1988 Coca-Cola 600

The 1988 Coca-Cola 600, the 29th running of the event, was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on May 29, 1988 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 10th race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Darrell Waltrip of Hendrick Motorsports won the race.

1988 Coca-Cola 600
Race details
Race 10 of 29 in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
Date May 29, 1988 (1988-05-29)
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Weather Temperatures averaging around 74.1 °F (23.4 °C); wind speeds up to 9.2 miles per hour (14.8 km/h)[1]
Average speed 124.46 mph (200.30 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Ranier-Lundy Racing
Most laps led
Driver Rick Wilson Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Laps 106
Winner
No. 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network TBS
Announcers Ken Squier & Johnny Hayes

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 NASCAR All-Star Race, as well as the Oakwood Homes 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).

During the previous week’s All-Star Race IV, during the midst of a major tire war between Goodyear and Hoosier, two major incidents during the event were caused by Goodyear-related failures, one on Dale Earnhardt’s Chevrolet after finishing the first segment, which was repairable as the cars were slowing down, and one on Lap 23 of the second segment, which injured Ricky Rudd after his Buick had a tire failure and crashed, forcing him to a relief driver.

Goodyear withdrew their tires after practice when it was discovered that their compound had major issues following both the previous week’s race and the first practice, owing to concerns they may not last for the different conditions of the 600 compared to the previous week’s 202 mile All Star event. Only long-time loyalist Dave Marcis stayed with the brand, while the remaining teams switched to Hoosiers over safety concerns. Goodyear offered Daytona-spec tires for those who wanted them. But the situation worsened. Three drivers - Neil Bonnett, Harry Gant, and Rick Wilson - all were hospitalized with injuries following fire failures during the 600 on Hoosiers. Marcis had more durable but slower Goodyear tires and did not have failures during the race.[2][3]

Top 10 results
Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 17Darrell WaltripHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
2 27Rusty WallaceBlue Max RacingPontiac
3 7Alan KulwickiAK RacingFord
4 15Brett BodineBud Moore EngineeringFord
5 28Davey AllisonRanier-Lundy RacingFord
6 25Ken SchraderHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet
7 26Ricky RuddKing RacingBuick
8 55Phil ParsonsJackson Brothers MotorsportsOldsmobile
9 11Terry LabonteJunior Johnson & AssociatesChevrolet
10 50Greg SacksDingman BrothersPontiac
  • Ricky Rudd was relieved during the race by Mike Alexander (Rudd had suffered injuries from a crash at The Winston).
  • Rick Wilson led 107 laps before crashing due to tire failure.

Race statistics
  • Time of race: 4:49:15
  • Average Speed: 124.46 miles per hour (200.30 km/h)
  • Pole Speed: 173.594 miles per hour (279.372 km/h)
  • Cautions: 13 for 89 laps
  • Margin of Victory: 0.24 sec
  • Lead changes: 43

[4]

References
  1. Weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. "Historical Motorsports Stories: Tire Wars! Goodyear vs Hoosier". Racing-Reference.com. July 14, 2016. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  3. "Historical Motorsports Stories: Tire Wars! NASCAR's Asphalt Battlefield". Racing-Reference.com. May 15, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2019.
  4. Race statistics at Race Database
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