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1976 American 500

Auto race held at Rockingham Speedway in 1978

Auto race held at Rockingham Speedway in 1978

FieldValue
TypeCUST
DescriptionRace 28 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Race NameAmerican 500
Details ref
Fulldate
Year1976
Race_No28
Season_No30
ImageRockingham Speedway.svg
CaptionLayout of Rockingham Speedway
Official nameAmerican 500
LocationNorth Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina
Course_mi1.017
Course_km1.636
Distance_laps492
Distance_mi500
Distance_km804
WeatherMild with temperatures of 72 F; wind speeds of 4.9 mph
Avg117.718 mi/h
Attendance32,500
Pole_DriverDavid Pearson
Pole_TeamWood Brothers
Most_DriverRichard Petty
Most_TeamPetty Enterprises
Most_laps193
Car43
First_DriverRichard Petty
First_TeamPetty Enterprises
Networkuntelevised
Announcersnone

The 1976 American 500 was the 28th official race (out of 30) in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.

Race report

This race took place on October 24, 1976, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. The race took four hours, fifteen minutes, and one second. Six cautions slowed the race for 35 laps.

Richard Petty would end up lapping the field as he scored the season sweep at Rockingham. Thirty-two thousand and five hundred spectators attended this event. David Pearson gained the pole position qualifying at a speed of 139.117 mph but eventually finished in sixth place. Henley Gray was the last-place finisher due to an engine issue on the first lap.

Notable crew chiefs in the race were Junie Donlavey, Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Bud Moore, Tim Brewer among others.

Richard Petty's teenage son Kyle would attend his father's victory celebrations; getting ready for his NASCAR career. The average speed of the race was 117.718 mph. Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid.

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturer12345678910111213141516171819202122232425
21David PearsonMercury
71Dave MarcisDodge
15Buddy BakerFord
43Richard PettyDodge
1Donnie AllisonChevrolet
67Buddy ArringtonChevrolet
2Bobby AllisonMercury
88Darrell WaltripChevrolet
11Cale YarboroughChevrolet
40D.K. UlrichChevrolet
54Lennie PondChevrolet
90Dick BrooksFord
60Jackie RogersChevrolet
36Bobby WawakChevrolet
92Skip ManningChevrolet
3Richard ChildressChevrolet
67Buddy ArringtonDodge
55Sonny EasleyFord
49Henley GrayDodge
5James HyltonDodge
41Grant AdcoxChevrolet
14Coo Coo MarlinChevrolet
24Cecil GordonChevrolet
05David SiscoChevrolet
30Terry BivinsChevrolet

Finishing order

Section reference:

  1. Richard Petty
  2. Lennie Pond
  3. Darrell Waltrip
  4. Bobby Allison
  5. Cale Yarborough
  6. David Pearson
  7. Donnie Allison
  8. Dick Brooks
  9. Skip Manning
  10. Coo Coo Marlin
  11. Sonny Easley
  12. Grant Adcox
  13. Ed Negre
  14. D.K. Ulrich
  15. Cecil Gordon
  16. Buddy Arrington
  17. Terry Bivins
  18. Rick Newsom
  19. Jackie Rogers
  20. David Sisco
  21. Jack Donohue
  22. Frank Warren
  23. Jimmy Means
  24. Tommy Gale
  25. Dave Marcis
  26. J.D. McDuffie
  27. Richard Childress
  28. Buddy Baker
  29. James Hylton
  30. Dick May
  31. Benny Parsons
  32. Travis Tiller
  33. Bobby Wawak
  34. Gary Myers
  35. Bruce Hill
  36. Henley Gray

Timeline

Section reference:

  • Start: David Pearson was leading the racing grid as the first official lap commenced.
  • Lap 2: Bruce Hill blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 5: Gary Myers blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 32: Dave Marcis took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 76: Bobby Wawak managed to overheat his vehicle.
  • Lap 85: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 88: Travis Tiller blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 96: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 117: Benny Parsons blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 127: Dick May blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 171: The rear end of James Hylton's vehicle came off in an unsafe manner.
  • Lap 180: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 191: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 208: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 216: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 217: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Donnie Allison.
  • Lap 227: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 264: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 299: The throttle on Buddy Baker's vehicle was acting badly enough to knock him out of the race.
  • Lap 322: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 324: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty.
  • Lap 329: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 363: Richard Childress blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 389: J.D. McDuffie blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 413: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty, Dave Marcis blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
  • Lap 423: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
  • Lap 486: Donnie Allison's fuel pump was beginning to cause problems for him.
  • Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

PosDriverPointsDifferential1 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]2 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]3 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]4 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]567 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]8910 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]
Cale Yarborough43800
Richard Petty4283-97
Benny Parsons3984-396
Bobby Allison3948-432
Lennie Pond3669-711
Dave Marcis3599-781
Buddy Baker3539-841
Darrell Waltrip3316-1064
Richard Childress3285-1095
Dick Brooks3211-1169

References

before = 1976 National 500| after = 1976 Dixie 500| title = NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season| years = 1976 |

References

  1. "1976 American 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac.
  2. "1976 American 500 information". Racing Reference.
  3. "1976 American 500 drivers' sponsor information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet.
  4. "1976 American 500 information (second reference)". Driver Averages.
  5. "1976 American 500 crew chiefs information". Racing Reference.
  6. (2013). "Kyle Petty at the 1976 American 500".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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