The 1988 Holly Farms 400 was the 26th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 39th iteration of the event. Originally scheduled to be the 25th race of the season and to be held on Sunday, October 2, the race was delayed by two weeks due to rain and scheduling conflicts.[1] The race was eventually held on Sunday, October 16, before an audience of 35,000 in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina at the North Wilkesboro Speedway, a 0.625 miles (1.006 km) oval short track. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete.

1988 Holly Farms 400
Race details
Race 26 of 29 in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
The 1988 Holly Farms 400 program cover, featuring Terry Labonte.
The 1988 Holly Farms 400 program cover, featuring Terry Labonte.
Date October 16, 1988
Official name 39th Annual Holly Farms 400
Location North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
0.625 mi (1.006 km)
Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 250 mi (402.336 km)
Average speed 94.192 miles per hour (151.587 km/h)
Attendance 35,000
Pole position
Driver Melling Racing
Time 19.247
Most laps led
Driver Ricky Rudd King Racing
Laps 154
Winner
No. 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Jerry Punch, Ned Jarrett
Radio in the United States
Radio Motor Racing Network

In a three-lap sprint to the finish, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace and Hendrick Motorsports' Geoff Bodine engaged for a battle for the victory. On the final lap of the race, Bodine moved Wallace up the track in the first turn, giving Bodine the lead. However, heading into the final turns, Wallace was close enough to be able to bump Bodine back, eventually deciding to send him up the track, giving Wallace the victory. The victory was Wallace's eighth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his fourth victory of the season.[2][3] To fill out the top three, Jackson Bros. Motorsports' Phil Parsons and the aforementioned Geoff Bodine finished second and third, respectively.

Background

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The layout of North Wilkesboro Speedway, the venue where the race was held

North Wilkesboro Speedway is a short oval racetrack located on U.S. Route 421, about five miles east of the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, or 80 miles north of Charlotte. It measures 0.625 mi (1.006 km) and features a unique uphill backstretch and downhill frontstretch. It has previously held races in NASCAR's top three series, including 93 Winston Cup Series races. The track, a NASCAR original, operated from 1949, NASCAR's inception, until the track's original closure in 1996. The speedway briefly reopened in 2010 and hosted several stock car series races before closing again in the spring of 2011. It was re-opened in August 2022 for grassroots racing.

Entry list

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  • (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
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
09 Doug French Caragias Racing Chevrolet Caragias Racing
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
17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide
20 Alan Russell Russell Racing Chevrolet Russell Racing
21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo
22 Rob Moroso Moroso Racing Oldsmobile Prestone
24 Kevin Evans Gray Racing Pontiac Gray Racing
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 Lee Faulk Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile Slender You Figure Salons
33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit
38 Mike Laws Pro-Star Motorsports Oldsmobile Pro-Star Motorsports
43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP
44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines
52 Jimmy Means[a] Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac Eureka
55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile Crown Central Petroleum, Skoal Classic
57 Morgan Shepherd Osterlund Racing Buick Heinz
67 Brad Teague Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts
70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac Rumple Furniture
71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy
75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline
83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile Wynn's, Kmart
88 Greg Sacks Baker-Schiff Racing Oldsmobile Red Baron Frozen Pizza
90 Benny Parsons[a] Donlavey Racing Ford Bull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce
98 Brad Noffsinger (R) Curb Racing Buick Sunoco

Qualifying

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Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Friday, September 30, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver had one lap to set a time. During the first round, the top 10 drivers in the round were 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, October 1, at 11:30 AM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 11-30 were decided on time,[5] 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.

Bill Elliott, driving for Melling Racing, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 19.247 and an average speed of 116.901 miles per hour (188.134 km/h) in the first round.[6]

Eight drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results

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Pos. # Driver Team Make Time Speed
1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 19.247 116.901
2 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 19.324 116.436
3 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.332 116.387
4 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 19.384 116.075
5 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 19.395 116.009
6 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 19.416 115.884
7 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 19.416 115.884
8 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.452 115.669
9 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 19.478 115.515
10 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 19.508 115.335
Failed to lock in the first round
11 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 19.483 115.485
12 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 19.486 115.468
13 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 19.501 115.379
14 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 19.501 115.379
15 88 Greg Sacks Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 19.511 115.320
16 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 19.513 115.308
17 2 Ernie Irvan (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac 19.529 115.213
18 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 19.529 115.213
19 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 19.545 115.119
20 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 19.613 114.720
21 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 19.614 114.714
22 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 19.614 114.714
23 12 Mike Alexander Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 19.638 114.574
24 10 Ken Bouchard (R) Whitcomb Racing Ford 19.678 114.341
25 31 Lee Faulk Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile 19.682 114.318
26 22 Rob Moroso Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 19.706 114.178
27 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 19.708 114.167
28 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 19.710 114.155
29 57 Morgan Shepherd Osterlund Racing Buick 19.726 114.063
30 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 19.738 113.993
Provisionals
31 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 19.805 113.608
32 90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford 19.781 113.746
Failed to qualify (results unknown)
33 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac -* -*
34 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac -* -*
35 98 Brad Noffsinger (R) Curb Racing Buick -* -*
36 67 Brad Teague Arrington Racing Ford -* -*
37 24 Kevin Evans Gray Racing Pontiac -* -*
38 09 Doug French Caragias Racing Chevrolet -* -*
39 20 Alan Russell Russell Racing Chevrolet -* -*
40 38 Mike Laws Pro-Star Motorsports Oldsmobile -* -*
Official first round qualifying results
Official starting lineup

Race results

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Fin St # Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings
1 12 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 400 30 running 180 $47,000
2 10 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros. Motorsports Oldsmobile 400 0 running 170 $22,900
3 8 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 49 running 170 $16,750
4 9 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson & Associates Chevrolet 400 0 running 160 $12,825
5 1 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 400 45 running 160 $21,625
6 22 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 107 running 155 $15,475
7 4 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 400 154 running 156 $10,025
8 3 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 0 running 142 $7,030
9 23 12 Mike Alexander Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 399 0 running 138 $8,000
10 15 88 Greg Sacks Baker–Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 399 0 running 134 $9,250
11 13 28 Davey Allison Ranier-Lundy Racing Ford 399 0 running 130 $10,145
12 21 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 0 running 127 $7,595
13 28 8 Bobby Hillin Jr. Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 399 0 running 124 $5,020
14 20 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 398 0 running 121 $6,765
15 5 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 398 0 running 118 $3,695
16 18 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 398 0 running 115 $7,370
17 14 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 398 0 running 112 $8,945
18 16 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 397 0 running 109 $4,420
19 6 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 397 0 running 106 $4,320
20 31 4 Rick Wilson Morgan–McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 396 0 running 103 $3,270
21 30 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 396 0 running 100 $3,850
22 29 57 Morgan Shepherd Osterlund Racing Buick 396 0 running 97 $1,475
23 19 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 395 0 running 94 $2,250
24 32 90 Jimmy Means Donlavey Racing Ford 394 0 running 91 $3,650
25 27 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 392 0 running 88 $3,675
26 17 2 Ernie Irvan (R) U.S. Racing Pontiac 390 0 running 85 $2,750
27 24 10 Ken Bouchard (R) Whitcomb Racing Ford 389 0 running 82 $2,225
28 11 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 380 1 running 84 $7,025
29 2 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 297 14 engine 81 $2,850
30 7 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 229 0 rear seal 73 $2,775
31 26 22 Rob Moroso Moroso Racing Oldsmobile 142 0 ignition 70 $1,250
32 25 31 Lee Faulk Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile 129 0 rear end 0 $1,250
Failed to qualify (results unknown)
33 70 J. D. McDuffie McDuffie Racing Pontiac
34 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Pontiac
35 98 Brad Noffsinger (R) Curb Racing Buick
36 67 Brad Teague Arrington Racing Ford
37 24 Kevin Evans Gray Racing Pontiac
38 09 Doug French Caragias Racing Chevrolet
39 20 Alan Russell Russell Racing Chevrolet
40 38 Mike Laws Pro-Star Motorsports Oldsmobile
Official race results

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b After Means failed to qualify for the event, he substituted in place of Benny Parsons, who decided to join the commentary crew for ESPN for the race.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Higgins, Tom (October 4, 1988). "N. Wilkesboro Rain Pushes Charlotte To Forefront". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 5B. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  2. ^ Higgins, Tom (October 17, 1988). "Wallace Charges To North Wilkesboro Win". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 7B. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  3. ^ Cooper, Ray (October 17, 1988). "Final-lap tap boosts Wallace past Bodine". News & Record. pp. B4, B5. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  4. ^ Robinson, Bill (October 17, 1988). "Wallace Bangs Way To Second Straight NASCAR Victory". The Atlanta Constitution. pp. 3D. Retrieved September 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  5. ^ "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. September 30, 1988. pp. 5D. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  
  6. ^ Higgins, Tom (October 1, 1988). "Elliott Takes Pole At North Wilkesboro". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1C, 4C. Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.  


Previous race:
1988 Oakwood Homes 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series
1988 season
Next race:
1988 AC Delco 500