1988 Pepsi Firecracker 400
# 1988 Pepsi Firecracker 400

The 1988 Pepsi Firecracker 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 30th iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, July 2, 1988, before an audience of 83,000 in Daytona Beach, Florida at Daytona International Speedway, a 2.5 miles (4.0 km) permanent triangular-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 160 laps to complete. In one of the closest finishes in NASCAR Winston Cup Series history, Melling Racing driver Bill Elliott was able to beat out Morgan–McClure Motorsports driver Rick Wilson by a distance of 3 feet (0.91 m) to take his 26th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Jackson Bros. Motorsports driver Phil Parsons would finish third.

## Background

Daytona International Speedway is one of three superspeedways to hold NASCAR races, the other two being Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. The standard track at Daytona International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long. The track's turns are banked at 31 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 18 degrees.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | Heywood Grooms Construction |
| 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 |
| 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett |
| 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | Stroh Light |
| 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | Zerex |
| 07 | Larry Moyer | Stark Racing | Pontiac | Hooters, Just Say No! |
| 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 |
| 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | Copenhagen |
| 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | Crisco |
| 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 | Havoline |
| 29 | Cale Yarborough | 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 |
| 32 | Philip Duffie | Duffie Racing | Buick | Bob Beard Buick |
| 33 | Morgan Shepherd | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit |
| 37 | Patty Moise | Randy Hope Motorsports | Buick | Crisco Butter Flavor |
| 38 | Ricky Woodward | Wangerin Racing | Ford | Wangerin Racing |
| 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | Wangerin Racing |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | STP |
| 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines |
| 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | Dingman Brothers Racing |
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | Eureka |
| 54 | Ronnie Sanders | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | Gray Racing |
| 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | Crown Central Petroleum, Skoal |
| 59 | Mark Gibson | Gibson Racing | Pontiac | Gibson Racing |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Ford | Pannill Sweatshirts |
| 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | Purolator Filters |
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy |
| 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | Helen Rae Special |
| 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | Valvoline |
| 76 | Hut Stricklin | Jaehne Motorsports | Pontiac | Jaehne Motorsports |
| 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | Circle Bar Truck Stop, Bob Beard Ford |
| 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | S&H Racing |
| 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | Wynn's, Kmart |
| 86 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | Slenderizers |
| 88 | Buddy Baker | 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 Thursday, June 30, at 10:00 AM 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 Friday, July 1, 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 but were high enough in owner's points; up to two provisionals were given.

Darrell Waltrip, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 46.435 and an average speed of 193.819 miles per hour (311.921 km/h) in the first round.

Ten drivers would fail to qualify.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46.435 | 193.819 |
| 2 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 46.959 | 191.657 |
| 3 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 47.072 | 191.196 |
| 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.102 | 191.075 |
| 5 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 47.145 | 190.900 |
| 6 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 47.157 | 190.852 |
| 7 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.384 | 189.938 |
| 8 | 33 | Morgan Shepherd | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 47.388 | 189.921 |
| 9 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.465 | 189.613 |
| 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 47.540 | 189.314 |
| 11 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 47.548 | 189.282 |
| 12 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 47.671 | 188.794 |
| 13 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 47.715 | 188.620 |
| 14 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 47.718 | 188.608 |
| 15 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 47.734 | 188.545 |
| 16 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 47.769 | 188.407 |
| 17 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 47.802 | 188.277 |
| 18 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 47.847 | 188.100 |
| 19 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 47.890 | 187.931 |
| 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 47.890 | 187.931 |
| Failed to lock in Round 1 |||||||
| 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 48.012 | 187.453 |
| 22 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 48.020 | 187.422 |
| 23 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | 48.114 | 187.056 |
| 24 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.131 | 186.990 |
| 25 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 48.145 | 186.935 |
| 26 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 48.150 | 186.916 |
| 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 48.293 | 186.362 |
| 28 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 48.364 | 186.089 |
| 29 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 48.416 | 185.889 |
| 30 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 48.578 | 185.269 |
| 31 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 48.586 | 185.239 |
| 32 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 48.629 | 185.075 |
| 33 | 37 | Patty Moise | Randy Hope Motorsports | Buick | 48.659 | 184.961 |
| 34 | 07 | Larry Moyer | Stark Racing | Pontiac | 48.670 | 184.919 |
| 35 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 48.689 | 184.847 |
| 36 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 48.707 | 184.778 |
| 37 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 48.721 | 184.725 |
| 38 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 48.780 | 184.502 |
| 39 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 48.781 | 184.498 |
| 40 | 86 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | 48.866 | 184.177 |
| Provisionals |||||||
| 41 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 48.922 | 183.966 |
| 42 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 48.974 | 183.771 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||
| 43 | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | 48.902 | 184.042 |
| 44 | 59 | Mark Gibson | Gibson Racing | Pontiac | 48.926 | 183.951 |
| 45 | 32 | Philip Duffie | Duffie Racing | Buick | 49.134 | 183.173 |
| 46 | 76 | Hut Stricklin | Jaehne Motorsports | Pontiac | 49.190 | 182.964 |
| 47 | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | 49.357 | 182.345 |
| 48 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | 49.543 | 181.660 |
| 49 | 54 | Ronnie Sanders | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | 49.670 | 181.196 |
| 50 | 38 | Ricky Woodward | Wangerin Racing | Ford | 50.360 | 178.713 |
| 51 | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | 50.454 | 178.380 |
| 52 | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | 51.264 | 175.562 |
| Official first round qualifying results |||||||
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 38 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 160 | 23 | running | 180 | $63,500 |
| 2 | 26 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 160 | 19 | running | 175 | $45,825 |
| 3 | 6 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 160 | 17 | running | 170 | $22,250 |
| 4 | 20 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 53 | running | 170 | $22,825 |
| 5 | 1 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 13 | running | 160 | $25,430 |
| 6 | 9 | 88 | Buddy Baker | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 160 | 8 | running | 155 | $14,185 |
| 7 | 8 | 33 | Morgan Shepherd | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 160 | 0 | running | 146 | $12,835 |
| 8 | 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 160 | 10 | running | 147 | $16,435 |
| 9 | 37 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 159 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,660 |
| 10 | 32 | 50 | Greg Sacks | Dingman Brothers Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 134 | $7,535 |
| 11 | 13 | 31 | Joe Ruttman | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 159 | 0 | running | 130 | $7,325 |
| 12 | 19 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 127 | $13,940 |
| 13 | 11 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 159 | 0 | running | 124 | $8,720 |
| 14 | 17 | 1 | Dale Jarrett | Ellington Racing | Buick | 159 | 0 | running | 121 | $4,705 |
| 15 | 15 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 159 | 0 | running | 0 | $12,090 |
| 16 | 10 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 0 | running | 115 | $7,885 |
| 17 | 22 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 159 | 0 | running | 117 | $5,380 |
| 18 | 5 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 109 | $10,930 |
| 19 | 14 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 159 | 0 | running | 106 | $10,680 |
| 20 | 27 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 159 | 0 | running | 103 | $7,230 |
| 21 | 30 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 158 | 0 | running | 100 | $6,380 |
| 22 | 12 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 158 | 2 | running | 102 | $6,230 |
| 23 | 39 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 158 | 0 | running | 94 | $6,005 |
| 24 | 2 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 158 | 0 | running | 91 | $10,555 |
| 25 | 31 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Chevrolet | 156 | 0 | running | 88 | $3,805 |
| 26 | 33 | 37 | Patty Moise | Randy Hope Motorsports | Buick | 156 | 0 | running | 85 | $2,905 |
| 27 | 16 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 155 | 0 | running | 82 | $5,480 |
| 28 | 23 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Arrington Racing | Chevrolet | 153 | 0 | running | 79 | $4,630 |
| 29 | 40 | 86 | Rick Jeffrey | Jeffrey Racing | Chevrolet | 152 | 0 | running | 76 | $2,805 |
| 30 | 36 | 77 | Ken Ragan | Ragan Racing | Ford | 150 | 0 | running | 73 | $2,980 |
| 31 | 24 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 150 | 0 | running | 70 | $2,380 |
| 32 | 34 | 07 | Larry Moyer | Stark Racing | Pontiac | 148 | 0 | running | 67 | $2,355 |
| 33 | 42 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 141 | 0 | running | 64 | $2,330 |
| 34 | 7 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 130 | 15 | crash | 66 | $5,755 |
| 35 | 28 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 123 | 0 | running | 58 | $5,655 |
| 36 | 29 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 82 | 0 | running | 55 | $2,355 |
| 37 | 18 | 14 | A. J. Foyt | A. J. Foyt Racing | Oldsmobile | 72 | 0 | engine | 52 | $2,230 |
| 38 | 3 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 43 | 0 | engine | 49 | $11,865 |
| 39 | 35 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | 2 | 0 | crash | 46 | $4,840 |
| 40 | 21 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 1 | 0 | engine | 43 | $4,790 |
| 41 | 25 | 29 | Cale Yarborough | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 1 | 0 | crash | 40 | $2,765 |
| 42 | 41 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 1 | 0 | crash | 37 | $10,765 |
| Failed to qualify |||||||||||
| 43 | | 80 | Jimmy Horton (R) | S&H Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 44 | | 59 | Mark Gibson | Gibson Racing | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 45 | | 32 | Philip Duffie | Duffie Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 46 | | 76 | Hut Stricklin | Jaehne Motorsports | Pontiac | | | | | |
| 47 | | 73 | Phil Barkdoll | Barkdoll Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 48 | | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | | | | | |
| 49 | | 54 | Ronnie Sanders | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| 50 | | 38 | Ricky Woodward | Wangerin Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 51 | | 39 | Blackie Wangerin | Wangerin Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 52 | | 0 | Delma Cowart | H. L. Waters Racing | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Rusty Wallace | 2,272 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | 2,185 (-87) |
| | 3 | Bill Elliott | 2,175 (-97) |
| | 4 | Terry Labonte | 2,045 (–227) |
| | 5 | Ken Schrader | 1,976 (–296) |
| 2 | 6 | Phil Parsons | 1,932 (–340) |
| 1 | 7 | Geoff Bodine | 1,929 (–343) |
| 1 | 8 | Darrell Waltrip | 1,894 (–378) |
| 2 | 9 | Sterling Marlin | 1,874 (–398) |
| | 10 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | 1,847 (–425) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
