1976 Winston 500

Last updated
1976 Winston 500
Race details [1]
Race 10 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Talladega Superspeedway.png
Layout of Talladega Superspeedway
Date May 2, 1976 (1976-May-02)
Official name Winston 500
Location Alabama International Motor Speedway , Talladega, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.660 mi (4.280 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures of 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds of 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h)
Average speed 169.887 miles per hour (273.407 km/h)
Attendance 80,000 [2]
Pole position
Driver
 K&K Insurance Racing
Most laps led
Driver Buddy Baker Bud Moore Engineering
Laps 135
Winner
No. 15Buddy BakerBud Moore Engineering
Television in the United States
Network CBS
Announcers Ken Squier

The 1976 Winston 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on May 2, 1976, at Alabama International Motor Speedway (now Talladega Superspeedway) in Talladega, Alabama.

Contents

Coo Coo Marlin had a serious crash the weekend before while attempting a qualifying run for the ARCA race and was unable to compete in any of the weekend's competition due to a shoulder injury.

Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a Tri-oval and was constructed by International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the Sprint Cup Series, Xfinity Series, and the Camping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had a seating capacity of 175,000 spectators. [3]

Race report

Dave Marcis won the pole position for the race with a lap of 189.197 miles per hour (304.483 km/h). 40 cars started the race. Buddy Baker defeated Cale Yarborough by 35 seconds, in an average speed of 167.887 miles per hour (270.188 km/h). His record of winning three races in a row at Talladega would not be broken until 2002 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. recorded his fourth consecutive victory at that track. There were 24 different leaders and three cautions for 14 laps. Attendance was 80,000. [2] This apparently was the first time that a 500 mile race had been completed in under three hours; roughly comparable to a two-and-a-half hour National Basketball Association game or a two-hour Major League Soccer game that is quickly-paced and is based mostly on skill. [2]

Baker had qualified 12th, and two days before the race Bud Moore's team transported the engine for the team's 1976 Ford Torino back to their shop in Spartanburg, SC for examination. The engine was brought back to Talladega the day before the race.[ citation needed ]

Through his second-place finish, Yarborough managed to take the lead in championship points over Benny Parsons; who finished in 26th place during this event. [4] Parsons was eliminated when Dick Brooks spun out of the lead group and was hit by David Pearson, Marcis, and Parsons. [4] Petty finished fourth after losing a lap when he stalled out his car on pit road. [2] Terry Ryan scores his best career finish with a fifth in just his second career start. [2]

Prize winnings for this race varied from $25,285 for the winner ($120,407 when considering inflation) all the way to $1,205 for last-place finisher Darrell Bryant ($5,738 when considering inflation). [5]

Qualifying

Grid [2] No.DriverManufacturerOwner
171Dave MarcisDodgeNord Krauskopf
243Richard PettyDodgePetty Enterprises
328Donnie AllisonChevroletHoss Ellington
472Benny ParsonsChevroletL.G. DeWitt
511Cale YarboroughChevroletJunior Johnson
688Darrell WaltripChevroletDiGard Racing
748James HyltonChevroletJames Hylton
812Neil BonnettChevroletNeil Bonnett
981Terry RyanChevroletBill Monaghan
1021David PearsonMercuryWood Brothers
112Bobby AllisonMercuryRoger Penske
1215Buddy BakerFordBud Moore
1390Dick BrooksFordJunie Donlavey
1479Frank WarrenDodgeFrank Warren
1505David SiscoChevroletDavid Sisco
163Richard ChildressChevroletRichard Childress
1718Joe FrassonChevroletJoe Frasson
1824Cecil GordonChevroletCecil Gordon
1941Grant AdcoxChevroletHerb Adcox
2022Ricky RuddChevroletAl Rudd
2192Skip ManningChevroletBilly Hagan
2267Buddy ArringtonDodgeBuddy Arrington
2333Buck BakerChevroletHiram Handy
2419Ed NegreChevroletHenley Gray
2530Tighe ScottChevroletWalter Ballard

Top 10 finishers

Section reference: [2]

  1. Buddy Baker (No. 15), with an official time of 2:56:37
  2. Cale Yarborough (No. 11), 35 seconds down
  3. Bobby Allison (No. 2), 1 lap down
  4. Richard Petty (No. 43), 2 laps down
  5. Terry Ryan (No. 81), 4 laps down
  6. Cecil Gordon (No. 24), 4 laps down
  7. Donnie Allison (No. 28), 4 laps down
  8. Bruce Hill (No. 47), 6 laps down
  9. Dave Marcis (No. 71), 6 laps down
  10. Frank Warren (No. 79), 8 laps down

Standings after the race

PosDriverPoints [2] Differential
1 Increase2.svg Cale Yarborough 15350
2 Decrease2.svg Benny Parsons 1486-49
3 1rightarrow.png Richard Petty 1398-137
4 Increase2.svg Bobby Allison 1331-204
5 Increase2.svg Dave Marcis 1291-244
5 1rightarrow.png Lennie Pond 1291-244
7 Decrease2.svg Richard Childress 1270-265
8 1rightarrow.png Darrell Waltrip 1179-356
9 Increase2.svg Cecil Gordon 1155-380
10 Decrease2.svg J.D. McDuffie 1115-420

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References

  1. ↑ 1976 Winston 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1976 Winston 500 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. ↑ "Track Facts". talladegasuperspeedway.com. Talladega Superspeedway. November 1, 2012. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  4. 1 2 1976 Winston 500 racing information at Race Database
  5. ↑ 1976 Winston 500 Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine racing information at Driver Averages
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1976		Succeeded by
Preceded by Talladega spring race
1976		Succeeded by
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