The 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the second stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 34th iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, February 21, 1988, in Richmond, Virginia, at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, a 0.542 miles (0.872 km) D-shaped oval. The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete. Coming back from a two lap deficit, RahMoc Enterprises driver Neil Bonnett would manage to pass for the lead on the final restart with 48 laps left in the race, coming back with the help of a long green flag stint to gain his first lap back, and a period of back-to-back cautions to regain his second lap. Bonnett would manage to lead the final 48 laps to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season.[1][2][3][4]
The victory was disputed by second place finisher, Ricky Rudd, and his team, King Racing. In an appeal filed by King Racing, the team stated that the three of Rudd, Richard Petty, and Darrell Waltrip all believed that Neil Bonnett had an accidental lap added to his total, with all three insisting that Bonnett had run no more than 399 laps of the race.[5] In an investigation done by NASCAR and their chief scorer, Morris Metcalfe, they maintained the validity of Bonnett's victory on February 23. Metcalfe firmly stated that he believed Bonnett had earned his laps back, stating in the Winston-Salem Journal that "We had everything under control the whole way, and we never had any doubt about who was leading, or who'd gotten lapped, or how Neil Bonnett got his laps back."[6][7]
The race was the final race using the former 0.542 miles (0.872 km) layout that Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway had been using at the time. The old track, one that was seen as an aging track and a track with few amenities,[8] was being torn down in favor of a new, 0.75 miles (1.21 km) long D-shaped oval named Richmond International Raceway that would be built near the now-former location of Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. The track was meant to be a more modern and expanded version of Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, with more amenities and seats being added.[9]
The race was the first victory that featured a car using the Hoosier Racing Tire brand, who had entered NASCAR in 1988 as a direct competitor towards the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, who prior to the 1988 season, had a monopoly on tires used in NASCAR since the 1971 season.[10] The victory was not viewed as a major victory for Hoosier Racing Tire, with Bonnett not showing a commitment towards using the brand for the entirety of the 1988 season. Bonnett would state that "We came here and tried the Hoosiers, and we found them to be the best tire for this track... we're going to run the best tire available at each track. Who knows? We might not run another race this year on Hoosier tires."[11][12]
Qualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds. The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday, February 19, 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, February 20.[14] 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.[15]
Morgan Shepherd, driving for Winkle Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 20.616 and an average speed of 94.645 miles per hour (152.316 km/h) in the first round.[16]
^Higgins, Tom (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett Comeback A Triumph Despite Protest (Part 1)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 49. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Higgins, Tom (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett Comeback A Triumph Despite Protest (Part 2)". The Charlotte Observer. p. 52. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Pearson, Harold (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett prevails in 400; confusion shrouds finish (Part 1)". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 25. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Pearson, Harold (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett prevails in 400; confusion shrouds finish (Part 2)". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 28. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Pearson, Harold (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett took the flag, but who is counting?". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 22. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Mulhurn, Mike (February 23, 1988). "Metcalfe, NASCAR Stand Behind Bonnett's Richmond Win (Part 1)". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 25. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Mulhurn, Mike (February 23, 1988). "Metcalfe, NASCAR Stand Behind Bonnett's Richmond Win (Part 2)". Winston-Salem Journal. p. 29. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Pearson, Harold (February 21, 1988). "Fairgrounds finale occasion for relief and remembrance". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 41. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Macenka, Joe (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett wins Richmond race". The Daily Item. p. 21. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^King, Randy (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett declared winner of wild race at Richmond (Part 1)". The Roanoke Times. p. 9. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^King, Randy (February 22, 1988). "Bonnett declared winner of wild race at Richmond (Part 2)". The Roanoke Times. p. 12. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Pearson, Harold (February 21, 1988). "Twist of events puts Pond in field". Richmond Times-Dispatch. p. 41. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Higgins, Tom (February 20, 1988). "Rain May Put Allisons On Front Row". The Charlotte Observer. p. 23. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^Higgins, Tom (February 21, 1988). "Shepherd Captures Pole, Schrader At Back Of Field". The Charlotte Observer. p. 30. Retrieved June 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
1988, pontiac, excitement, second, stock, race, 1988, nascar, winston, series, season, 34th, iteration, event, race, held, sunday, february, 1988, richmond, virginia, richmond, fairgrounds, raceway, miles, shaped, oval, race, took, scheduled, laps, complete, c. The 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400 was the second stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 34th iteration of the event The race was held on Sunday February 21 1988 in Richmond Virginia at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway a 0 542 miles 0 872 km D shaped oval The race took the scheduled 400 laps to complete Coming back from a two lap deficit RahMoc Enterprises driver Neil Bonnett would manage to pass for the lead on the final restart with 48 laps left in the race coming back with the help of a long green flag stint to gain his first lap back and a period of back to back cautions to regain his second lap Bonnett would manage to lead the final 48 laps to take his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his first victory of the season 1 2 3 4 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400Race detailsRace 2 of 29 in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup SeriesThe 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400 program cover DateFebruary 21 1988Official name34th Annual Pontiac Excitement 400LocationRichmond Virginia Richmond Fairgrounds RacewayCoursePermanent racing facility0 542 mi 0 872 km Distance400 laps 216 8 mi 348 905 km Scheduled Distance400 laps 216 8 mi 348 905 km Average speed66 401 miles per hour 106 862 km h Pole positionDriverMorgan ShepherdWinkle MotorsportsTime20 616Most laps ledDriverDale EarnhardtRichard Childress RacingLaps151WinnerNo 75Neil BonnettRahMoc EnterprisesTelevision in the United StatesNetworkTBSAnnouncersKen Squier Johnny HayesRadio in the United StatesRadioMotor Racing Network The victory was disputed by second place finisher Ricky Rudd and his team King Racing In an appeal filed by King Racing the team stated that the three of Rudd Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip all believed that Neil Bonnett had an accidental lap added to his total with all three insisting that Bonnett had run no more than 399 laps of the race 5 In an investigation done by NASCAR and their chief scorer Morris Metcalfe they maintained the validity of Bonnett s victory on February 23 Metcalfe firmly stated that he believed Bonnett had earned his laps back stating in the Winston Salem Journal that We had everything under control the whole way and we never had any doubt about who was leading or who d gotten lapped or how Neil Bonnett got his laps back 6 7 The race was the final race using the former 0 542 miles 0 872 km layout that Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway had been using at the time The old track one that was seen as an aging track and a track with few amenities 8 was being torn down in favor of a new 0 75 miles 1 21 km long D shaped oval named Richmond International Raceway that would be built near the now former location of Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway The track was meant to be a more modern and expanded version of Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway with more amenities and seats being added 9 The race was the first victory that featured a car using the Hoosier Racing Tire brand who had entered NASCAR in 1988 as a direct competitor towards the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company who prior to the 1988 season had a monopoly on tires used in NASCAR since the 1971 season 10 The victory was not viewed as a major victory for Hoosier Racing Tire with Bonnett not showing a commitment towards using the brand for the entirety of the 1988 season Bonnett would state that We came here and tried the Hoosiers and we found them to be the best tire for this track we re going to run the best tire available at each track Who knows We might not run another race this year on Hoosier tires 11 12 Contents 1 Background 1 1 Entry list 2 Qualifying 2 1 Full qualifying results 3 Race results 4 Standings after the race 5 Notes 6 ReferencesBackground editRichmond 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 edit 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 03 Dave Pletcher Sr Weaver Racing Ford Wild Turkey Music 4 Rick Wilson Morgan McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile Kodak 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Levi Garrett 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford Stroh s Light 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford Zerex 07 Larry Moyer Stark Racing Pontiac Just Say No 8 Bobby Hillin Jr Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller High Life 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford Coors Light 10 Ken Bouchard R Whitcomb Racing Ford Whitcomb Racing 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson amp Associates Chevrolet Budweiser 12 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick Miller High Life 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford Crisco 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Tide 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford Citgo 22 Lennie Pond Hamby Racing Chevrolet Hamby 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 Texaco Havoline 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile Hardee s 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac Country Time 31 Brad Teague Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile Slender You Figure Salons 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet Skoal Bandit 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac STP 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile Piedmont Airlines 46 Glenn Moffat Moffat Racing Chevrolet Moffat Racing 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet Eureka 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros Motorsports Oldsmobile Skoal Crown Central Petroleum 67 Buddy Arrington N 1 Arrington Racing Ford Pannill Sweatshirts 68 Derrike Cope Testa Racing Ford Purolator 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet Lifebuoy 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac Valvoline 76 Graham Taylor Betty Taylor Racing Ford Car Mate Trailers 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile Wynn s Kmart 88 Buddy Baker Baker Schiff Racing Oldsmobile Red Baron Frozen Pizza 90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford Bull s Eye Barbecue Sauce 97 Morgan Shepherd Winkle Motorsports Buick AC Spark Plug 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Pontiac SunocoQualifying editQualifying was originally scheduled to be split into two rounds The first round was scheduled to be held on Friday February 19 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 February 20 14 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 15 Morgan Shepherd driving for Winkle Motorsports would win the pole setting a time of 20 616 and an average speed of 94 645 miles per hour 152 316 km h in the first round 16 Eight drivers would fail to qualify Full qualifying results edit Pos Driver Team Make Time Speed 1 97 Morgan Shepherd Winkle Motorsports Buick 20 616 94 645 2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 20 659 94 448 3 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 20 689 94 311 4 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 20 689 94 311 5 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 20 691 94 302 6 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 20 723 94 156 7 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 20 724 94 152 8 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20 729 94 129 9 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 20 731 94 120 10 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson amp Associates Chevrolet 20 737 94 093 11 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 20 780 93 898 12 90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford 20 781 93 893 13 10 Ken Bouchard R Whitcomb Racing Ford 20 782 93 889 14 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 20 794 93 835 15 28 Davey Allison Ranier Lundy Racing Ford 20 804 93 790 16 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 20 858 93 547 17 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros Motorsports Oldsmobile 20 860 93 538 18 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 20 871 93 489 19 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 20 879 93 453 20 8 Bobby Hillin Jr Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 20 887 93 417 21 68 Derrike Cope Testa Racing Ford 20 887 93 417 22 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 20 902 93 350 23 31 Brad Teague Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile 20 904 93 341 24 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 20 943 93 167 25 12 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 20 981 92 998 26 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 21 000 92 914 27 88 Buddy Baker Baker Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 21 002 92 905 28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 21 028 92 791 29 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 21 060 92 650 30 67 Buddy Arrington Arrington Racing Ford 21 104 92 456 Provisionals 31 22 Lennie Pond Hamby Racing Chevrolet 21 169 92 173 32 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 21 116 92 404 Failed to qualify 33 4 Rick Wilson Morgan McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 34 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21 228 91 916 35 2 Ernie Irvan R U S Racing Chevrolet 36 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Pontiac 37 03 Dave Pletcher Sr Weaver Racing Ford 38 76 Graham Taylor Betty Taylor Racing Ford 39 07 Larry Moyer Stark Racing Pontiac 40 46 Glenn Moffat Moffat Racing Chevrolet Official first round qualifying resultsRace results editFin St Driver Team Make Laps Led Status Pts Winnings 1 3 75 Neil Bonnett RahMoc Enterprises Pontiac 400 141 running 180 45 900 2 22 26 Ricky Rudd King Racing Buick 400 0 running 170 25 660 3 9 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises Pontiac 400 0 running 165 16 975 4 11 17 Darrell Waltrip Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 39 running 165 14 185 5 14 44 Sterling Marlin Hagan Racing Oldsmobile 400 0 running 155 12 315 6 18 83 Lake Speed Speed Racing Oldsmobile 400 67 running 155 5 290 7 4 27 Rusty Wallace Blue Max Racing Pontiac 400 0 running 146 11 790 8 20 8 Bobby Hillin Jr Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 399 0 running 142 6 550 9 10 11 Terry Labonte Junior Johnson amp Associates Chevrolet 399 1 running 143 9 320 10 2 3 Dale Earnhardt Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 399 151 running 144 16 245 11 25 12 Bobby Allison Stavola Brothers Racing Buick 399 0 running 130 8 795 12 16 9 Bill Elliott Melling Racing Ford 399 0 running 127 10 595 13 8 5 Geoff Bodine Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 398 0 running 124 5 305 14 12 90 Benny Parsons Donlavey Racing Ford 398 0 running 121 5 125 15 27 88 Buddy Baker Baker Schiff Racing Oldsmobile 398 0 running 118 5 505 16 1 97 Morgan Shepherd Winkle Motorsports Buick 398 1 running 120 8 025 17 28 71 Dave Marcis Marcis Auto Racing Chevrolet 397 0 running 112 4 450 18 24 21 Kyle Petty Wood Brothers Racing Ford 397 0 running 109 8 075 19 23 31 Brad Teague Bob Clark Motorsports Oldsmobile 395 0 running 106 1 835 20 30 67 Ken Schrader N 1 Arrington Racing Ford 395 0 running 103 4 610 21 5 7 Alan Kulwicki AK Racing Ford 393 0 crank 100 4 045 22 31 22 Lennie Pond Hamby Racing Chevrolet 383 0 running 0 2 375 23 13 10 Ken Bouchard R Whitcomb Racing Ford 380 0 running 94 2 365 24 29 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Racing Chevrolet 374 0 running 91 3 755 25 7 6 Mark Martin Roush Racing Ford 364 0 running 88 1 645 26 32 29 Dale Jarrett Cale Yarborough Motorsports Oldsmobile 337 0 crash 85 1 510 27 19 15 Brett Bodine Bud Moore Engineering Ford 325 0 running 82 9 275 28 6 33 Harry Gant Mach 1 Racing Chevrolet 289 0 crash 79 4 430 29 15 28 Davey Allison Ranier Lundy Racing Ford 276 0 running 76 10 055 30 17 55 Phil Parsons Jackson Bros Motorsports Oldsmobile 225 0 running 73 3 420 31 26 30 Michael Waltrip Bahari Racing Pontiac 110 0 engine 70 2 820 32 21 68 Derrike Cope Testa Racing Ford 47 0 crash 67 2 820 Failed to qualify 33 4 Rick Wilson Morgan McClure Motorsports Oldsmobile 34 25 Ken Schrader Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 35 2 Ernie Irvan R U S Racing Chevrolet 36 98 Ed Pimm Curb Racing Pontiac 37 03 Dave Pletcher Sr Weaver Racing Ford 38 76 Graham Taylor Betty Taylor Racing Ford 39 07 Larry Moyer Stark Racing Pontiac 40 46 Glenn Moffat Moffat Racing Chevrolet Official race resultsStandings after the race editDrivers Championship standings Pos Driver Points nbsp 3 1 Neil Bonnett 345 nbsp 1 2 Bobby Allison 315 30 nbsp 2 3 Terry Labonte 303 42 nbsp 4 4 Sterling Marlin 302 43 nbsp 6 5 Darrell Waltrip 300 45 nbsp 1 6 Rusty Wallace 297 48 nbsp 2 7 Dale Earnhardt 283 62 nbsp 9 8 Ricky Rudd 282 63 nbsp 4 9 Bobby Hillin Jr 266 79 nbsp 4 10 Ken Schrader 258 87 Official driver s standings Note Only the first 10 positions are included for the driver standings Notes edit a b After Ken Schrader failed to qualify using his Hendrick Motorsports entry team owner Rick Hendrick would manage to buy out owner driver Buddy Arrington s car for the race using Arrington s car for driver points 13 References edit Higgins Tom February 22 1988 Bonnett Comeback A Triumph Despite Protest Part 1 The Charlotte Observer p 49 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Higgins Tom February 22 1988 Bonnett Comeback A Triumph Despite Protest Part 2 The Charlotte Observer p 52 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Pearson Harold February 22 1988 Bonnett prevails in 400 confusion shrouds finish Part 1 Richmond Times Dispatch p 25 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Pearson Harold February 22 1988 Bonnett prevails in 400 confusion shrouds finish Part 2 Richmond Times Dispatch p 28 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Pearson Harold February 22 1988 Bonnett took the flag but who is counting Richmond Times Dispatch p 22 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Mulhurn Mike February 23 1988 Metcalfe NASCAR Stand Behind Bonnett s Richmond Win Part 1 Winston Salem Journal p 25 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Mulhurn Mike February 23 1988 Metcalfe NASCAR Stand Behind Bonnett s Richmond Win Part 2 Winston Salem Journal p 29 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Pearson Harold February 21 1988 Fairgrounds finale occasion for relief and remembrance Richmond Times Dispatch p 41 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Pearson Harold May 15 1988 Fruits of struggle Richmond Times Dispatch p 40 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Macenka Joe February 22 1988 Bonnett wins Richmond race The Daily Item p 21 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp King Randy February 22 1988 Bonnett declared winner of wild race at Richmond Part 1 The Roanoke Times p 9 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp King Randy February 22 1988 Bonnett declared winner of wild race at Richmond Part 2 The Roanoke Times p 12 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Pearson Harold February 21 1988 Twist of events puts Pond in field Richmond Times Dispatch p 41 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp NASCAR Today The Charlotte Observer February 19 1988 p 28 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Higgins Tom February 20 1988 Rain May Put Allisons On Front Row The Charlotte Observer p 23 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Higgins Tom February 21 1988 Shepherd Captures Pole Schrader At Back Of Field The Charlotte Observer p 30 Retrieved June 22 2023 via Newspapers com nbsp Previous race 1988 Daytona 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series1988 season Next race 1988 Goodwrench 500 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400 amp oldid 1187750632, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
