David Pearson vs Bobby Allison
Bill Elliott wins the 1988 Winston Cup championship.
The 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 40th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 17th modern-era Cup series. Bill Elliott of Melling Racing won the championship. Rusty Wallace finished runner up in 1988. Dale Earnhardt finished third in the championship.
Quick Facts
- Pearson championships
- 3
- Allison championships
- 1
- Allison career wins
- 84
Lore & Background
The 1988 season was notable for hosting the first of two NASCAR tire wars between Goodyear and Hoosier. Unless a team was under an exclusive tire contract, teams were allowed to switch tire manufacturers from race to race so no team ran a full season on the same tire.
Reader's Guide
The season began on February 7 at Daytona International Speedway and ended on November 20 at the Atlanta International Speedway. Key races included the Daytona 500, won by Bobby Allison, and the Goodwrench 500, won by Neil Bonnett.
Did You Know?
- Bobby Allison's final career victory was the 1988 Daytona 500.
- Neil Bonnett's final Cup Series victory was the Goodwrench 500 in 1988.
- Lake Speed's only Winston Cup Series victory was the TranSouth 500 in 1988.
- The Goodyear NASCAR 500 was the first NASCAR sanctioned race outside of North America, held in Australia.
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