1976 National 500
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 27 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 This is a souvenir magazine from the 1976 running of the National 500. | |||
| Date | October 10, 1976 | ||
| Official name | National 500 | ||
| Location | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.500 mi (2.414 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 500 mi (804 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperature reaching a maximum of 64.9 °F (18.3 °C); wind speeds up to 10.1 miles per hour (16.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 141.226 miles per hour (227.281 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Wood Brothers | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Buddy Baker | Bud Moore | |
| Laps | 104 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 1 | Donnie Allison | Hoss Ellington | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Chris Economaki | ||
The 1976 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 10, 1976, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the American community of Concord, North Carolina.
By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.
Summary
A souvenir magazine was offered to the spectators at a cost of $3 USD per copy ($12.50 when adjusted for inflation). Another race took place the previous day known as the World Service Life 300; a companion race that accompanied the National 500 during the course of the 1970s.
Forty American-born drivers competed at this race; the winner received $22,435 out of the total prize purse ($93,452.93 when adjusted for inflation). Last-place finisher Al Holbert received only $855 for his engine problem of lap 7 out of the scheduled 334 laps of the race ($3,561.50 in when adjusted for inflation). Janet Guthrie was the only female competitor in this three-hour-and-thirty-two-minute race. After three cautions for eighteen laps and 26 lead changes, Donnie Allison defeated Cale Yarborough in front of 74500 other people. David Pearson qualified for the pole position with a top speed of 161.223 miles per hour (259.463 km/h) while the average racing speed was 141.226 miles per hour (227.281 km/h). His next pole position achievement would be at the 1977 World 600.[3]
Buck Baker would make his last NASCAR start here before retiring with a 34th-place finish in the books. He would go on to tutor an adolescent Jeff Gordon; who would go on to become one of the best NASCAR drivers in the "modern" era of NASCAR.[4] Hoss Ellington would make his first win as a NASCAR owner while bending the rules so that both his vehicles could compete.[5] Gordon Johncock would also retire from NASCAR after this race.
Top twenty finishers
- 1-Donnie Allison
- 11-Cale Yarborough
- 2-Bobby Allison
- 15-Buddy Baker
- 72-Benny Parsons, 1 lap behind
- 21-David Pearson, 3 laps behind
- 54-Lennie Pond, 5 laps behind
- 43-Richard Petty, 6 laps behind
- 90-Dick Brooks, 6 laps behind
- 36-Bobby Wawak, 8 laps behind
- 88-Darrell Waltrip, 9 laps behind
- 67-Buddy Arrington, 11 laps behind
- 92-Skip Manning, 12 laps behind
- 41-Grant Adcox, 13 laps behind
- 3-Richard Childress, 13 laps behind
- 22-Ricky Rudd, 14 laps behind
- 49-G.C. Spencer, 16 laps behind
- 48-James Hylton, 17 laps behind
- 05-David Sisco, 17 laps behind
- 33-Earl Brooks, 18 laps behind
Timeline
- Start: David Pearson was leading the other drivers to the green flag to start the first official lap
- Lap 7: Al Holbert managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 41: A valve stopped working on Gordon Johncock's vehicle
- Lap 59: A.J. Foyt quit the race despite his vehicle not suffering from any mechanical issues
- Lap 70: A valve stopped working on Ed Negre's vehicle
- Lap 80: The clutch stopped functioning on Sam Sommers' vehicle
- Lap 126: Neil Bonnett managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 144: Bruce Hill managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 148: A valve stopped working on Sonny Easley's vehicle
- Lap 189: A valve stopped working on Coo Coo Marlin's vehicle
- Lap 208: Johnny Rutherford managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 250: D.K. Ulrich managed to blow his vehicle's engine
- Lap 262: A valve stopped working on Dave Marcis' vehicle
- Lap 268: The rear end of Cecil Gordon's vehicle was forcibly removed in an unsafe manner
- Finish: Donnie Allison was officially declared the winner of the event
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Yarborough | 4225 | 0 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 4098 | -127 |
| 3 | Benny Parsons | 3914 | -311 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 3788 | -437 |
| 5 | Dave Marcis | 3506 | -719 |
| 6 | Lennie Pond | 3494 | -731 |
| 7 | Buddy Baker | 3460 | -765 |
| 8 | Richard Childress | 3203 | -1022 |
| 9 | Darrell Waltrip | 3151 | -1074 |
| 10 | Dick Brooks | 3069 | -1156 |
References
- ↑ 1976 National 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 1976 National 500 racing information at Racing Reference
- ↑ "David Pearson's pole position accomplishment". Scene Daily. Retrieved 2011-08-06.
- ↑ "2013 NASCAR Hall of Fame: Buck Baker at a glance". That's Racin'. Archived from the original on 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
- ↑ Hoss Ellington at the 1976 National 500. Google Books. Retrieved 2013-06-17.
| Preceded by 1976 Wilkes 400 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Season 1976 |
Succeeded by 1976 American 500 |
| Preceded by 1975 |
National 500/NAPA National 500 races 1976 |
Succeeded by 1977 |