1976 American 500

1976 American 500
Race details[1]
Race 28 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Layout of Rockingham Speedway
Date October 24, 1976 (1976-October-24)
Official name American 500
Location North Carolina Motor Speedway, Rockingham, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.017 mi (1.636 km)
Distance 492 laps, 500 mi (804 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures reaching a maximum of 72 °F (22 °C); wind speeds approaching 4.9 miles per hour (7.9 km/h)
Average speed 117.718 miles per hour (189.449 km/h)
Attendance 32,500[2]
Pole position
Driver Wood Brothers
Most laps led
Driver Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Laps 193
Winner
No. 43 Richard Petty Petty Enterprises
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1976 American 500 was the 28th official race (out of 30) in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.[2]

Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Summary

This racing event took place on October 24, 1976, at North Carolina Motor Speedway at Rockingham, North Carolina.[2] In order to resolve itself, the race took four hours, fifteen minutes, and one second.[2] Six cautions were given out for a duration of 35 laps.[2][3]

As a result, Richard Petty would eventually defeat Lennie Pond by more than a lap.[2][4] Thirty-two thousand and five hundred live spectators attended this event.[2] David Pearson gained the pole position qualifying at a speed of 139.117 miles per hour (223.887 km/h) but eventually finished in sixth place.[2] Henley Gray was officially recorded as the last-place finisher due to an engine issue on the first lap.[2] Richard Petty's teenage son Kyle would attend his father's victory celebrations; getting ready for his NASCAR career.[5]

The average speed of the race was 117.718 miles per hour (189.449 km/h).[2] Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid.[2]

Finishing order

Timeline

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[2] Differential
1 Cale Yarborough 4380 0
2 Richard Petty 4283 -97
3 Benny Parsons 3984 -396
4 Bobby Allison 3948 -432
5 Lennie Pond 3669 -711
6 Dave Marcis 3599 -781
7 Buddy Baker 3539 -841
8 Darrell Waltrip 3316 -1064
9 Richard Childress 3285 -1095
10 Dick Brooks 3211 -1169

References

  1. "1976 American 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2012-08-04.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "1976 American 500 information". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2010-12-05.
  3. "1976 American 500 drivers' sponsor information". Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
  4. "1976 American 500 information (second reference)". Driver Averages. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
  5. "Kyle Petty at the 1976 American 500". Google Books. Retrieved 2014-08-19.
Preceded by
1976 National 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1976
Succeeded by
1976 Dixie 500
Preceded by
1975
American 500 races
1976
Succeeded by
1977
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