1988 Miller High Life 400 (Richmond)
The 1988 Miller High Life 400 was the 22nd stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 31st iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, September 11, 1988, before an audience of 60,000 in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond International Raceway, a 0.75 miles (1.21 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. At race's end, Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison would manage to dominate the majority of the race, leading 262 laps to take his fourth career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his second and final victory of the season.[1][2] To fill out the top three, Richard Childress Racing's Dale Earnhardt and Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 29 in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
.jpeg.webp) The 1988 Miller Genuine Draft 400 program cover, featuring Bobby Hillin Jr. and Bobby Allison. Artwork by NASCAR artist Sam Bass. | |||
| Date | September 11, 1988 | ||
| Official name | 31st Annual Miller High Life 400 | ||
| Location | Richmond, Virginia, Richmond International Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.75 mi (1.21 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km) | ||
| Average speed | 95.77 miles per hour (154.13 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 60,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ranier-Lundy Racing | ||
| Time | 21.978 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | |
| Laps | 262 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier, Johnny Hayes | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The race was the first ever race at the newly-built Richmond International Raceway, a track that replaced the old Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway.[3]
Background
Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 3/4-mile (1.2 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series. Known as "America's premier short track", it formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, an IndyCar Series race, and two USAC sprint car races.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
Qualifying
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, September 9, at 3:00 PM EST. Originally, the first 20 positions were going to be determined by first round qualifying, with positions 21-30 meant to be determined the following day on Saturday, September 10.[4] However, due to rain, the first round was cancelled. As a result, qualifying was condensed into one round for all starting grid spots in the race, which was run on Saturday. 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.[5]
Davey Allison, driving for Ranier-Lundy Racing, would win the pole, setting a time of 21.978 and an average speed of 122.850 miles per hour (197.708 km/h).[6]
The starting lineup was drastically changed due to consequences of an ongoing tire war between the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and Hoosier Racing Tire. A rule implemented at the time stated that if a driver who had managed to qualify for a race changed tire brands between the qualifying session and the race, the driver was forced to forfeit their starting position and start at the rear. Around half of qualified drivers decided to switch tire brands, all of them forfeiting their original starting positions. The decision was regarded as unprecedented. The lineup is still disputed to this day, as NASCAR officials at the time were still in dispute over the correct order of the official starting lineup at the start of the race.[7]
Nine drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results (disputed)
Race results
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 28 | Davey Allison | Ranier-Lundy Racing | Ford | 400 | 262 | running | 185 | $57,800 |
| 2 | 19 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 400 | 78 | running | 175 | $29,625 |
| 3 | 22 | 11 | Terry Labonte | Junior Johnson & Associates | Chevrolet | 400 | 5 | running | 170 | $20,525 |
| 4 | 28 | 6 | Mark Martin | Roush Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 160 | $10,925 |
| 5 | 31 | 7 | Alan Kulwicki | AK Racing | Ford | 400 | 0 | running | 155 | $15,825 |
| 6 | 27 | 21 | Kyle Petty | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 399 | 0 | running | 150 | $10,400 |
| 7 | 20 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Melling Racing | Ford | 399 | 1 | running | 151 | $11,600 |
| 8 | 25 | 17 | Darrell Waltrip | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 398 | 0 | running | 142 | $9,100 |
| 9 | 29 | 75 | Neil Bonnett | RahMoc Enterprises | Pontiac | 398 | 0 | running | 138 | $8,900 |
| 10 | 13 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Marcis Auto Racing | Chevrolet | 397 | 0 | running | 134 | $8,600 |
| 11 | 7 | 15 | Brett Bodine | Bud Moore Engineering | Ford | 397 | 0 | running | 130 | $10,070 |
| 12 | 6 | 30 | Michael Waltrip | Bahari Racing | Pontiac | 397 | 0 | running | 127 | $6,000 |
| 13 | 8 | 88 | Greg Sacks | Baker–Schiff Racing | Oldsmobile | 396 | 0 | running | 0 | $5,750 |
| 14 | 11 | 8 | Bobby Hillin Jr. | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 396 | 0 | running | 121 | $5,160 |
| 15 | 33 | 29 | Dale Jarrett | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 395 | 0 | running | 118 | $4,430 |
| 16 | 24 | 44 | Sterling Marlin | Hagan Racing | Oldsmobile | 394 | 0 | running | 115 | $5,130 |
| 17 | 2 | 12 | Mike Alexander | Stavola Brothers Racing | Buick | 394 | 22 | running | 117 | $7,975 |
| 18 | 4 | 25 | Ken Schrader | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 393 | 0 | running | 109 | $8,865 |
| 19 | 15 | 10 | Ken Bouchard (R) | Whitcomb Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 106 | $4,050 |
| 20 | 10 | 90 | Benny Parsons | Donlavey Racing | Ford | 392 | 0 | running | 103 | $5,275 |
| 21 | 9 | 97 | Rodney Combs | Winkle Motorsports | Buick | 392 | 0 | running | 100 | $2,020 |
| 22 | 23 | 5 | Geoff Bodine | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 390 | 0 | running | 97 | $4,315 |
| 23 | 14 | 32 | Lee Faulk | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 388 | 0 | running | 0 | $1,920 |
| 24 | 26 | 55 | Phil Parsons | Jackson Bros. Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 361 | 0 | running | 91 | $4,175 |
| 25 | 5 | 31 | Butch Miller | Bob Clark Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 352 | 18 | axle | 0 | $2,730 |
| 26 | 12 | 26 | Ricky Rudd | King Racing | Buick | 349 | 14 | engine | 90 | $5,010 |
| 27 | 17 | 23 | Eddie Bierschwale | B&B Racing | Oldsmobile | 339 | 0 | engine | 82 | $1,760 |
| 28 | 35 | 2 | Ernie Irvan (R) | U.S. Racing | Pontiac | 292 | 0 | engine | 79 | $1,990 |
| 29 | 36 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Jimmy Means Racing | Pontiac | 259 | 0 | fatigue | 76 | $3,210 |
| 30 | 18 | 66 | Bob Schacht | Reet Racing | Buick | 138 | 0 | brakes | 0 | $1,650 |
| 31 | 34 | 57 | Morgan Shepherd | Osterlund Racing | Buick | 59 | 0 | handling | 70 | $1,590 |
| 32 | 16 | 33 | Harry Gant | Mach 1 Racing | Chevrolet | 36 | 0 | crash | 67 | $3,710 |
| 33 | 3 | 4 | Rick Wilson | Morgan–McClure Motorsports | Oldsmobile | 36 | 0 | engine | 64 | $2,150 |
| 34 | 32 | 43 | Richard Petty | Petty Enterprises | Pontiac | 26 | 0 | crash | 61 | $2,900 |
| 35 | 21 | 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | Pontiac | 18 | 0 | crash | 58 | $9,650 |
| 36 | 30 | 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | Oldsmobile | 11 | 0 | crash | 55 | $1,400 |
| Failed to qualify (results unknown) | ||||||||||
| 37 | 20 | Rayven Clark | Zieglar Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 38 | 37 | Randy Morrison | Morrison Racing | Ford | ||||||
| 39 | 40 | Ben Hess | Hess Racing | Oldsmobile | ||||||
| 40 | 54 | Lennie Pond | Gray Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 41 | 67 | Ron Esau | Arrington Racing | Ford | ||||||
| 42 | 68 | Derrike Cope | Testa Racing | Ford | ||||||
| 43 | 70 | J. D. McDuffie | McDuffie Racing | Pontiac | ||||||
| 44 | 78 | Jay Sommers | Sommers Racing | Chevrolet | ||||||
| 45 | 98 | Brad Noffsinger (R) | Curb Racing | Buick | ||||||
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
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References
- Higgins, Tom (September 12, 1988). "Allison Drives To Win". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 1B, 3B. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Pearson, Harold (September 12, 1988). "Allison captures triumph in 400". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. C1, C6. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Millsaps, Bill (September 12, 1988). "Richmond reaches big time with RIR's coming-out party". Richmond Times-Dispatch. pp. C1, C6. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "NASCAR Today". The Charlotte Observer. September 9, 1988. pp. 3B. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (September 10, 1988). "Drivers Still Wait To Get Acquainted With New Track". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 3B. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Higgins, Tom (September 11, 1988). "Allison Grabs Richmond Pole". The Charlotte Observer. pp. 19D. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Mulhurn, Mike (September 12, 1988). "Some Teams Calling for Changes With NASCAR, Tire Companies". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 24. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.