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1976 Mason-Dixon 500

Auto race held at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1976

Auto race held at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1976

FieldValue
TypeCUST
DescriptionRace 12 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Race NameMason-Dixon 500
Details ref
Fulldate
Year1976
Race_No12
Season_No30
ImageDover Motor Speedway 2024.svg
CaptionLayout of Dover International Speedway
Official nameMason-Dixon 500
LocationDover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
WeatherTemperatures of 78.1 F; wind speeds of 15 mph
Course_mi1.000
Course_km1.609
Distance_laps500
Distance_mi500.0
Distance_km804.6
Avg115.436 mph
Pole_DriverDave Marcis
Pole_TeamK&K Insurance Racing
Most_DriverCale Yarborough
Most_TeamJunior Johnson & Associates
Most_laps243
Car73
First_DriverBenny Parsons
First_TeamDeWitt Racing
Networkuntelevised
Announcersnone

The 1976 Mason-Dixon 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on May 16, 1976, at Dover Downs International Speedway (now called Dover International Speedway) in Dover, Delaware.

Background

Dower Downs International Speedway, now called Dover International Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mi long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.

Race report

The total time of the race was four hours, nineteen minutes, and fifty-three seconds. Six cautions were given for thirty-eight laps while thirty-two thousand and eight hundred fans were in attendance for the race. The average speed in the race was 115.436 mi/h with the pole winning speed being 136.013 mi/h. From lap 115 to lap 227, Cale Yarborough would lead for a duration of 163 laps. He would never regain the lead after losing it to David Pearson on lap 278.

Benny Parsons defeated second place driver David Pearson by a time of 25½ seconds. Other notable racers who competed includes: Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, and Cale Yarborough (who would lose the points lead after this race). Bruce Hill finished in last place due to an engine problem on lap 2.

This race would be Neil Castles' final race in his NASCAR Cup Series career. It would also be the last race for Doc Faustina before his retirement. Total winnings for this race would be $108,140 ($ when adjusted for inflation).

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturerOwner1234567891011121314151617181920
71Dave MarcisDodgeNord Krauskopf
21David PearsonMercuryWood Brothers
2Bobby AllisonMercuryRoger Penske
15Buddy BakerFordBud Moore
88Darrell WaltripChevroletDiGard Racing
43Richard PettyDodgePetty Enterprises
72Benny ParsonsChevroletL.G. DeWitt
11Cale YarboroughChevroletJunior Johnson
28Donnie AllisonChevroletHoss Ellington
54Lennie PondChevroletRonnie Elder
90Dick BrooksFordJunie Donlavey
36Bobby WawakChevroletJohn Gwinn
24Cecil GordonChevroletCecil Gordon
3Richard ChildressChevroletRichard Childress
47Bruce HillChevroletBruce Hill
8Ed NegreDodgeEd Negre
22Ricky RuddChevroletAl Rudd
67Buddy ArringtonDodgeBuddy Arrington
50Darrell BryantChevroletCliff Stewart
40D.K. UlrichChevroletJ.R. DeLotto

Top 10 finishers

PosGridNo.DriverManufacturerLapsLaps ledPointsTime/Status12345678910
772Benny ParsonsChevrolet5001761804:19:53
221David PearsonMercury50075175+25.5 seconds
171Dave MarcisDodge4994170+1 lap
32Bobby AllisonMercury4972165+3 laps
415Buddy BakerFord4950155+5 laps
643Richard PettyDodge4920150+7 laps
1193Dick BrooksFord4920146+7 laps
1054Lennie PondChevrolet4910142+8 laps
1950Darrell BryantChevrolet4780138+12 laps
143Richard ChildressChevrolet4760134+14 laps

Timeline

Section reference:

  • Start of race: Bobby Allison had the pole position as the green flag waves into the air.
  • Lap 2: Bruce Hill's engine stopped working properly on this lap.
  • Lap 3: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 16: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 23: Benny Parsons took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 34: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
  • Lap 51: Tommy Gale had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 57: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 58: David Pearson took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 59: Benny Parsons took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 63: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
  • Lap 113: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 115: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 136: Cecil Gordon's vehicle suffered from engine problems.
  • Lap 149: Transmission problems would force Donnie Allison to quit the race prematurely.
  • Lap 218: Engine problems struck Ed Negre in a manner that he could not continue the race.
  • Lap 247: Ricky Rudd had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 250: Ignition problems ended Earl Brooks' chance of winning the race.
  • Lap 271: Engine problems forced Buddy Arrington to step aside.
  • Lap 278: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 316: Engine problems managed to bring Darrell Waltrip into the garage for the remainder of the race.
  • Lap 320: A faulty swar bar took away Buck Baker's hopes at a respectable race finish.
  • Lap 326: Dave Marcis took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 327: David Pearson took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 332: Benny Parsons took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 354: David Pearson took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
  • Lap 362: Benny Parsons took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Finish: Benny Parsons was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

PosDriverPointsDifferential123 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]4 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]567 [[File:1rightarrow.png10px]]8910
Benny Parsons18360
Cale Yarborough1812-24
Richard Petty1723-113
Bobby Allison1656-180
Dave Marcis1612-224
Lennie Pond1588-248
Richard Childress1516-320
Buddy Baker1429-407
Darrell Waltrip1384-452
Frank Warren1371-465

References

before = 1976 Music City USA 420 | after = 1976 World 600| title = NASCAR Winston Cup Season| years = 1976 |

References

  1. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 weather information". The Old Farmer's Almanac.
  2. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results". Racing Reference.
  3. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results (fourth references)". Driver Averages.
  4. "NASCAR Race Tracks". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
  5. "NASCAR Tracks—The Dover International Speedway". Dover International Speedway.
  6. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 winner information". Dover Speedway.
  7. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results (third reference)". Motor Racing Network.
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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