Neil Bonnett Wins 1988 NASCAR (or Was it AUSCAR?) Race in Australia

• In 1988, during an early-season off week, NASCAR drivers such as Neil Bonnett, Richard Petty (who only practiced but did not compete in the race) and son Kyle, Allison, Michael Waltrip and Dave Marcis would go for a little road trip—just a mere 10,000 miles away.

• They would race in the first-ever Goodyear NASCAR 500 at the brand new Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne, Australia.

• Driving the No. 75 Valvoline Pontiac 2+2, Bonnett would compete in a close back-and-forth duel with Allison before taking the checkered flag by just under one second, with Marcis finishing third.

After Bobby Allison won the 1988 Daytona 500 on February 14, NASCAR records have Neil Bonnett winning the next two Winston Cup races, February 21 at Richmond and then, following an off-weekend, two weeks later on March 6 at Rockingham, N.C.

But now, as the late Paul Harvey would say, you are about to “hear the rest of the story.”

That off-weekend between Richmond and Rockingham was anything but for several NASCAR drivers such as Bonnett and several of his Cup colleagues, including Richard Petty (who only practiced but did not compete in the race) and son Kyle, Allison, Michael Waltrip and Dave Marcis would go for a little road trip – just a mere 10,000 miles away – when they would race in the first-ever Goodyear NASCAR 500 at the brand new Calder Park Thunderdome in Melbourne, Australia.

That’s right, mate, NASCAR held its first-ever race outside North America, making a foray down under! There was plenty of shrimp on the barbie, in addition to American beer to help the visitors from across the Pacific feel totally at home.

And the sanctioning body that put on the race had a somewhat familiar ring: AUSCAR (as in Australian Stock Car Auto Racing).