1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

American motorsport season May 2021 February 2025 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1976 1978 The 1977 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 29th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 6th modern era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 16 and ended on Sunday, November 20. Cale Yarborough driving the Junior Johnson #11 Holly Farms Chevrolet won his second consecutive NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championship. Ricky Rudd was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year. Season recap No Date Event Circuit Winner 1 January 16 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway David PearsonFebruary 17125 Mile Qualifying RacesDaytona International SpeedwayRichard PettyCale Yarborough 2 February 20 Daytona 500 Cale Yarborough 3 February 27 Richmond 400 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Cale Yarborough 4 March 13 Carolina 500 North Carolina Motor Speedway Richard Petty 5 March 20 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway Richard Petty 6 March 27 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Cale Yarborough 7 April 3 Rebel 500 Darlington Raceway Darrell Waltrip 8 April 17 Southeastern 500 Bristol International Speedway Cale Yarborough 9 April 24 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway Cale Yarborough 10 May 1 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Darrell Waltrip 11 May 7 Music City USA 420 Nashville Speedway Benny Parsons 12 May 15 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Cale Yarborough 13 May 29 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Richard Petty 14June 12 Riverside 400 Riverside International Raceway Richard Petty 15 June 19 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 Michigan International Speedway Cale Yarborough 16 July 4 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway Richard Petty 17July 16 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway Darrell Waltrip 18 July 31 Coca-Cola 500 Pocono Raceway Benny Parsons 19 August 7 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Donnie Allison* 20 August 22 Champion Spark Plug 400 Michigan International Speedway Darrell Waltrip 21 August 28 Volunteer 400 Bristol International Speedway Cale Yarborough 22 September 5 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway David Pearson 23 September 11 Capital City 400 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Neil Bonnett 24 September 18 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Benny Parsons 25 September 25 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway Cale Yarborough 26 October 2 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Darrell Waltrip 27 October 9 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway Benny Parsons 28 October 23 American 500 North Carolina Motor Speedway Donnie Allison 29 November 6 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway Darrell Waltrip 30 November 20 Los Angeles Times 500 Ontario Motor Speedway Neil Bonnett Donnie Allison is credited with the win but Darrell Waltrip finished the race for an over-heated Donnie Allison after Darrell Waltrip dropped out of the race after 106 laps. Points are always scored by the driver who starts the race. Race Summaries Round 1: Winston Western 500 The Winston Western 500 was held January 17 at Riverside International Raceway. Cale Yarborough won the pole. Top Ten #21 - David Pearson #11 - Cale Yarborough #43 - Richard Petty #2 - Dave Marcis #67 - Sonny Easley #3 - Richard Childress #69 - Hershel McGriff #76 - Hugh Pearson #88 - Darrell Waltrip #09 - Eddie Bradshaw David Pearson pounced when Cale Yarborough spun and seized his eleventh race in his last 23 starts, and fourth straight win on a California speedway. Round 2: Daytona 500 The 19th annual Daytona 500 was held February 20 at the Daytona International Speedway. Donnie Allison won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #72 - Benny Parsons #15 - Buddy Baker #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #90 - Dick Brooks #51 - A.J. Foyt #88 - Darrell Waltrip #52 - Jimmy Means #19 - Bob Burcham #48 - James Hylton Cale Yarborough became only the second driver to win the Daytona 500 more than once, edging Benny Parsons. Richard Petty nearly lost a lap on the start due to an emergency stop on the pace lap; Bobby Wawak's car caught fire on Lap Four and the yellow allowed Petty to get a lap back; he roared through the field and led but fell out with engine failure, his eleventh engine-related failure in the last 37 races. Round 3: Richmond 400 The Richmond 400 was held February 27 at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Neil Bonnett won the pole Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #88 - Darrell Waltrip #72 - Benny Parsons #2 - Dave Marcis #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #71 - Neil Bonnett #48 - James Hylton #15 - Buddy Baker #3 - Richard Childress Yarborough led 161 laps as rain cut the event short at 245 laps; it was Cale's twelfth win in the last 37 races. Round 4: Carolina 500 The Carolina 500 was held March 13 at the North Carolina Motor Speedway. Donnie Allison won the pole. Top Ten #43 - Richard Petty #88 - Darrell Waltrip #1 - Donnie Allison #15 - Buddy Baker #71 - Neil Bonnett #11 - Cale Yarborough #27 - Sam Sommers #92 - Skip Manning #48 - James Hylton #24 - Cecil Gordon North Carolina Motor Speedway was repaved in the off-season and the surface proved slick; the lead changed 30 times amid numerous crashes. Richard Petty pounced after halfway and won handily for the first superspeedway race to finish with an average speed under 100 MPH since 1961. Round 5: Atlanta 500 The Atlanta 500 was held March 20 at the Atlanta International Raceway. Richard Petty won the pole. Top Ten #43 - Richard Petty #21 - David Pearson #11 - Cale Yarborough #1 - Donnie Allison #15 - Buddy Baker #2 - Dave Marcis #88 - Darrell Waltrip #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #54 - Lennie Pond #47 - Bruce Hill Petty, Pearson, and Cale had the entire race to themselves and finished 1-2-3 as only two cautions interrupted the 500-miler. Round 6: Gwyn Staley 400 The Gwyn Staley 400 was held March 27 at the North Wilkesboro Speedway. Neil Bonnett won his second pole of the season in Harry Hyde's Dodge. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #43 - Richard Petty #72 - Benny Parsons #15 - Buddy Baker #12 - Bobby Allison #90 - Dick Brooks #88 - Darrell Waltrip #3 - Richard Childress #48 - James Hylton #67 - Buddy Arrington On his 38th birthday, Yarborough led 320 laps en route to victory. Round 7: Rebel 500 The Rebel 500 was held April 3 at Darlington Raceway. David Pearson won the pole. Top Ten #88 - Darrell Waltrip #1 - Donnie Allison #43 - Richard Petty #21 - David Pearson #72 - Benny Parsons #2 - Dave Marcis #15 - Buddy Baker #49 - G.C. Spencer #90 - Dick Brooks #47 - Bruce Hill Darrell Waltrip first served notice for the season as a two-car crash with six laps to go brought out the yellow; Waltrip surged as Bobby Allison (subbing for his brother Donnie in Hoss Ellington's Chevy) and Petty were racing to the line; all three hit the line abreast and Waltrip was declared the winner by inches as the race ended under yellow. Round 8: Southeastern 500 The Southeastern 500 was held April 17 at Bristol International Speedway. Cale Yarborough won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #90 - Dick Brooks #43 - Richard Petty #71 - Neil Bonnett #72 - Benny Parsons #12 - Bobby Allison #48 - James Hylton #3 - Richard Childress #52 - Jimmy Means #22 - Ricky Rudd Yarborough annihilated the field at Bristol International Raceway as he led all but five laps and was seven laps ahead of runner-up Dick Brooks, this thanks in part to only two brief yellows. Round 9: Virginia 500 The Virginia 500 was held April 24 at Martinsville Speedway. Neil Bonnett won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #72 - Benny Parsons #43 - Richard Petty #54 - Lennie Pond #21 - David Pearson #90 - Dick Brooks #47 - Bruce Hill #52 - Jimmy Means #70 - J.D. McDuffie #3 - Richard Childress Darrell Waltrip led 51 laps in challenging Cale and also Benny Parsons but fell out with brake failure. Parsons led 83 laps but was no match for Cale; the win was Yarborough's fifth of the season and 15th of the last 43 races. Round 10: Winston 500 The 8th annual Winston 500 was held May 1 at the Alabama International Motor Speedway. Soon to be four time Indy 500 winner A.J. Foyt won the pole Top Ten #88 - Darrell Waltrip #11 - Cale Yarborough #72 - Benny Parsons #1 - Donnie Allison #2 - Dave Marcis #36 - Ron Hutcherson #90 - Dick Brooks #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #80 - Terry Bivins #27 - Sam Sommers The race lead changed 63 times among 11 drivers as Donnie Allison led over 70 laps. Richard Petty exploded from ninth to the lead on Lap Six but fell out on Lap 153 with engine failure. On the final lap Darrell Waltrip led with Allison second, Cale Yarborough third, and Benny Parsons fourth; Waltrip swung low in Turn Two to break the draft, and a mad scramble ensued where Cale rocketed to the high side in Three but was sideswiped by Waltrip and Parsons tried to shoot the gap; Cale edged Parsons for second as Waltrip broke away to the win. Round 11: Music City 420 The Music City 420 was held May 7 at Nashville Speedway. Darrell Waltrip won the pole. Top Ten #72 - Benny Parsons #11 - Cale Yarborough #88 - Darrell Waltrip #2 - Dave Marcis #43 - Richard Petty #15 - Buddy Baker #12 - Bobby Allison #14 - Coo Coo Marlin #52 - Jimmy Means #22 - Ricky Rudd Benny Parsons ended Yarborough's streak of short track wins when he grabbed the lead with 38 laps to go after Cale had led 275 straight laps; it was the first win for Parsons in the season. Round 12: Mason-Dixon 500 The Mason-Dixon 500 was held May 15 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Richard Petty won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #21 - David Pearson #43 - Richard Petty #88 - Darrell Waltrip #90 - Dick Brooks #72 - Benny Parsons #54 - Lennie Pond #12 - Bobby Allison #15 - Buddy Baker #84 - Morgan Shepherd For the second straight Dover race Cale Yarborough lost multiple laps, this time getting his damaged rear bumper repaired; Junior Johnson tore it off by hand and sent Cale back out; Cale erased his deficit and after a lap-after-lap battle with David Pearson broke away to the win, his sixth of the season, increasing his point lead to 202 over third-place finisher Richard Petty. Round 13: World 600 The 18th annual World 600 was held May 29 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. David Pearson won the pole. Top Ten #43 - Richard Petty #21 - David Pearson #72 - Benny Parsons #54 - Lennie Pond #15 - Buddy Baker #88 - Darrell Waltrip #71 - Neil Bonnett #90 - Dick Brooks #27 - Sam Sommers #92 - Skip Manning Before Petty Enterprises left for the Charlotte Motor Speedway engine builder Maurice Petty created a race motor that had the same horsepower as their qualifying motor; Richard unleashed that horsepower leading 311 laps and winning by over half a lap; he broke away from early battles with Pearson and Donnie Allison and past halfway executed a risky three-abreast pass in the trioval around Pearson and Bobby Allison driving Benny Parsons' Chevrolet in relief with Coo Coo Marlin's lapped car involved. Cale Yarborough broke a water pump and lost 50 laps getting repairs; his point lead was thus sliced nearly in half, to 108 points. Round 14: NAPA 400 The NAPA 400 was held June 12 at Riverside International Raceway. Richard Petty won the pole. Top Ten #43 - Richard Petty #21 - David Pearson #11 - Cale Yarborough #51 - Jimmy Insolo #15 - Buddy Baker #93 - Norm Palmer #68 - Sonny Easley #3 - Richard Childress #24 - Cecil Gordon #92 - Skip Manning Petty broke away from the field for the final 63 laps and beat Pearson and Cale for his fourth win of the year; Petty and Pearson finished together in the top two for the 63rd and final time. Round 15: CAM 2 Motor Oil 400 The CAM 2 Motor Oil 400 was held June 19 at Michigan International Speedway. David Pearson won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #43 - Richard Petty #72 - Benny Parsons #2 - Dave Marcis #21 - David Pearson #15 - Buddy Baker #90 - Dick Brooks #27 - Sam Sommers #75 - Butch Hartman #12 - Bobby Allison Cale Yarborough got back on track with a dominant win at Michigan International Speedway, his first there since 1970. He was critical of the track's surface, which had buckled in spots due to a hard winter: "My car jumped out of gear three times." Round 16: Firecracker 400 The Firecracker 400 was held Monday July 4 at the Daytona International Speedway. Neil Bonnett won the pole. Top Ten #43 - Richard Petty #88 - Darrell Waltrip #72 - Benny Parsons #21 - David Pearson #51 - A.J. Foyt #1 - Donnie Allison #15 - Buddy Baker #5 - Neil Bonnett #90 - Dick Brooks #27 - Sam Sommers Neil Bonnett's team wrenched by Harry Hyde was purchased by mysterious coal-miner J.D. Stacy; the former K&K Insurance #71 was renumbered and painted white with red lettering; a cylinder faltered on the start and Bonnett limped home eighth. After Cale and Bobby Allison fought for the lead in the first 49 laps with A. J. Foyt and Darrell Waltrip (the lead changed 28 times in that span) Richard Petty took over, leading 92 of the last 111 laps. Waltrip who finished second would say: "I wish people would stop complaining about the Chevrolets. A Dodge won the pole here and Petty's Dodge blew my doors off." Cale's transmission broke and after replacing the transmission he finished 14 laps down in 23rd, saying, "When Old Blue (Petty) wanted to go, he went." Petty cut Cale's point lead to 17. Round 17: Nashville 420 The Nashville 420 was held July 16 at Nashville Speedway. Benny Parsons won the pole. Top Ten #88 - Darrell Waltrip #12 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #11 - Cale Yarborough #90 - Dick Brooks #15 - Buddy Baker #92 - Skip Manning #70 - J.D. McDuffie #67 - Buddy Arrington #22 - Ricky Rudd Darrell Waltrip led the last 251 laps for an easy win, but scoring headaches (due to pit road being the track's infield quarter-mile oval) left second and third place in dispute; Bobby Allison finished a lap down in second and Richard Petty finished third. Round 18: Coca-Cola 500 The Coca-Cola 500 was held July 31 at Pocono International Raceway. Darrell Waltrip won the pole, his first on a superspeedway. Top Ten #72 - Benny Parsons #43 - Richard Petty #88 - Darrell Waltrip #12 - Bobby Allison #90 - Dick Brooks #11 - Cale Yarborough #22 - Ricky Rudd #92 - Skip Manning #75 - Butch Hartman #48 - James Hylton NASCAR mandated cylinder changes for Ford/Mercury engines that gave them some 20 extra horsepower, though David Pearson believed "we need 40" to battle the Chevrolets. The race lead changed hands 47 times officially as Benny Parsons flexed the most muscle he'd shown in the season to that point. Darrell Waltrip won his first superspeedway pole, and photos from this Pocono race were used in an October story on Waltrip in Sports Illustrated. Richard Petty rallied from a flat tire in the first twenty laps; he closed on Parsons in the final laps but finished a close second. Parsons led 118 laps for his second win of the year, while Cale Yarborough finished sixth with damage from a crash with Buddy Baker at lap 120; Petty thus took the point lead by eight points over Cale and Junior Johnson stated the car simply wasn't strong enough. Round 19: Talladega 500 The Talladega 500 was held August 7 at the Alabama International Motor Speedway. Benny Parsons won the pole. Top Ten #1 - Donnie Allison/Darrell Waltrip* #11 - Cale Yarborough #92 - Skip Manning #22 - Ricky Rudd #54 - Lennie Pond #15 - Buddy Baker #12 - Bobby Allison #70 - J.D. McDuffie #48 - James Hylton #79 - Frank Warren Once again Alabama International Motor Speedway witnessed one of the most bizarre weekends in NASCAR history. Following qualifying (Benny Parsons and Donnie Allison swept the front row while Chevrolets swept the top ten; Petty's Dodge in 11th was best of the non-Chevrolets) NASCAR confiscated the fuel cell (a Banjo Matthews product that was expandable) of one of the race's entrants (the identity of the team was not revealed) and Bill Gazaway announced he was cracking down on illegal fuel cells following this plus several bouts of unusually good mileage at Pocono; he stationed an official near the garage pay phones and the names of crewmen frantically telephoning to order new fuel cells were taken down. Thus were Junior Johnson, Hoss Ellington, Bud Moore, M.C. Anderson, and DiGard Racing caught with illegal fuel cells and fined. Donnie Allison fought for the lead as it changed 49 times on a brutally hot day; he fell ill after drinking a bottle of soda and needed a relief driver; Darrell Waltrip arrived in the Hoss Ellington pit and drove the final 40 laps, beating Cale Yarborough and Skip Manning for the win, the final time entering the 2025 season a relief driver got the win. Cale was second despite complaining afterward that his car was stuck in fourth gear and was "the sorriest Chevrolet on the track"; with Petty finishing 11th with a burned valve, Cale retook the point lead and would never look back. This race was marred by tragedy early in the event when 69-year old Irene Sisco, mother of driver David Sisco, was struck and killed by a pickup truck in the pit area. After the incident, David pulled out of the race, and Bruce Hill drove the car for the rest of the event. Hill finished 28th with a blown engine, which Sisco getting the credit. Sisco never raced in NASCAR again after the tragedy. Round 20: Champion Spark Plug 400 The Champion Spark Plug 400 was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday August 21 at the Michigan International Speedway but following heavy rain, it was postponed and run on Monday August 22. David Pearson won the pole. Top Ten #88 - Darrell Waltrip #21 - David Pearson #72 - Benny Parsons #27 - Sam Sommers #11 - Cale Yarborough #90 - Dick Brooks #22 - Ricky Rudd #43 - Richard Petty #81 - Terry Ryan #68 - Janet Guthrie This was the first Grand National race run following the passing of 1970 champion Bobby Isaac. With just ten races remaining in the season, Yarborough held a 50 point lead over Richard Petty. Round 21: Volunteer 500 The Volunteer 500 was held August 28 at Bristol International Speedway. Cale Yarborough won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #88 - Darrell Waltrip #72 - Benny Parsons #90 - Dick Brooks #30 - Tighe Scott #68 - Janet Guthrie #92 - Skip Manning #3 - Richard Childress #48 - James Hylton #67 - Buddy Arrington Yarborough grabbed his eighth win of the season, edging Darrell Waltrip under caution. Yarborough with 9 races left in the season now held a 133 point lead over Richard Petty who crashed out of the race after completing 118 laps of 500 finishing 22nd. Round 22: Southern 500 The 28th annual Southern 500 was scheduled and held Monday September 5 at Darlington Raceway. Darrell Waltrip won the pole. Top Ten #21 - David Pearson #1 - Donnie Allison #15 - Buddy Baker #43 - Richard Petty #11 - Cale Yarborough #88 - Darrell Waltrip #22 - Ricky Rudd #3 - Richard Childress #47 - Bruce Hill #52 - Bill Elliott The surging seasons of Yarborough and Waltrip collided hard in the Southern 500. Waltrip won the pole and Cale started fourth, and the two battled hard for first; the lead had changed hands 28 times by Lap 236 when the leaders came into lapped traffic; Waltrip slammed into Yarborough and the wreck wiped out Janet Guthrie, D.K. Ulrich, and Terry Bivins. Waltrip limped home sixth and Yarborough salvaged fourth as David Pearson pounced to the win, only his second of the season. Following the race Ulrich confronted Yarborough about the wreck, and Cale responded, "I didn't hit you, Jaws did. Jaws Waltrip." Ulrich started laughing upon recognizing the reference and it became a catchphrase for fans about Waltrip. With just 8 races remaining in the season, Yarborough held a 128 point lead over Richard Petty. Round 23: Capital City 400 The Capital City 400 was held September 11 at the Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. Benny Parsons won the pole Top Ten #5 - Neil Bonnett #43 - Richard Petty #72 - Benny Parsons #11 - Cale Yarborough #54 - Lennie Pond #12 - Bobby Allison #88 - Darrell Waltrip #90 - Dick Brooks #48 - James Hylton #52 - Jimmy Means Dodge Chargers finished 1-2 as Neil Bonnett, heavily coached by crew chief Harry Hyde, edged Richard Petty for his first Grand National win and the first for team owner J.D. Stacy. With 7 races remaining in the season, Cale Yarborough held a 118 point lead over Richard Petty. Round 24: Delaware 500 The Delaware 500 was held September 18 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Neil Bonnett won the pole. #72 - Benny Parsons #21 - David Pearson #11 - Cale Yarborough #1 - Donnie Allison #88 - Darrell Waltrip #15 - Buddy Baker #3 - Richard Childress #90 - Dick Brooks #12 - Bobby Allison #27 - Sam Sommers Benny Parsons and Donnie Allison combined to lead 470 of 500 laps as Parsons grabbed his third win of the season and Donnie finished fourth. Neil Bonnett, fresh off his first career win, won the pole and led 20 laps before finishing 17th but not running as his engines water pump failed after completing 469 of 500 laps. Cale Yarborough finished third and added 77 points to his lead as Richard Petty fell out with engine failure. Yarborough now held a 194 point lead over Petty with just 6 races left in the season. Round 25: Old Dominion 500 The Old Dominion 500 was held September 25 at Martinsville Speedway. Neil Bonnett won the pole. Top Ten #11 - Cale Yarborough #72 - Benny Parsons #21 - David Pearson/Donnie Allison #43 - Richard Petty/Bobby Allison #27 - Sam Sommers #63 - Jimmy Hensley #67 - Buddy Arrington #48 - James Hylton #52 - Jimmy Means #88 - Darrell Waltrip Yarborough grabbed his ninth win of the season on a very hot day, so hot an exhausted Yarborough in a post race interview with the Motor Racing Network's reporter Ned Jarrett, called for the track to shorten the distance of its races, which earned an angry rebuke from H. Clay Earles. The Allison brothers after falling out early relief drove for the 21 (Donnie) & 43 (Bobby). Yarborough now led Petty by 219 points with just 5 races left in the season. Round 26: Wilkes 400 The Wilkes 400 was held October 2 at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Richard Petty won the pole. Top Ten #88 - Darrell Waltrip #11 - Cale Yarborough #5 - Neil Bonnett #12 - Bobby Allison #72 - Benny Parsons #3 - Richard Childress #22 - Ricky Rudd #90 - Dick Brooks #15 - Buddy Baker #67 - Buddy Arrington Richard Petty's fading title hopes took another blow at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Petty led 199 laps from the pole but crashed after being sideswiped by the lapped car of Bobby Allison. Darrell Waltrip took the win and in postrace interviews said the race was easy according to what he called "The Cale Scale," a mocking reference to Yarborough's complaint about fatigue the week earlier. Yarborough now led Petty by 293 points with 4 races remaining. Round 27: NAPA National 500 The NAPA National 500 was held October 9 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. David Pearson won the pole. Top Ten #72 - Benny Parsons #11 - Cale Yarborough #21 - David Pearson #15 - Buddy Baker #88 - Darrell Waltrip #90 - Dick Brooks #51 - A.J. Foyt #5 - Neil Bonnett #68 - Janet Guthrie #9 - Bill Elliott Benny Parsons authored his most dominant run of the season as he led 250 of 334 laps and wasn't slowed despite running out of gas and losing a lap; he easily rebounded and ran down Yarborough for the win. Richard Petty led 25 laps but the suspension collapsed while leading; Petty's Dodge slowed off of turn four and David Pearson and Bobby Allison spun behind him. The DNF effectively ended Petty's title hopes. Dave Marcis finished 23rd in Penske Racing's Chevrolet, and following the race the Chevy equipment was sold to businessman Rod Osterlund and Marcis was tabbed as the new team's driver; the Mercury racecars of the Penske team meanwhile were sold to Georgia youngster Bill Elliott. With 3 races left to run, Yarborough now held a 378 point lead over Benny Parsons, Petty fell to third now 396 points behind Cale. Round 28: American 500 The American 500 was held October 23 at North Carolina Motor Speedway. Donnie Allison won the pole. Top Ten #1 - Donnie Allison #43 - Richard Petty #88 - Darrell Waltrip #11 - Cale Yarborough #90 - Dick Brooks #12 - Bobby Allison #72 - Benny Parsons #92 - Skip Manning #68 - Janet Guthrie #70 - J.D. McDuffie Donnie Allison dominated the weekend for his second win of the year and ninth career Winston Cup Grand National win. Cale Yarborough clinched the championship despite a runner-up finish by Petty. Cale clinched the title with Petty working his way back up to 2nd in points but 386 points behind Cale. Benny Parsons fell back to 3rd in points but only 9 points behind Petty so Benny still had a chance for 2nd in points with 2 races remaining. Darrell Waltrip raced despite incurring injuries at Riverside International Raceway and also after being kicked by a mule during a parade days before the race. "I ran into a wall and got stepped on by a mule," Waltrip said afterward. Round 29: Dixie 500 The Dixie 500 was held November 6 at Atlanta International Raceway. Sam Sommers won his first and only pole. Top Ten #88 - Darrell Waltrip #21 - David Pearson #72 - Benny Parsons #1 - Donnie Allison #11 - Cale Yarborough #43 - Richard Petty #15 - Buddy Baker #22 - Ricky Rudd #12 - Bobby Allison #14 - Coo Coo Marlin Rain delayed the race to the doorstep of darkness and cut its distance from 328 laps to 268 laps. On the final lap with darkness close to enveloping the track, Darrell Waltrip, using the lapped car of James Hylton as a pick, stormed past Donnie Allison and stole the win; Donnie crashed with Cale Yarborough at the stripe, finishing fourth. With one race left to run, Cale Yarborough had already clinched the championship with a total of 4830 points, and had a real chance to score 5000 points over the whole season. The battle for 2nd in points however was far from decided with it now being a three way fight between Richard Petty (4439), Benny Parsons (4438), and a resurgent Darrell Waltrip (4417). Petty held a 1 point advantage over Parsons, and a 22 point advantage over Waltrip. Round 30: Los Angeles Times 500 The Los Angeles Times 500 was held November 20 at the Ontario Motor Speedway. Richard Petty won the pole. Top Ten #5 - Neil Bonnett #43 - Richard Petty #11 - Cale Yarborough #15 - Buddy Baker #21 - David Pearson #90 - Dick Brooks #12 - Bobby Allison #22 - Ricky Rudd #48 - James Hylton #3 - Richard Childress 1974 Dodge Chargers swept the front row and Petty and Neil Bonnett battled for the lead all 500 miles; the lead changed 37 official times and numerous additional times, particularly in the opening laps as Petty and Bonnett battled Pearson, A. J. Foyt, and Waltrip. Waltrip fell out and Pearson lost a lap late as Petty came up short of Bonnett at the stripe despite skidding through Turn Four to try to catch him. The win was Bonnett's first on a superspeedway and the 45th Winston Cup Grand National win for crew chief Harry Hyde. Cale Yarborough recovered from a late spin to finish third; his winning point total was 5,000, the highest point total recorded under the point system developed by Bob Latford. Dave Marcis finished 14th in his first race with Rod Osterlund. For 5 laps under caution Janet Guthrie led laps which was the first time a woman led laps in NASCAR, and would not be done by a woman in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series until the 2013 Daytona 500 when Danica Patrick would lead laps. The three way fight for second in points was decided with Petty taking it by 44 points over Parsons, and 116 over Waltrip. Full Drivers’ Championship List of NASCAR points scoring systems (key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led. Pos. Position Driver RIV DAY RCH CAR ATL NWS DAR BRI MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RIV MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT Pts Points scored 1 Cale Yarborough 2* 1* 1* 6 3* 1* 16 1* 1* 2 2* 1 24 3 1* 23 4 6 2 5* 1* 5 4 3 1* 2 2 4 5 3 5000 2 Richard Petty 3 26 6 1* 1 2 3 3 3 20 5 3 1* 1* 2 1* 3 2 11 8 22 4 2 23 4 24* 32 2 6 2 4614 3 Benny Parsons 21 2 3 12 26 3 5 5 2 3 1 6 3 27 3 3 18 1* 24 3 3 25 3 1* 2 5 1* 7 3 12 4570 4 Darrell Waltrip 9 7 2 2 7 7 1 19 21 1 3 4 6 26 35 2 1* 3 22 1 2 6* 7 5 10 1 5 3 1 29 4498 5 Buddy Baker 12 3 9 4 5 4 7 29 24 33 6 9 5 5 6 7 6 27 6 30 15 3 27 6 21 9 4 29 7 4 3961 6 Dick Brooks 5 27 22 23 6 9 2 6 7 22 5 8 12 7 9 5 5 39 6 4 34 8 8 26 8 6 5 37 6 3742 7 James Hylton 14 10 8 9 38 9 32 7 17 18 11 33 28 14 11 39 19 10 9 16 9 13 9 16 8 12 14 13 26 9 3476 8 Bobby Allison 35 15 5 27 41 5 29 6 19 40 7 8 39 17 10 17 2 4 7 26 28 39 6 9 23 4 26 6 9 7 3467 9 Richard Childress 6 23 10 17 19 8 17 8 10 21 26 21 14 8 34 19 27 17 20 33 8 8 26 7 15 6 16 18 21 10 3463 10 Cecil Gordon 11 17 13 10 16 13 12 17 13 16 13 12 22 9 21 11 20 21 16 19 29 19 17 21 18 15 37 23 20 32 3294 11 Buddy Arrington 38 24 14 11 10 14 14 19 15 11 18 19 19 22 9 15 12 14 10 14 25 13 7 10 17 12 17 19 3247 12 J. D. McDuffie 29 13 16 15 31 22 19 20 9 26 24 13 25 33 20 24 8 14 8 20 18 12 13 12 17 23 15 10 27 20 3236 13 David Pearson 1 21 32 2 4* 5 22 2* 2 2 5 4 28 37 2 1 2 3 3 27 2 5 3227 14 Skip Manning 36 18 8 28 26 23 12 27 23 21 17 10 10 27 16 7 8 3 12 7 38 15 19 13 13 35 8 13 DNQ 3120 15 D. K. Ulrich 15 14 28 23 29 20 34 26 15 31 14 20 34 11 16 41 14 34 18 18 11 27 14 31 12 22 19 33 18 21 2901 16 Frank Warren 25 11 30 35 27 16 27 13 13 29 26 26 15 30 21 12 19 10 23 13 17 20 22 11 21 33 35 23 16 2876 17 Ricky Rudd (R) 22 26 19 22 10 28 10 27 17 28 36 10 7 4 7 16 7 11 32 27 7 24 25 8 8 2810 18 Neil Bonnett 17 37 7 5 12 21 33 4 12 29 7 8 21 25 17 1* 17 22 3 8 28 38 1* 2649 19 Jimmy Means 8 29 28 20 27 20 9 8 34 9 29 19 14 20 29 20 36 17 27 10 14 9 11 28 22 40 DNQ 2640 20 Tighe Scott (R) DNQ 16 11 33 25 23 26 28 14 17 14 16 31 27 13 13 27 11 5 32 18 24 20 25 34 19 17 2628 21 Sam Sommers (R) 31 7 13 13 15 28 10 9 8 10 24 32 26 4 20 29 10 5 14 34 17 28 38 2517 22 Ed Negre 27 29 15 13 39 28 24 25 25 41 15 35 16 31 12 11 16 15 24 17 22 24 35 27 2214 23 Janet Guthrie (R) 12 12 30 11 32 26 40 15 11 34 10 6 16 12 11 9 9 16 24 2037 24 Donnie Allison 30 3 4 2 26 4* 33 24 6 1* 2 4* 28 36 1* 4* 42 1970 25 Dave Marcis 4 28 4 24 6 12 6 21 20 5 4 36 4 22 23 31 36 14 1931 26 Tommy Gale (R) DNQ 21 22 21 23 15 18 37 23 38 25 14 32 18 24 26 21 15 22 1689 27 Dick May DNQ 16 21 24 17 24 31 19 20 14 20 13 14 32 1324 28 Henley Gray 32 QL 19 16 33 14 28 23 18 39 25 32 38 22 17 1214 29 Bruce Hill 25 36 10 10 7 27 35 31 32 30 35 13 9 41 26 15 1213 30 Lennie Pond 34 9 31 4 7 4 33 5 28 5 30 25 30 36 1193 31 Butch Hartman DNQ 11 25 23 9 18 9 29 25 35 31 12 1116 32 Ferrel Harris 18 18 16 14 20 19 36 14 33 22 25 1088 33 Baxter Price 24 25 16 22 34 26 21 21 37 30 18 16 1086 34 Coo Coo Marlin 4 8 8 8 12 13 11 40 26 12 10 1004 35 Bill Elliott DNQ 30 32 15 15 35 23 29 10 10 11 926 36 Gary Myers (R) 11 11 15 29 12 22 26 30 15 34 888 37 David Sisco DNQ QL 19 22 30 19 30 32 25 34 22 28 847 38 Terry Bivins QL 14 26 24 17 30 11 9 24 841 39 G. C. Spencer DNQ 21 8 20 14 31 37 18 25 785 40 Terry Ryan 18 35 27 29 17 12 9 702 41 Joe Mihalic DNQ 29 25 18 32 24 40 18 21 683 42 Elmo Langley 20 16 23 31 28 35 16 634 43 Dean Dalton DNQ 37 35 30 34 21 23 29 19 DNQ 620 44 Earl Brooks DNQ 25 25 25 17 25 25 552 45 Bobby Wawak 18 42 30 18 15 22 11 29 522 46 Harold Miller 17 27 28 13 28 30 470 47 Junior Miller 17 31 18 24 26 467 48 Rick Newsom 23 29 27 16 28 DNQ 28 27 446 49 Ramo Stott 27 15 11 40 32 440 50 Grant Adcox 34 37 26 25 15 22 413 51 Sonny Easley 5 7 26 386 52 Ralph Jones DNQ 18 23 19 30 382 53 Ronnie Thomas 33 25 19 30 331 54 Morgan Shepherd DNQ 10 13 33 322 55 Walter Ballard 19 22 16 318 56 Norm Palmer 23 6 34 305 57 Earle Canavan 36 23 35 36 23 DNQ 301 58 Jimmy Lee Capps 33 18 18 282 59 Jim Hurtubise 35 42 15 39 259 60 Chuck Bown 13 25 39 258 61 Jimmy Hensley 22 6 247 62 Travis Tiller 21 29 32 DNQ 243 63 Roy Smith 22 39 23 237 64 Roland Wlodyka 29 31 36 39 15 219 65 Bill Schmitt 19 30 41 219 66 Ron Hutcherson 32 6 11 29 Wth 11 DNQ 217 67 Hershel McGriff 7 DNQ 34 207 68 Jim Thirkettle 16 24 206 69 Elliott Forbes-Robinson 40 20 36 201 70 Bob Burcham 9 34 199 71 Chuck Wahl 26 18 194 72 Bill Seifert 12 33 191 73 Eddie Bradshaw 10 DNQ 37 186 74 Richard White DNQ 22 25 185 75 Gary Johnson 20 29 DNQ 179 76 Mike Kempton 30 20 176 77 Marty Robbins 13 38 173 78 Kenny Brightbill 12 40 170 79 Peter Knab 12 33 20 167 80 Larry LaMay 24 30 164 81 Jocko Maggiacomo 26 27 28 DNQ 164 82 Ernie Stierly DNQ 20 35 161 83 Don Puskarich 30 28 DNQ 152 84 Hugh Pearson 8 142 85 John Dineen DNQ 13 DNQ 124 86 Joe Ruttman 13 124 87 Jody Ridley 14 121 88 Robin Schildknecht DNQ 21 15 DNQ 118 89 Harry Jefferson 18 109 90 Jim Vandiver 20 103 91 Harry Goularte 21 DNQ 100 92 Marv Acton 23 38 94 93 Joe Frasson DNQ 24 91 94 Gary Matthews 24 DNQ 91 95 Jim Raptis DNQ 30 40 39 89 96 Bill Baker 28 16 DNQ 79 97 John Borneman 28 79 98 Paul Dean Holt 28 79 99 Greg Heller 29 76 100 Dick Trickle 29 76 101 Harry Gant 30 73 102 Don Graham DNQ 30 73 103 Carl Joiner 31 70 104 Ron McGee 31 70 105 Summer McKnight DNQ 31 70 106 Ray Elder 32 DNQ 67 107 Glenn Francis 33 DNQ 64 108 Vince Giaformaggio 33 64 109 John Kennedy 33 64 110 Jimmy Insolo 34 4 61 111 Nestor Peles 23 35 58 112 Phil Finney DNQ 35 58 113 Don Noel DNQ 35 DNQ 58 114 Johnny Kieper 36 55 115 Dick Skillen DNQ 36 55 116 Steve Stolarek 36 DNQ 55 117 Raymond Williams 36 55 118 Dale Earnhardt 38 49 119 A. J. Foyt 6 34 38 5 7 11 120 Johnny Rutherford 41 40 21 121 Roger Hamby 19 31 122 Billy McGinnis DNQ 14 123 Steve Moore 19 124 Randy Myers 20 125 Bill Osborne 23 126 Salt Walther 24 127 Blackie Wangerin DNQ 24 128 Tom Sneva 27 129 Lella Lombardi 31 130 Christine Beckers 37 131 Roger McCluskey 40 132 Ivan Baldwin DNQ 133 Nick deCourville DNQ 134 J. C. Danielson DNQ 135 Steve Behr DNQ 136 John Soares Jr. DNQ 137 Ron Esau DNQ 138 Dennis Wilson DNQ 139 Bryce Mann DNQ 140 Chris Monoleos DNQ 141 Mike Hiss DNQ 142 John Hamson DNQ DNQ 143 Jack Simpson DNQ DNQ DNQ 144 Steve Pfeifer DNQ DNQ 145 Johnny Barnes DNQ 146 Joe Booher DNQ 147 Charlie Blanton DNQ 148 A. J. Reno DNQ 149 Jabe Thomas DNQ DNQ 150 Bruce Jacobi DNQ 151 Joseph Schultz DNQ 152 Bennie Vaught DNQ 153 Mike Brockman DNQ 154 Rocky Moran DNQ Pos. Position Driver RIV DAY RCH CAR ATL NWS DAR BRI MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RIV MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT Pts Points scored 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Central - The Third Turn https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/1977_NASCAR_Winston_Cup_Series_Central 2021-04-29 www.thethirdturn.com en See also 1977 NASCAR Winston West Series References External links Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1977 * Category:NASCAR Cup Series seasons