1988 Pontiac Excitement 400
The 1988 Pontiac Excitement 400 was held on February 21, 1988, at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. It was the second race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and the 34th running of the event. The track was a 0.542-mile D-shaped oval, and the race ran 400 laps for a total distance of 216.8 miles. Morgan Shepherd won the pole position with a lap of 20.616 seconds (94.645 mph).
Dale Earnhardt led the most laps in the race, 151. Neil Bonnett, driving car No. 75 for RahMoc Enterprises, came back from two laps down and took the lead on the final restart with 48 laps to go. He then led the last 48 laps to win, his 17th career NASCAR Winston Cup victory and first of the 1988 season.
Ricky Rudd and his King Racing team challenged the outcome, claiming Bonnett had completed an extra lap. NASCAR officials reviewed the matter and, led by chief scorer Morris Metcalfe, upheld Bonnett’s victory as valid.
This race was the last on the old 0.542-mile track layout before Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway was replaced with Richmond International Raceway, a larger 0.75-mile D-shaped oval.
It was also notable as the first NASCAR win for Hoosier Racing Tire, which had just entered NASCAR in 1988. Bonnett said he would run the best tires available at each track and that he might not use Hoosier tires for the whole season.
Television coverage was on TBS with announcers Ken Squier and Johnny Hayes; radio coverage was provided by MRN. Eight drivers failed to qualify for the race.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:27 (CET).