1988 Checker 500

{{Short description|28th race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}

{{Infobox NASCAR race report|Type=NASWINSTON|Date=November 6|Caption=The 1988 Checker 500 program cover, featuring Terry Labonte.|Pole_Team=Hendrick Motorsports|First_Team=AK Racing|First_Driver=Alan Kulwicki|Most_Team=King Racing|Most_Driver=Ricky Rudd|Most_laps=183|Pole_Driver=Geoff Bodine|Network=ESPN|Announcers=Bob Jenkins, Ned Jarrett|Car=7|Radio=Motor Racing Network|Avg={{convert|90.457|mph|km/h}}|Season_No=29|Location=Avondale, Arizona, Phoenix International Raceway|Race_No=28|Scheduled_km=502.115|Distance_km=502.115|Scheduled_laps=312|Distance_laps=312|Course_km=1.6|Scheduled_mi=312|Course_mi=1|Official_name=Inaugural Checker 500|Race_Name=Checker 500|Year=1988|Pole_Time=29.220|Distance_mi=312|Attendance=60,000|Image=1988 Checker 500.jpeg}}

The 1988 Checker 500 was the 28th and penultimate stock car race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, the eighth and final race of the 1988 NASCAR Winston West Series, and the inaugural iteration of the event. The race was held on Sunday, November 6, 1988, before an audience of 60,000 in Avondale, Arizona at Phoenix International Raceway, a 1-mile (1.6 km) permanent low-banked tri-oval race track. The race took the scheduled 312 laps to complete.

In the closing laps of the race, owner-driver Alan Kulwicki took advantage of a misfortunate Ricky Rudd, who suffered an engine failure after being the dominant driver of the race. Passing Rudd for the lead with 16 laps left in the race, Kulwicki was able to defend a large gap to take his first career NASCAR Winston Cup Series victory and his only victory of the season.{{Cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tom |date=November 7, 1988 |title=Kulwicki Rolls To First Win |pages=1B, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-kulwicki-rolls-to/131966953/ 3B] |work=The Charlotte Observer |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer-kulwicki-rolls-to/131966931/ |access-date=September 18, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}{{Cite news |last=Armijo |first=Mark |date=November 7, 1988 |title=Kulwicki engineers Checker victory |pages=D1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-kulwicki-engineers-chec/131967140/ D6] |work=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-republic-kulwicki-engineers-chec/131967102/ |access-date=September 18, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}} To fill out the top three, Junior Johnson & Associates' Terry Labonte and Ranier-Lundy Racing's Davey Allison finished second and third, respectively.

In the driver's championship battle for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, championship leader Bill Elliott maintained a 79-point lead over second-place driver Rusty Wallace heading into the final race of the season, the 1988 Atlanta Journal 500. In order for Elliott to guarantee the title victory in the final race, he needed to finish 18th or better in the race.{{Cite news |last=Hinton |first=Ed |date=November 20, 1988 |title=Elliott's Journal 500 Tactics In Quest For Title Draw Fire |pages=25D |work=The Atlanta Constitution |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-constitution-elliotts-journ/132048807/ |access-date=September 18, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com}} {{Open access}}

In the driver's championship for the NASCAR Winston West Series, Razore Racing's Roy Smith won the championship over runner-up Bill Schmitt.