| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 29 in the1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 The 1988 TranSouth 500 program cover, featuringDale Earnhardt. | |||
| Date | March 27, 1988 | ||
| Official name | 32nd Annual TranSouth 500 | ||
| Location | Darlington, South Carolina,Darlington Raceway | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.366 miles (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km) | ||
| Scheduled distance | 367 laps, 501.322 mi (806.799 km) | ||
| Average speed | 131.284 miles per hour (211.281 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 58,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 30.233 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | |
| Laps | 178 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 83 | Lake Speed | Speed Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Bob Jenkins,Ned Jarrett,Gary Nelson | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The1988 TranSouth 500 was the fifthstock car race of the1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season and the 32nd iteration of theevent. The race was held on Sunday, March 27, 1988, before an audience of 58,000 inDarlington, South Carolina, atDarlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 367 laps to complete. In the late stages of the race,Lake Speed, driving for his owner-driver operationSpeed Racing, would dominate the late stages of the race withHoosier tires to score his first and only careerNASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.[1] To fill out the podium,AK Racing driverAlan Kulwicki andRanier-Lundy Racing driverDavey Allison would finish second and third, respectively.
Darlington Raceway is arace track built forNASCAR racing located nearDarlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed"The Lady in Black" and"The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.
Qualifying was split into two rounds. Pole qualifying for the race was held on Thursday, March 24, 1988. Per the NASCAR rules in 1988, a one-lap qualifying attempt was utilized. The top twenty cars in pole qualifying were locked into the starting field. The remainder of the cars could stand on their time, or make a new attempt in second-round qualifying. If a driver did decide to make an attempt, their first-round times would be scrubbed. Second-round qualifying was held Friday, March 25, 1988. The drivers that had qualified 1st–20th on Thursday were locked-in to those positions and did not have to re-qualify.[2]
Ken Schrader, driving forHendrick Motorsports, would win the pole, setting a time of 30.233 and an average speed of 162.657 miles per hour (261.771 km/h).[3]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Previous race: 1988 Motorcraft Quality Parts 500 | NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1988 season | Next race: 1988 Valleydale Meats 500 |
