1988 Atlanta Journal 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 29 in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
Layout of Atlanta International Speedway, used until 1996
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| Date | November 20, 1988 | ||
| Official name | Atlanta Journal 500 | ||
| Location | Atlanta International Raceway, Hampton, Georgia | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.522 mi (2.449 km) |
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| Distance | 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures up to 75 °F (24 °C); wind speeds up to 20 miles per hour (32 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 130.211 miles per hour (209.554 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 72,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Blue Max Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | |
| Laps | 166 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 27 | Rusty Wallace | Blue Max Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers |
Bob Jenkins Ned Jarrett Gary Nelson |
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The 1988 Atlanta Journal 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on November 20, 1988, at the prestigious Atlanta International Raceway (located in the Atlanta suburb of Hampton, Georgia).
Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten current intermediate track to hold NASCAR races; the others are Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.
The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.
One of the drivers who failed to qualify for this race was Bobby Coyle; who attempted to qualify in his #50 Pontiac machine but failed to reach the proper speed to make an appearance.
Bill Elliott would earn his only NASCAR Winston Cup championship here despite not finishing in the top ten; turning the race into the Cup Series' version of the classic fable The Tortoise and the Hare. However, Elliott also consistently placed in the other races of the 1988 season with six wins, 15 finishes in the top five, and 10 finishes in the top ten. The race took three hours and fifty-two minutes; resulting in a 4¼ second win by Rusty Wallace over Davey Allison.
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