1976 Riverside 400

Last updated
1976 Riverside 400
Race details [1] [2]
Race 15 of 28 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Riverside Raceway.JPG
Layout of Riverside International Raceway (1969-1988 version)
Date June 13, 1976 (1976-June-13)
Official name Riverside 400
Location Riverside International Raceway, Riverside, California
Course Permanent racing facility
2.620 mi (4.216 km)
Distance 153 laps, 400.9 mi (645.1 km)
Weather Very hot with temperatures of 84.9 °F (29.4 °C); wind speeds of 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h)
Average speed 106.279 miles per hour (171.039 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
 Wood Brothers Racing
Time 84.639 seconds
Most laps led
Driver Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 48
Winner
No. 21David PearsonWood Brothers Racing
Television in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Ken Squier
Richard Petty

The 1976 Riverside 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on June 13, 1976, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. The California 150 for sportsman cars was run prior to this race. The winner was Ivan Baldwin followed by Dan Clark and Jim Sanderson.

Contents

Most of the vehicles in this event were Chevrolets.. [3] Roy Smith was the only Canadian competitor out of the 35-driver grid; the rest of them were American-born. [2]

This was the first Riverside race whose distance was measured in kilometers instead of miles, much shorter than previously but more normal in elapsed time of a typical NASCAR Cup race.

Background

Riverside International Raceway was a race track or road course in Moreno Valley, California. The track was in operation from September 22, 1957, to July 2, 1989. The original course design proved to be dangerous, and it was partially reconfigured in 1969.

Race report

The five drivers that dominated the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season were David Pearson (average finish of 7th place), Cale Yarborough (average finish of 8th place), Richard Petty (average finish of 9th place), Benny Parsons (average finish of 10th place) and Bobby Allison (average finish 12th place).

Pearson's qualifying speed of 114.437 miles per hour (184.168 km/h) would earn him the pole position while the average speed of the actual race was 106.279 miles per hour (171.039 km/h). [2] [3] Richard Petty would become proficient on turn 6 throughout the race; despite ending the race outside of the "top five."

Junie Donlavey's #90 Truxmore Ford team and driver Dick Brooks missed this race because they were in France competing in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans the same weekend. The team became the first, and only, Winston Cup team ever to enter the 24-hour classic but Brooks, retired NASCAR racer Dick Hutcherson, and French local Marcel Mignot were sidelined during the first half of the race by a gearbox failure.

Hershel McGriff also missed this race to enter his NASCAR Winston West team at Le Mans partnered with his son Doug McGriff. His Olympia Beer Dodge Charger blew an engine right after the start of the race.

David Pearson managed to defeat Bobby Allison by a time of 1.6 seconds in front of 29,500 people. As a result, Pearson would to sweep the Winston Cup series' two visits to Riverside in 1976. [2] [3] Pearson won three races and seven poles at Riverside but this was the only time he ever won from the pole on the twisty SoCal road course. The race took two hours and twenty minutes to complete; with the event's only caution flag lasting for a duration of four laps. [2] The victor would take home $15,150 in winnings ($72,144 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place paid a meager $665 ($3,167 when adjusted for inflation). [2] [3] Ron Esau would acquire the last-place finish due to a clutch problem on lap 6 out of the 95 that made up the regulation length of the course. [2] [3]

Safe driving habits and remarkable efforts with keeping the oil products away from the track helped to keep most of the race under the green flag.

John Dineen and Ernie Stierly would make their NASCAR Cup Series debut at this racing event. Final NASCAR appearances by Jim Danielson, Bill Polich, and Don Reynolds were also memorable moments from this racing event. [4] Notable crew chiefs on attendance for this race included Richard Elder, Jake Elder, Dale Inman, Travis Carter, Bud Moore and Len Wood. [5]

A little-known fact was that Darrell Waltrip was listed down as a resident of Daytona Beach, Florida for the purpose of tracking the starting grid instead of using his hometown of Owensboro, Kentucky. [6] A race that Waltrip would end up winning later in his career would have him as listed as a resident Franklin, Tennessee - which is located exactly 127 miles (204 km) to the south of Owensboro.

Qualifying

GridNo.DriverManufacturerSpeed [7] Qualifying time [7] Owner
143 Richard Petty Dodge 111.4371:24.639Wood Brothers
221 David Pearson Mercury 110.0951:25.671Roger Penske
32 Bobby Allison Mercury 109.8951:25.827L.G. DeWitt
415 Buddy Baker Ford 109.5751:26.078Bud Moore
538 Jimmy Insolo Chevrolet 109.0371:26.502Roger Paquette
611 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet 108.8141:26.680Junior Johnson
743 Richard Petty Dodge 108.5061:26.926Petty Enterprises
850 Rusty Sanders Chevrolet 108.2061:27.197Michael Brockman
996 Ray Elder Dodge 108.0991:26.253Fred Elder
1088 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 107.9951:27.337DiGard

Top 10 finishers

Section reference: [2]

  1. David Pearson (No. 21)
  2. Bobby Allison (No. 2)
  3. Benny Parsons (No. 72), 1 lap down
  4. Ray Elder (No. 96), 1 lap down
  5. Buddy Baker (No. 15), 1 lap down
  6. Darrell Waltrip (No. 88), 2 laps down
  7. Cale Yarborough (No. 11), 2 laps down
  8. Jimmy Insolo (No. 38), 3 laps down
  9. Richard Petty (No. 43), 3 laps down
  10. Dave Marcis (No. 71), 3 laps down

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

Standings after the race

PosDriverPoints [2] Differential
1 1rightarrow.png Benny Parsons 21610
2 1rightarrow.png Cale Yarborough 2138-23
3 1rightarrow.png Richard Petty 2036-125
4 1rightarrow.png Bobby Allison 1991-170
5 Increase2.svg Dave Marcis 1827-334
6 Decrease2.svg Lennie Pond 1818-343
7 1rightarrow.png Richard Childress 1758-403
8 1rightarrow.png Darrell Waltrip 1664-497
9 1rightarrow.png Buddy Baker 1663-498
10 1rightarrow.png Frank Warren 1583-578

Related Research Articles

The 1976 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 28th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 5th modern era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 18 and ended on Sunday, November 21. Cale Yarborough, driving the #11 Junior Johnson Holly Farms Chevrolet scored his first of three consecutive NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championships. Skip Manning was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 37th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1985 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 37th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 14th modern-era Cup series season. The season began on Sunday, February 10 and ended on Sunday, November 17. Darrell Waltrip, driving for Junior Johnson, was crowned champion at the end of the season. Bill Elliott, driving for Harry Melling, had won 11 races in 1985, but lost the title by 101 points to three-time race winner Waltrip. This was the first season where all races were televised in some form.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASCAR Cup Series at Michigan International Speedway</span> Auto race held in Michigan, United States

Stock car racing events in the NASCAR Cup Series events have been held annually at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan since 1969. Traditionally, the track held two Cup Series races, one in June, around Father's Day weekend and another in August. The August race was not held in 1973 after track owner Roger Penske replaced the race with a Champ Car event. In 2020, both races were held over a single weekend in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the June race was dropped from the schedule as part of a realignment, with its place on the schedule being given to Texas Motor Speedway to host the All-Star Race.

The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 31st season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 8th modern-era Cup series. It began on Sunday, January 14, and ended on Sunday, November 18. Richard Petty won his seventh and final Winston Cup championship, winning by 11 points over Darrell Waltrip. Dale Earnhardt was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Mason-Dixon 500</span> Auto race held at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1976

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

The 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 25th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 2nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on Sunday January 21 and ended on Sunday October 21. 31 races were scheduled in the 1973 season. 28 were held.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 27th season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1975 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 27th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 4th season in the modern era of the NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 19 and ended on Sunday, November 12. Richard Petty, driving the #43 Petty Enterprises STP Dodge scored his sixth NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championship. Bruce Hill was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year. NASCAR introduced a new points system for 1975, a system designed by statistician Bob Latford. For the first time, each race on the NASCAR Winston Cup Grand National schedule carried an equal point value, a system that would be used for 36 seasons, from 1975 to 2010. The original points system ran for the first 29 seasons, from 1975 to 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series</span> 32nd season of NASCAR stock-car racing

The 1980 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the 32nd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 9th modern-era NASCAR Cup season. It was the final year with the Gen 2 car. The season began on Sunday, January 13 and ended on Sunday, November 15. Dale Earnhardt won his first Winston Cup championship, winning by 19 points over Cale Yarborough. Jody Ridley was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

The 1978 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 30th season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 7th modern era NASCAR Cup series. The season began on Sunday, January 22 and ended on Sunday, November 19. Cale Yarborough driving the Junior Johnson #11 First National City Travelers Checks Oldsmobile won his then record third consecutive NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Winston Cup. Ronnie Thomas was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year in a tight battle with Roger Hamby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Volunteer 400</span> Auto race held at Bristol International Speedway in 1976

The 1976 Volunteer 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 29, 1976, at Bristol International Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Old Dominion 500</span> Auto race held at Martinsville Speedway in 1977

The 1977 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 25, 1977, at the historic Martinsville Speedway; a race track that has enjoyed the presence of NASCAR since its first sanctioned race on July 4, 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Mason-Dixon 500</span> Auto race held at Dover Downs International Speedway in 1981

The 1981 Mason-Dixon 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on May 17, 1981, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Dover, Delaware.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Dixie 500</span> Auto race held at Atlanta International Speedway in 1973

The 1973 Dixie 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 22, 1973, at Atlanta International Raceway in Hampton, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Tuborg 400</span> Auto race held at Riverside International Raceway in 1973

The 1973 Tuborg 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on June 17, 1973, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Music City USA 420</span> Auto race held at Fairgrounds Speedway in 1976

The 1976 Music City USA 420 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on May 8, 1976, at Nashville Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Los Angeles Times 500</span> Auto race held at Ontario Motor Speedway in 1976

The 1976 Los Angeles Times 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on November 21, 1976, at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California. Each copy of the souvenir program was $2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Winston Western 500</span> Auto race held at Riverside International Raceway in 1979

The 1979 Winston Western 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on January 14, 1979, at Riverside International Raceway in Riverside, California. Buying a souvenir program at this race was relatively inexpensive for the era at $2 USD per copy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400</span> Auto race held at Daytona International Speedway in 1973

The 1973 Medal of Honor Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 4, 1973, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Wilkes 400</span> Auto race held at North Wilkesboro Speedway in 1977

The 1977 Wilkes 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on October 2, 1977, at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

References

  1. ↑ 1976 Riverside 400 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1976 Riverside 400 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 1976 Riverside 400 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
  4. ↑ Driver debuts at the 1976 Riverside 400 at Race Database
  5. ↑ 1976 Riverside 400 crew chief information at Racing Reference
  6. ↑ Darrell Waltrip home town information at TheVRL.com
  7. 1 2 Qualifying information for the 1976 Riverside 400 at Racing Reference
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1976		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.