02/21/1988 – Pontiac Excitement 400 – Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway, Richmond, VA – Neil Bonnett gives Pontiac 2 early season PR gifts at this race – [1] Winning his sponsor’s race driving the RahMoc Valvoline Grand Prix, and [2] Giving Pontiac a win in the brand new for 1988 GM10 W-body platform (utilized by the Grand Prix, Buick Regal, and Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme). This race also was the last one held on Richmond’s old 1/2-mile configuration before it was modified to 3/4-mile in length.
Neil led 141 laps on the day (2nd most behind Dale Earnhardt with 151) as he took the checkered flag, and Richard Petty finished 3rd (his final career Cup top-5) in the Petty Enterprises STP Pontiac to give Pontiac 2-of-3 podium finishers.
The race turned out to be a runaway for the GM brands as they swept the top-10 finishing positions, led all laps, and won the pole position (Morgan Shepherd in Tom Winkle’s AC Spark Plug Buick) –
1 – Neil Bonnett Valvoline (RahMoc Enterprises) Pontiac
2 – Ricky Rudd Quaker State (Kenny Bernstein) Buick
3 – Richard Petty STP (Petty Enterprises) Pontiac
4 – Darrell Waltrip Tide (Rick Hendrick) Chevrolet
5 – Sterling Marlin Piedmont Airlines (Billy Hagan) Oldsmobile
6 – Lake Speed Wynn’s/Kmart (Lake Speed) Oldsmobile
7 – Rusty Wallace Kodiak (Raymond Beadle) Pontiac
9 – Terry Labonte Budweiser (Junior Johnson) Chevrolet
10 – Dale Earnhardt GM Goodwrench (Richard Childress) Chevrolet
Pontiac Racing 