The 1988 Oakwood Homes 500 was the 25th stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 29th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, October 9, 1988, before an audience of 145,000 in Concord, North Carolina, at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 1.5 miles (2.4 km) permanent quad-oval. The race took the scheduled 334 laps to complete. Coming back from a two-lap deficit, Blue Max Racing's Rusty Wallace managed to defend a challenge from Hendrick Motorsports' Darrell Waltrip in the closing laps of the race to take his seventh career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his third victory of the season. To fill out the top three, the aforementioned Darrell Waltrip and Bud Moore Engineering's Brett Bodine finished second and third, respectively.

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.

#DriverTeamMakeSponsor0Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevroletHeyward Grooms Construction00Gary BrooksBrooks RacingChevroletBrooks Racing1Dale JarrettEllington RacingBuickPort-A-Lube01Mickey GibbsGibbs RacingFordGibbs–West Tractor2Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevroletKroger3Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevroletGM Goodwrench03Ronnie SilverBahari RacingPontiacCountry Time03Peter SospenzoSospenzo RacingChevroletSospenzo Racing4Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobileKodak5Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevroletLevi Garrett6Mark MartinRoush RacingFordStroh's Light7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFordZerex8Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuickMiller High Life9Bill ElliottMelling RacingFordCoors Light10Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFordWhitcomb Racing11Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevroletBudweiser12Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuickMiller High Life14A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobileCopenhagen15Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFordCrisco16Larry PearsonPearson RacingChevroletChattanooga Chew17Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevroletTide19Chad LittleLittle RacingFordCoors Extra Gold21Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFordCitgo22Rodney CombsRichard Childress RacingChevroletRichard Childress Racing23Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobileWayne Paging24John McFaddenMcFadden RacingChevroletAlliance Training Centers25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevroletFolgers26Ricky RuddKing RacingBuickQuaker State27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiacKodiak28Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFordTexaco, Havoline29Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobileHardee's30Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiacCountry Time31Lee FaulkBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobileSlender You Figure Salons32Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuickBob Beard Buick32Johnny RutherfordBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobileSlender You Figure Salons33Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevroletSkoal Bandit34Connie SaylorAAG RacingBuickAllen's Associated Glass36H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiacAlmeda Auto Parts40Ben HessHess RacingOldsmobileHess Racing43Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiacSTP44Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobilePiedmont Airlines47Rob MorosoHendrick MotorsportsChevroletPeak Antifreeze50Charlie GlotzbachDingman Brothers RacingPontiacDingman Brothers Racing52Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiacEureka55Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobileSkoal, Crown Central Petroleum57Morgan ShepherdOsterlund RacingBuickHeinz59Mark GibsonGibson RacingPontiacGibson Racing63Jocko MaggiacomoLinro MotorsportsChevroletLinro Motorsports64Mike PotterPotter RacingChevroletEagle Engines67Brad TeagueArrington RacingFordPannill Sweatshirts68Derrike CopeTesta RacingFordPurolator70J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiacRumple Furniture71Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevroletLifebuoy73Joe RuttmanBarkdoll RacingChevroletFab Detergent74Randy LaJoieWawak RacingChevroletNelson Contracting75Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiacValvoline77Ken RaganRagan RacingFordBob Beard Ford83Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobileWynn's, Kmart87Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingOldsmobileSony Magnetic Tape88Greg SacksBaker-Schiff RacingOldsmobileRed Baron Frozen Pizza89Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingPontiacEvinrude Outboard Motors90Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFordBull's-Eye Barbecue Sauce93Troy BeebeMidgley RacingPontiacTaco Bell95Slick JohnsonSadler Brothers RacingChevroletSadler Brothers Racing96Dana PattenPatten RacingBuickU.S. Chrome97Tommy EllisWinkle MotorsportsBuickAC Spark Plug98Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuickSunoco

Qualifying Qualifying was split into two rounds. The first round was held on Wednesday, October 5, at 3:00 PM EST. Each driver had 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, October 6, at 2:00 PM EST. As with the first round, each driver had one lap to set a time. For this specific race, positions 21-40 was 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.

Alan Kulwicki, driving for his own AK Racing team, managed to win the pole, setting a time of 30.700 and an average speed of in the first round.

24 drivers failed to qualify.

Full qualifying results Pos.#DriverTeamMakeTimeSpeed17Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord30.700175.89629Bill ElliottMelling RacingFord30.754175.587327Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac30.756175.57546Mark MartinRoush RacingFord30.836175.12055Geoff BodineHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.917174.661612Mike AlexanderStavola Brothers RacingBuick30.992174.239725Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.064173.835833Harry GantMach 1 RacingChevrolet31.074173.779944Sterling MarlinHagan RacingOldsmobile31.075173.7731017Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.106173.600113Dale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31.119173.5271230Michael WaltripBahari RacingPontiac31.120173.5221301Mickey GibbsGibbs RacingFord31.172173.2321428Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord31.177173.2051568Derrike CopeTesta RacingFord31.190173.1321615Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord31.240172.8551788Greg SacksBaker–Schiff RacingOldsmobile31.335172.3311855Phil ParsonsJackson Bros. MotorsportsOldsmobile31.339172.3091983Lake SpeedSpeed RacingOldsmobile31.372172.1282029Cale YarboroughCale Yarborough MotorsportsOldsmobile31.372172.128Failed to lock in the first round2114A. J. FoytA. J. Foyt RacingOldsmobile31.137173.427221Dale JarrettEllington RacingBuick31.331172.3532321Kyle PettyWood Brothers RacingFord31.363172.1772411Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet31.384172.0622571Dave MarcisMarcis Auto RacingChevrolet31.397171.9912673Joe RuttmanBarkdoll RacingChevrolet31.413171.9032790Benny ParsonsDonlavey RacingFord31.425171.8382875Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesPontiac31.434171.7892952Jimmy MeansJimmy Means RacingPontiac31.436171.778304Rick WilsonMorgan–McClure MotorsportsOldsmobile31.449171.7073189Jim SauterMueller Brothers RacingPontiac31.466171.614328Bobby Hillin Jr.Stavola Brothers RacingBuick31.468171.6033343Richard PettyPetty EnterprisesPontiac31.489171.4883447Rob MorosoHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.501171.4233567Brad TeagueArrington RacingChevrolet31.505171.4013626Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick31.522171.3093723Eddie BierschwaleB&B RacingOldsmobile31.539171.2173897Tommy EllisWinkle MotorsportsBuick31.543171.1953957Morgan ShepherdOsterlund RacingBuick31.556171.1244016Larry PearsonPearson RacingChevrolet31.588170.951Provisionals4110Ken Bouchard (R)Whitcomb RacingFord -* -*4231Lee FaulkBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile33.470161.339Failed to qualify (results unknown)430Delma CowartH. L. Waters RacingChevrolet -* -*4400Gary BrooksBrooks RacingChevrolet -* -*452Ernie Irvan (R)U.S. RacingChevrolet -* -*4603Ronnie SilverBahari RacingPontiac -* -*4703Peter SospenzoSospenzo RacingChevrolet -* -*4819Chad LittleLittle RacingFord -* -*4922Rodney CombsRichard Childress RacingChevrolet -* -*5024John McFaddenMcFadden RacingChevrolet -* -*5132Philip DuffieDuffie RacingBuick -* -*5232Johnny RutherfordBob Clark MotorsportsOldsmobile -* -*5334Connie SaylorAAG RacingBuick -* -*5436H. B. BaileyBailey RacingPontiac -* -*5540Ben HessHess RacingOldsmobile -* -*5650Charlie GlotzbachDingman Brothers RacingPontiac -* -*5759Mark GibsonGibson RacingPontiac -* -*5863Jocko MaggiacomoLinro MotorsportsChevrolet -* -*5964Mike PotterPotter RacingChevrolet -* -*6070J. D. McDuffieMcDuffie RacingPontiac -* -*6174Randy LaJoieWawak RacingChevrolet -* -*6287Randy BakerBuck Baker RacingOldsmobile -* -*6393Troy BeebeMidgley RacingPontiac -* -*6495Slick JohnsonSadler Brothers RacingChevrolet -* -*6596Dana PattenPatten RacingBuick -* -*6698Brad Noffsinger (R)Curb RacingBuick -* -*WD77Ken RaganRagan RacingFord - -Official first round qualifying resultsOfficial starting lineup

Race results