The 1988 Talladega DieHard 500 was the 17th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 20th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, July 31, 1988, before an audience of 80,000 in Lincoln, Alabama at Alabama International Motor Speedway, a 2.66 miles (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race took the scheduled 188 laps to complete. On the final lap of the race, Hendrick Motorsports driver Ken Schrader would manage to make a pass for the lead coming out of the track's second turn, holding onto the lead for the rest of the lap to take the victory. The victory was Schrader's first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season. To fill out the top three, Hendrick Motorsports driver Geoff Bodine and Richard Childress Racing driver Dale Earnhardt would finish second and third, respectively.

Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval, a tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a tri-oval.

Entry list

(R) denotes rookie driver.

#DriverTeamMake0Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet1Dale JarrettEllington RacingBuick01Mickey GibbsGibbs RacingFord2Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet4Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile5Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet6Mark MartinRoush RacingFord7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord07Larry MoyerStark RacingPontiac8Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord10Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord11Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet12Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick14A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobile15Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord17Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet21Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord23Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac28Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord29Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac31Joe RuttmanBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile32Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick33Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac44Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile50Greg SacksDingman Brothers RacingPontiac52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac55Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile59Mark GibsonGibson RacingPontiac67Ron EsauArrington RacingFord68Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet73Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingFord75Morgan ShepherdRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac76Hut StricklinJaehne MotorsportsPontiac77Ken RaganRagan RacingFord83Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile86Rick JeffreyJeffrey RacingChevrolet88Buddy BakerBaker-Schiff RacingOldsmobile90Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord95Slick JohnsonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet97Rodney CombsWinkle MotorsportsBuick98Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuick

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Thursday, July 28, at 2:00 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 Friday, July 29, 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.

Darrell Waltrip, driving for Hendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 48.789 and an average speed of in the first round.

Eight drivers would fail to qualify.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed117Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet48.789196.274244Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile49.275194.338328Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord49.309194.20445Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49.362193.995575Morgan ShepherdRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac49.376193.94063Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet49.475193.552725Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49.531193.33389Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord49.684192.738926Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick49.691192.7111050Greg SacksDingman Brothers RacingPontiac49.692192.707118Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick49.771192.4011255Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile49.796192.3051321Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord49.881191.9771488Buddy BakerBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobile49.927191.8001512Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick49.969191.6391629Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile49.982191.5891714A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobile50.041191.3631833Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet50.052191.3211901Mickey GibbsGibbs RacingFord50.120191.061206Mark MartinRoush RacingFord50.218190.689Failed to lock in Round 12111Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet50.146190.9622227Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac50.340190.2262352Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac50.351190.1852423Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile50.454189.797254Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile50.500189.624261Dale JarrettEllington RacingBuick50.500189.6242730Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac50.568189.3692897Rodney CombsWinkle MotorsportsBuick50.604189.2342967Ron EsauArrington RacingChevrolet50.611189.2083083Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile50.701188.872312Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet50.702188.868327Alan KulwickiMach 1 RacingFord50.713188.8273315Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord50.768188.6233443Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac50.832188.3853531Joe RuttmanBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile50.919188.0633677Ken RaganRagan RacingFord50.937187.9973771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet50.943187.9753873Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingChevrolet50.971187.8723910Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord51.094187.4194098Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuick51.124187.309Provisionals4190Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord52.355182.9054268Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord52.181183.515Failed to qualify4307Larry MoyerStark RacingPontiac51.133187.2764495Slick JohnsonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet51.210186.9954586Rick JeffreyJeffrey RacingChevrolet51.443186.148460Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet51.452186.1154776Hut StricklinJaehne MotorsportsPontiac51.626185.4884859Mark GibsonGibson RacingPontiac52.029184.0514932Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick - -5070J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac - -Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results FinSt#DriverTeamMakeLapsLedStatusPtsWinnings1725Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1888running180$67,920245Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet1880running170$39,915363Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet18837running170$37,7754254Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile1880running160$20,07552227Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac1880running155$23,2156244Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile1880running150$14,8007206Mark MartinRoush RacingFord1880running146$10,675889Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord1881running147$16,22091629Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile1885running143$8,520101488Buddy BakerBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobile1881running139$11,370111255Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile1883running135$9,440121714A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobile1883running132$5,470133083Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile1881running129$6,650142111Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet1880running121$12,680151321Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord1880running118$12,175161833Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet1880running115$7,86517118Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick1880running112$7,505183771Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet1881running114$7,39519327Alan KulwickiMach 1 RacingFord1880running106$7,110202730Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac1870running103$7,505213443Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac1870running100$6,635224098Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuick1870running97$4,725232352Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac1871running99$6,365244268Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord1870running91$6,230251512Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick1860running88$10,520263873Phil BarkdollBarkdoll RacingChevrolet1860running85$3,355274190Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord1860running82$5,935283315Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord1850running79$11,825292897Rodney CombsWinkle MotorsportsBuick1840running76$3,165303677Ken RaganRagan RacingFord1760running73$3,105312423Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile1750running70$3,04532312Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet1650running67$3,23533117Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet162123engine74$32,675341901Mickey GibbsGibbs RacingFord1602clutch66$3,955353910Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord1480oil pan58$2,790362967Ron EsauArrington RacingChevrolet1410fan blade$4,75537261Dale JarrettEllington RacingBuick1411engine57$2,795381050Greg SacksDingman Brothers RacingPontiac1330engine49$2,63039328Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord881engine51$12,27040575Morgan ShepherdRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac670crash43$9,56041926Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick450engine40$5,135423531Joe RuttmanBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile330engine37$3,110Failed to qualify4307Larry MoyerStark RacingPontiac4495Slick JohnsonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet4586Rick JeffreyJeffrey RacingChevrolet460Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet4776Hut StricklinJaehne MotorsportsPontiac4859Mark GibsonGibson RacingPontiac4932Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick5070J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacOfficial race results

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Rusty Wallace 2,518 2 Bill Elliott 2,507 (-11) 3 Dale Earnhardt 2,485 (-33) 1 4 Ken Schrader 2,331 (–187) 1 5 Terry Labonte 2,309 (–209) 6 Geoff Bodine 2,264 (–254) 2 7 Sterling Marlin 2,145 (–373) 8 Phil Parsons 2,137 (–381) 2 9 Darrell Waltrip 2,128 (–390) 10 Bobby Hillin Jr. 2,059 (–459)Official driver's standings Note: Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings.

References