,530 |
| 7 | 7 | 88 | Morgan Shepherd | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 90 | 0 | running | 0 | $12,620 |
| 8 | 14 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 90 | 0 | running | 142 | $9,705 |
| 9 | 21 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 90 | 0 | running | 138 | $7,140 |
| 10 | 8 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 5 | running | 139 | $12,835 |
| 11 | 18 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 90 | 0 | running | 130 | $6,180 |
| 12 | 17 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 90 | 0 | running | 127 | $5,845 |
| 13 | 23 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 90 | 0 | running | 124 | $7,915 |
| 14 | 30 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,880 |
| 15 | 37 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 90 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,705 |
| 16 | 28 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 115 | $12,615 |
| 17 | 12 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 90 | 0 | running | 112 | $6,200 |
| 18 | 4 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 90 | 12 | running | 114 | $9,990 |
| 19 | 22 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 106 | $5,825 |
| 20 | 9 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90 | 13 | running | 108 | $11,865 |
| 21 | 36 | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Oldsmobile | 90 | 0 | running | 100 | $4,580 |
| 22 | 39 | 16 | Tom Rotsell | Chilson Racing | Ford | 90 | 0 | running | 97 | $2,470 |
| 23 | 16 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 89 | 0 | running | 94 | $10,960 |
| 24 | 27 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 89 | 0 | running | 91 | $2,300 |
| 25 | 38 | 04 | Hershel McGriff | McGriff Racing | Pontiac | 88 | 0 | running | 88 | $2,340 |
| 26 | 20 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 0 | running | 85 | $5,135 |
| 27 | 33 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 87 | 0 | running | 82 | $2,380 |
| 28 | 15 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 86 | 0 | running | 79 | $2,925 |
| 29 | 32 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 86 | 0 | running | 76 | $2,020 |
| 30 | 34 | 37 | Patty Moise | Randy Hope Motorsports | Buick | 85 | 0 | running | 73 | $1,965 |
| 31 | 6 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 77 | 9 | transmission | 75 | $4,660 |
| 32 | 1 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 73 | 10 | running | 72 | $8,525 |
| 33 | 13 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 71 | 5 | running | 69 | $4,440 |
| 34 | 11 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 68 | 0 | accident | 61 | $8,710 |
| 35 | 31 | 63 | Jocko Maggiacomo | Linro Motorsports | Chevrolet | 41 | 0 | engine | 58 | $1,655 |
| 36 | 35 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | 40 | 0 | engine | 55 | $1,600 |
| 37 | 24 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 30 | 0 | engine | 52 | $2,220 |
| 38 | 40 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 21 | 0 | overheating | 49 | $8,540 |
| 39 | 26 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 11 | 0 | engine | 46 | $4,140 |
| 40 | 25 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 2 | 0 | engine | 43 | $4,045 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 41 | | 76 | Phil Good | Good Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 2,693 |
| | 2 | Bill Elliott | 2,682 (-11) |
| | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,635 (-58) |
| | 4 | Ken Schrader | 2,470 (–223) |
| | 5 | Terry Labonte | 2,423 (–270) |
| | 6 | Geoff Bodine | 2,336 (–357) |
| 1 | 7 | Phil Parsons | 2,302 (–391) |
| 1 | 8 | Sterling Marlin | 2,287 (–406) |
| | 9 | Darrell Waltrip | 2,236 (–457) |
| | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 2,183 (–510) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
