1976 Winston 500

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1976 Winston 500
Race details
Race 10 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Talladega Superspeedway
Date May 2, 1976 (1976-May-02)
Location Talladega International Motor Speedway (Talladega, Alabama)
Course Permanent racing facility
2.660 mi (4.280 km)
Distance 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km)
WeatherTemperatures reaching a maximum of 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 11.8 miles per hour (19.0 km/h)[1]
Average speed 169.887 miles per hour (273.407 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Dave Marcis K&K Insurance Racing
Most laps led
Driver Buddy Baker Bud Moore Engineering
Laps 135
Winner
No. 15
Buddy Baker
Bud 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.[2]

Summary

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] The other top ten finishers were Bobby Allison, Richard Petty, Terry Ryan, Cecil Gordon, Donnie Allison, Bruce Hill, Dave Marcis and Frank Warren.[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.

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.[3] Parsons was eliminated when Dick Brooks spun out of the lead group and was hit by David Pearson, Marcis, and Parsons.[3] Petty finished fourth after losing a lap when he stalled out his car on pit road.

Prize winnings for this race varied from $25,285 for the winner ($103,727.65 in today's money) all the way to $1,205 for last-place finisher Darrell Bryant ($4,943.32 in today's money).[4]

References

  1. 1976 Winston 500 weather information at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 1976 Winston 500 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. 3.0 3.1 1976 Winston 500 racing information at Race Database
  4. 1976 Winston 500 racing information at Driver Averages
Preceded by
1976 Virginia 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1976
Succeeded by
1976 Music City USA 420
Preceded by
1975 Winston 500
Talladega spring race
1976
Succeeded by
1977 Winston 500
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