1976 American 500

Auto race held at Rockingham Speedway in 1978 February 2025 CUST Race 28 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season American 500 http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/NC/Rockingham/1976-10-24 1976 American 500 weather information The Old Farmers' Almanac 2012-08-04 1976 10 24 1976 28 30 Rockingham Speedway.svg Layout of Rockingham Speedway American 500 North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina 1.017 1.636 492 500 804 Mild with temperatures of 72 F C; wind speeds of 4.9 mph km/h 117.718 mi/h 32,500 David Pearson Wood Brothers Richard Petty Petty Enterprises 193 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises untelevised none The 1976 American 500 was the 28th official race (out of 30) in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. http://www.racing-reference.info/race/1976_American_500/W 1976 American 500 information Racing Reference 2010-12-05 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. http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar/races/results/1976/north-carolina-speedway/american-500/1406 1976 American 500 drivers' sponsor information Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet 2014-08-19 Richard Petty would end up lapping the field as he scored the season sweep at Rockingham. http://www.driveraverages.com/nascar_stats/race.php?sked_id=1976028 1976 American 500 information (second reference) Driver Averages 2010-12-06 https://web.archive.org/web/20111005053121/http://www.driveraverages.com/nascar_stats/race.php?sked_id=1976028 2011-10-05 dead Thirty-two thousand and five hundred spectators attended this event. David Pearson gained the pole position qualifying at a speed of 139.117 mph km/h 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. https://www.racing-reference.info/entrylist/1976-28/W/C 1976 American 500 crew chiefs information Racing Reference 2018-08-23 Richard Petty's teenage son Kyle would attend his father's victory celebrations; getting ready for his NASCAR career. https://books.google.com/books?id=71xnRF9x35sC&q=%221976+American+500%22&pg=PA33 Kyle Petty at the 1976 American 500 9780738599496 2014-08-19 Houston Rick Hallman Bryan 2013 The average speed of the race was 117.718 mph km/h. Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid. Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Manufacturer 1 21 David Pearson Mercury 2 71 Dave Marcis Dodge 3 15 Buddy Baker Ford 4 43 Richard Petty Dodge 5 1 Donnie Allison Chevrolet 6 67 Buddy Arrington Chevrolet 7 2 Bobby Allison Mercury 8 88 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 9 11 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet 10 40 D.K. Ulrich Chevrolet 11 54 Lennie Pond Chevrolet 12 90 Dick Brooks Ford 13 60 Jackie Rogers Chevrolet 14 36 Bobby Wawak Chevrolet 15 92 Skip Manning Chevrolet 16 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet 17 67 Buddy Arrington Dodge 18 55 Sonny Easley Ford 19 49 Henley Gray Dodge 20 5 James Hylton Dodge 21 41 Grant Adcox Chevrolet 22 14 Coo Coo Marlin Chevrolet 23 24 Cecil Gordon Chevrolet 24 05 David Sisco Chevrolet 25 30 Terry Bivins Chevrolet Finishing order Section reference: 30em Richard Petty Lennie Pond Darrell Waltrip Bobby Allison Cale Yarborough David Pearson Donnie Allison Dick Brooks Skip Manning Coo Coo Marlin Sonny Easley Grant Adcox Ed Negre D.K. Ulrich Cecil Gordon Buddy Arrington Terry Bivins Rick Newsom Jackie Rogers David Sisco Jack Donohue Frank Warren Jimmy Means Tommy Gale Dave Marcis J.D. McDuffie Richard Childress Buddy Baker James Hylton Dick May Benny Parsons Travis Tiller Bobby Wawak Gary Myers Bruce Hill 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 Pos Driver Points Differential 1 10px Cale Yarborough 4380 0 2 10px Richard Petty 4283 -97 3 10px Benny Parsons 3984 -396 4 10px Bobby Allison 3948 -432 5 Lennie Pond 3669 -711 6 Dave Marcis 3599 -781 7 10px Buddy Baker 3539 -841 8 Darrell Waltrip 3316 -1064 9 Richard Childress 3285 -1095 10 10px Dick Brooks 3211 -1169 References 1976 National 500 1976 Dixie 500 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1976 1975 1977 American 500 races 1976 American 500 American 500 Category:NASCAR races at Rockingham Speedway