| Official Race Results | |||||||||
| Southern 500 | Darlington International Raceway | |||||||||
| September 04, 1988 | Race 21 of 29 | |||||||||
| Average Speed: 128.297 mph | |||||||||
| Margin of Victory: 0.24 seconds | Time of Race: 03:54:27 | ||||||||
| Lead Changes: 24 | |||||||||
| Cautions: 10 for 39 laps. | |||||||||
| Fin | St | Car | Driver | Make | Sponsor | Pts / Bonus | Laps | Status | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | #9 | Bill Elliott | Ford | Coors | 185/10 | 367 | Running | $75,800 |
| 2 | 5 | #27 | Rusty Wallace | Pontiac | Kodiak | 175/5 | 367 | Running | $38,850 |
| 3 | 2 | #3 | Dale Earnhardt | Chevrolet | GM Goodwrench | 170/5 | 367 | Running | $31,375 |
| 4 | 6 | #17 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | Tide | 165/5 | 367 | Running | $19,850 |
| 5 | 12 | #44 | Sterling Marlin | Oldsmobile | Piedmont Airlines | 160/5 | 367 | Running | $20,130 |
| 6 | 21 | #55 | Phil Parsons | Oldsmobile | Crown | 150/0 | 366 | Running | $12,950 |
| 7 | 4 | #5 | Geoffrey Bodine | Chevrolet | Levi Garrett | 151/5 | 366 | Running | $11,310 |
| 8 | 23 | #11 | Terry Labonte | Chevrolet | Budweiser | 142/0 | 366 | Running | $13,260 |
| 9 | 15 | #28 | Davey Allison | Ford | Havoline | 143/5 | 366 | Running | $15,105 |
| 10 | 29 | #26 | Ricky Rudd | Buick | Quaker State | 139/5 | 366 | Running | $13,130 |
| 11 | 25 | #25 | Ken Schrader | Chevrolet | Folgers | 130/0 | 366 | Running | $10,980 |
| 12 | 11 | #83 | Lake Speed | Oldsmobile | Wynn's | 127/0 | 366 | Running | $6,815 |
| 13 | 27 | #90 | Benny Parsons | Ford | Bull's Eye Barbecue Sauce | 129/5 | 365 | Running | $19,305 |
| 14 | 30 | #12 | Mike Alexander | Buick | Miller High Life | 126/5 | 365 | Running | $11,495 |
| 15 | 3 | #7 | Alan Kulwicki | Ford | Zerex | 118/0 | 365 | Running | $8,735 |
| 16 | 24 | #75 | Neil Bonnett | Pontiac | Valvoline | 115/0 | 364 | Running | $11,195 |
| 17 | 8 | #15 | Brett Bodine | Ford | Crisco | 117/5 | 363 | Running | $12,635 |
| 18 | 36 | #10 | Ken Bouchard * | Ford | Whitcomb Racing | 109/0 | 360 | Running | $6,240 |
| 19 | 7 | #6 | Mark Martin | Ford | Stroh's Light | 106/0 | 358 | Running | $5,040 |
| 20 | 17 | #2 | Ernie Irvan | Chevrolet | Kroger | 103/0 | 358 | Running | $4,985 |
| 21 | 13 | #97 | Rodney Combs | Buick | Gm Tech Team | 100/0 | 357 | Running | $3,320 |
| 22 | 38 | #71 | Dave Marcis | Chevrolet | Lifebuoy Soap | 97/0 | 355 | Running | $6,320 |
| 23 | 32 | #31 | Jim Sauter | Oldsmobile | Slender You Figure Salons | PE | 351 | Running | $4,120 |
| 24 | 28 | #52 | Jimmy Means | Pontiac | Eureka Vacuum Cleaners | 91/0 | 350 | Running | $5,000 |
| 25 | 14 | #30 | Michael Waltrip | Pontiac | Country Time | 88/0 | 343 | Running | $5,955 |
| 26 | 33 | #23 | Eddie Bierschwale | Oldsmobile | Waynepaging | 85/0 | 340 | Running | $2,815 |
| 27 | 34 | #36 | H.B. Bailey | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts | 82/0 | 340 | Running | $2,725 |
| 28 | 35 | #21 | Kyle Petty | Ford | CITGO | 84/5 | 337 | Running | $9,630 |
| 29 | 39 | #32 | Philip Duffie | Unknown | Unknown | 76/0 | 332 | Running | $2,540 |
| 30 | 16 | #8 | Bobby Hillin, Jr | Buick | Miller High Life | 73/0 | 317 | Oil Pump | $5,335 |
| 31 | 20 | #77 | Ken Ragan | Unknown | Unknown | 70/0 | 308 | Accident | $2,340 |
| 32 | 22 | #88 | Rick Mast | Oldsmobile | Red Baron Frozen Pizza | PE | 305 | Running | $5,530 |
| 33 | 26 | #43 | Richard Petty | Pontiac | STP | 64/0 | 266 | Engine Failure | $4,925 |
| 34 | 18 | #29 | Dale Jarrett | Oldsmobile | Hardee's | 61/0 | 239 | Engine Failure | $2,850 |
| 35 | 31 | #68 | Derrike Cope | Ford | Purolator | 58/0 | 203 | Accident | $4,755 |
| 36 | 37 | #87 | Randy Baker | Oldsmobile | Sony Magnetic Products | 55/0 | 135 | Engine Failure | $2,055 |
| 37 | 40 | #80 | Jimmy Horton | Ford | S&H Racing | 52/0 | 114 | Engine Failure | $2,005 |
| 38 | 19 | #4 | Rick Wilson | Oldsmobile | Kodak Films | 49/0 | 82 | Engine Failure | $2,580 |
| 39 | 10 | #57 | Morgan Shepherd | Buick | Heinz Ketchup | 46/0 | 53 | Engine Failure | $1,910 |
| 40 | 9 | #33 | Harry Gant | Chevrolet | Skoal Bandit | 43/0 | 50 | Engine Failure | $4,450 |
| * Denotes Rookie | |||||||||