1988 Goodyear NASCAR 500
| Race details | |||
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| Exhibition race in the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
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Sponsored by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
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| Date | February 28, 1988 | ||
| Location | Calder Park Thunderdome | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.119 mi (1.801 km) |
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| Distance | 280 laps, 313.35 mi (504.28 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures ranging between 11 °C (52 °F) and 23 °C (73 °F) | ||
| Attendance | 46,000 (approx) | ||
The Goodyear NASCAR 500 race was run at the then new A$54 million Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne, Australia on February 28, 1988. The race was the first ever NASCAR event held outside of North America. Unlike Winston Cup races in the United States, the 500 was actually 500 kilometres which is only 310 miles (roughly the same length as a Busch Series race).
Headlining the race were a number of Winston Cup and Winston West Series drivers such as Alabama Gang members Bobby Allison, who had won the 1988 Daytona 500 just two weeks prior (his third and last win in the event), and Neil Bonnett, who had won the previous weekends Pontiac Excitement 400 at the Richmond International Raceway. Other NASCAR regulars including Michael Waltrip (the younger brother of triple Winston Cup champion Darrell Waltrip and a future Daytona 500 winner) and Dave Marcis took on Australians new to Super Speedway such as Touring car drivers Allan Grice, Kiwi Jim Richards, and Dick Johnson, although Grice had previously raced in Winston Cup events such as the longest race in the series, the Coca-Cola 600 at the famous Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track on which Calder Park owner Bob Jane had modeled the Thunderdome. Grice had qualified 32nd at the 1987 Coca-Cola 600, becoming the first Australian to qualify for a NASCAR Winston Cup race. He would be classified in 35th place at the end of the 600 after his car suffered differential failure.
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