The nineteenth annual Winchester 400 motor race (run yearly since 1970) was held under American Speed Association sanction on October 2, 1988, at the Winchester Speedway, in Indiana (USA).
In dominating fashion, Ted Musgrave of Grand Marsh, Wisconsin, won the first ASA race of his career in the 1988 running of the Winchester 400. Leading a total of 319 laps in the Baker Enterprises Chevrolet, he collected $10,735 for his initial victory.
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Starting on the outside of the front row, Musgrave shot into the lead at the drop of the green and would lead the first 130 circuits. Dave Jackson led his first laps of the day when Musgrave stopped in the pits for service. Rain showers interrupted the race after 138 laps, with Jackson leading before a flurry of pit stops. After a two-hour rain delay, Kenny Wallace led for 71 circuits. Working back through the field, Musgrave stormed back into the lead on lap 210 and never looked back as he paced the field for the final 191 circuits. Harold Fair finished a lap back of the leader in second place followed by Gary St. Amant, Jackson, and Buddy Schrock (son of the 1973 winner Vern Schrock) rounding out the top-five.
Title contender and polesitter Butch Miller was never a factor as he dropped back through the field in the early stages before pitting on lap 73 and losing several laps while the pit crew diagnosed a problem. Two-time winner Mike Eddy also lost several laps when he pitted under green for an overheating engine on lap 125. Running second in the early portions of the race, Dick Trickle lost over 100 laps in the pits while the crew replaced the right rear hub on his Chevrolet. Six-time winner Bob Senneker suffered mechanical problems and finished 12th after spending 50 laps in the pits.
With Eddy in the pits, Miller took the lead from Fair on lap 163. Dave Jackson then took a turn at the front when he made the pass for the lead on lap 236. After dropping back a few spots, Miller leaped from third to the lead all on lap 253 and then dominated the remaining circuits of the 400-lap race. Jackson’s strong run came to an abrupt halt when he lost and engine and pounded the fourth turn wall with 27 laps to go. Miller collected $10,150 for the win. Ted Musgrave backed up his 1988 win by finishing second. Tony Raines placed third with Fair, and Glenn Allen, Jr. rounding out the top-five.
| Results of the 19th Annual Winchester 400 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Start | Car # | Driver/Hometown | Sponsor/Make | Laps | Winnings (in US$) |
Status | |
| 1 | 2 | 97 | Ted Musgrave / Grand Marsh, WI | Baker Enterprises of Wisconsin / Chevrolet | 400 | $10,375 | running | |
| 2 | 7 | 81 | Harold Fair / Detroit, MI | Hutter/Huisken / Pontiac | 400 | $6,675 | running | |
| 3 | 8 | 7 | Gary St. Amant / Muskegon, MI | A-1 Auto Service/Stuphen Fire / Chevrolet | 399 | $4,875 | running | |
| 4 | 21 | 45 | Dave Jackson / Loveland, OH | Trauth Dairy/Redbank Transport/Hickernell / Chevrolet | 395 | $4,175 | running | |
| 5 | 9 | 35 | Buddy Schrock / Plain City, OH | Schrock Performance / Chevrolet | 390 | $3,125 | running | |
| 6 | 10 | 36 | Kenny Wallace / St. Louis, MO | Kodiak/Child’s Tire / Pontiac | 385 | $3,275 | running | |
| 7 | 18 | 5 | Jeff Neal / Grayslake, IL | Zerex/Alugard/Hanley/Victor / Ford | 379 | $2,575 | running | |
| 8 | 20 | 51 | Dennis Vogel / Manitowoc, WI | Pietroske Buick/Nelson / Buick | 378 | $2,025 | running | |
| 9 | 6 | 79 | Bobby Dotter / Northbrook, IL | Dairy Queen / Buick | 366 | $2,375 | running | |
| 10 | 23 | 6 | Don Bickford / Selma, IN | Baystone Construction / Chevrolet | 366 | $1,550 | running | |
| 11 | 17 | 2 | J. Michael Kurkowski / Perry, OH | RC-Cola/Cotton Club / Chevrolet | 362 | $1,475 | running | |
| 12 | 3 | 84 | Bob Senneker / Dorr, MI | Pro Am Leasing Ins. / Chevrolet | 350 | $2,325 | running | |
| 13 | 17 | 0 | Tom Jones / Northbrook, IL | FelPro/Dillon/Prototype / Chevrolet | 342 | $2,025 | accident | |
| 14 | 16 | 14 | John Wilson / Springfield, OH | St. Clair Racing / Chevrolet | 341 | $1,255 | running | |
| 15 | 19 | 3 | Scott Stovall / Fort Wayne, IN | Pentron/Dillon Enterprises / Chevrolet | 336 | $1,000 | handling | |
| 16 | 1 | 52 | Butch Miller / Coopersville, MI | SAI/Lane Automotive / Chevrolet | 335 | $2,825 | running | |
| 17 | 4 | 88 | Mike Eddy / Midland, MI | Howe Enterprises / Buick | 332 | $2,100 | accident | |
| 18 | 36 | 38 | Dan Christal / Moline, IL | California Tan / Ford | 301 | $1,215 | handling | |
| 19 | 22 | 66 | Glenn Allen, Jr. / Cincinnati, OH | Allen’s Auto Service / Buick | 288 | $990 | accident | |
| 20 | 5 | 99 | Dick Trickle / Wisconsin Rapids, WI | Coors Light Silver Bullet / Chevrolet | 286 | $2,025 | running | |
| 21 | 13 | 90 | Kent Stauffer / Elyria, OH | Kinetic Racing Engines/Flex Tech. / Ford | 276 | $1,500 | running | |
| 22 | 24 | 1 | Jay Sauter / Necedah, WI | Justice Brothers/Gillund / Chevrolet | 273 | $895 | rear end | |
| 23 | 25 | 16 | Bruce Jeffers / Moscow, OH | Jeffers Racing / Chevrolet | 249 | $650 | ignition | |
| 24 | 11 | 07 | Lonnie Rush, Jr. / Pickerington, OH | Noah Yoder Ford/Rush NAPA / Ford | 162 | $1,290 | accident | |
| 25 | 14 | 04 | Gene Harsch / Sharonville, OH | Pepsi-Cola / Chevrolet | 135 | $910 | transmission | |
| 26 | 27 | 11 | Larry Harris / Indianapolis, IN | Eaton Enterprises / Chevrolet | 21 | $775 | engine | |
| 27 | 12 | 12 | Tony Raines / LaPorte, IN | Piper Aircraft / Buick | 16 | $525 | suspension | |
| Preceded by 1987 Winchester 400 |
1988 Winchester 400 Winner: Ted Musgrave |
Succeeded by 1989 Winchester 400 |