The 1976 Winchester 400 motor race, the seventh annual (run yearly since 1970), was held as the "Dri-Power 400" under American Speed Association sanction on October 4, 1976, at the Winchester Speedway, in Indiana (USA). Bob Senneker of Dorr, Michigan won the Winchester 400 for the third consecutive year.
Larry Moore was suffering from an ill-handling car at the start of the car. The car was so loose that he was being lapped but the 16th lap. He hung onto his #27 Camaro until Lap 18. As Ray Dillon was passing, on the outside, between turns 3 and 4, Moore lost it. Moore went up into Dillon and together they went through the guard rail just past the new concrete section.
Contents |
Both drivers were uninjured in the spectactualar crash. Rodney Combs had engine trouble from the start of the race. With Larry Moore's Car disabled, and a long clean up period to repair the guardrail, Moore's and Comb's crew removed the engine from Moore's car and put it into Combs car.
Bob Senneker of Dorr, Michigan won the "Dri-Power 400" for the third consecutive year, becoming the first driver to do so from the pole position, and for the second time, did so after falling at least a lap behind the leaders early in the event. Senneker completed the comeback by passing Lennie Waldo (driving in relief of Don Gregory) for the lead on the 362nd lap.
At the 300-lap mark, Senneker was in second position, one lap behind Waldo. Ten laps later, Senneker moved by the leader to put himself back on the lead lap. Once in the same lap, the "bluebird" rapidly began chasing down the race leader. With 50 laps to go, he trailed Waldo by 2.15 seconds and on lap 361, Senneker retook the lead for the final time.
Waldo fell off the pace ten laps later with a flat right front tire. That misfortune dropped the number 7 machine seven laps down and out of the top three. At the finish, Senneker was four laps ahead of younger brother Terry who came across the line second followed by Vern Schrock, Gregory/Waldo, and Lonnie Breedlove. Senneker collected $5,170 for his third-straight win in the fall classic.
| Results of the 7th Annual DRI-POWER Winchester 400 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Start | Car # | Driver/Hometown | Sponsor/Make | Laps | Winnings (in US$) |
Status | |
| 1 | 1 | 84 | Bob Senneker / Dorr, MI | Chevrolet | 400 | $5,170 | running | |
| 2 | 18 | 4 | Terry Senneker / Wayland, MI | Chevrolet | 396 | $3,650 | running | |
| 3 | 8 | 10 | Vern Schrock / Middlebury, IN | Chevrolet | 394 | $2,100 | running | |
| 4 | 4 | 7G | Don Gregory / Columbus, OH Lennie Waldo / Grove City, OH |
Chevrolet | 393 | $3,130 | running | |
| 5 | 39 | 0 | Lonnie Breedlove / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | 381 | $1,350 | running | |
| 6 | 11 | 8 | Jim Cushman / Worthington, OH | Plymouth | 379 | $1,250 | running | |
| 7 | ALT | 46 | Ellis Herbert / Rushville, IN | Chevrolet | 377 | $1,100 | running | |
| 8 | 27 | 68 | Don Lamb / Milford, OH | Ford | 364 | $1,000 | running | |
| 9 | 23 | 29 | John Anderson / Detroit, MI | Chevrolet | 362 | $950 | rear end | |
| 10 | 21 | 53 | Denny Nyari / South Bend, IN | Chevrolet | 351 | $950 | running | |
| 11 | 10 | 76 | L.J. Lines / Greensboro, IN | Chevrolet | 350 | $800 | running | |
| 12 | ALT | 41 | Bob Kohlmeyer / Fort Wayne, IN Joe Bennett / Markle, IN |
Ford | 345 | $750 | running | |
| 13 | 19 | 1S | Don Seaborn / Dayton, OH Larry Moore / Dayton, OH |
Chevrolet | 309 | $700 | running | |
| 14 | 34 | 45 | Glenn Ohlmann / Louisville, KY | Chevrolet | 298 | $650 | running | |
| 15 | 25 | 28 | John Vallo / West Carrollton / OH | Chevrolet | 257 | $600 | accident | |
| 16 | 22 | 18 | Roger Herp / Byron Center, MI | Chevrolet | 253 | $550 | running | |
| 17 | 15 | 33 | Art Sommers / Warren, MI | Chevrolet | 245 | $530 | cracked oil pan | |
| 18 | 26 | 3S | Jigger Sirois / Hammond, IN Jeff Bloom / Kalamazoo, MI |
Chevrolet | 214 | $450 | rear end | |
| 19 | 13 | 1C | Bob Coffey / Indianapolis, IN | Chevrolet | 199 | $400 | rocker arm | |
| 20 | 31 | 94 | Robbie Dean / Grove City, OH | Chevrolet | 192 | $375 | running | |
| 21 | 9 | 7S | Dave Sorg / Fort Wayne, IN | Chevrolet | 174 | $400 | engine | |
| 22 | 29 | 40 | Denny Miles / Muncie, IN | Chevrolet | 172 | $325 | sway bar | |
| 23 | 6 | 72 | Tom Maier / Midland, MI | Chevrolet | 169 | $300 | engine | |
| 24 | 32 | 3M | Don Martin / Florence, KY Joe Ruttman / Westland, MI |
Dodge | 151 | $275 | spring shackle | |
| 25 | 3 | 88 | Mike Eddy / Midland, MI | Chevrolet | 146 | $1,080 | water pump | |
| 26 | 17 | 69 | Don Higgins / New Castle, IN | Chevrolet | 136 | $250 | transmission | |
| 27 | 24 | 04 | Gene Harsch / Sharonville, OH | Chevrolet | 121 | $240 | engine | |
| 28 | 30 | 6 | Bobby Jacks / Dayton, OH | Chevrolet | 117 | $230 | rear end | |
| 29 | 2 | 17 | Randy Sweet / Portage, MI | Chevrolet | 111 | $220 | rear end | |
| 30 | 12 | 51 | Neal Sceva / Urbana, OH | Ford | 108 | $210 | blown tire | |
| 31 | 38 | 42 | Ray Fullen / Anderson, IN | Chevrolet | 106 | $200 | clutch | |
| 32 | 35 | 88H | Doug Hanna / Goshen, IN | Chevrolet | 91 | $190 | engine | |
| 33 | 40 | 02 | Jim Brandenburg / Springfield, OH | Chevrolet | 81 | $180 | rear end | |
| 34 | 20 | 27J | Ted Johnson / Columbus, OH | Chevrolet | 47 | $175 | overheating | |
| 35 | 9 | 99 | Rodney Combs / Mason, OH | Chevrolet | 34 | $170 | bell housing | |
| 36 | 36 | 2 | Carl Smith / West Jefferson, OH | Chevrolet | 27 | $165 | accident | |
| 37 | 5 | 27M | Larry Moore / Dayton, OH | Chevrolet | 18 | $160 | accident | |
| 38 | 16 | 44 | Ray Dillon / North Liberty, IN | Chevrolet | 18 | $155 | accident | |
| 39 | 28 | 96 | Harold Scott / New Castle, IN | Chevrolet | 18 | $150 | accident | |
| 40 | 14 | 70 | Joe Ruttman / Westland, MI | Chevrolet | 2 | $150 | accident | |
| DNS | 33 | 0 | Tom Marks / Grand Rapids, MI | Chevrolet | DNS | did not start | ||
| DNS | 37 | 3 | Joe Bennett / Markle, IN | Chevrolet | DNS | did not start | ||
| Preceded by 1975 Winchester 400 |
1976 Winchester 400 Winner: Bob Senneker |
Succeeded by 1977 Winchester 400 |