1976 Southern 500
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 22 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Darlington Raceway | |||
| Date | September 5, 1976 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway (Darlington, South Carolina, USA) | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.375 mi (2.212 km) | ||
| Distance | 367 laps, 500.5 mi (805.4 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching a maximum of 84.9 °F (29.4 °C); wind speeds of 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 120.534 miles per hour (193.981 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Laps | 93 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 |
David Pearson |
Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC | ||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson Chris Economaki | ||
The 1976 Southern 500 is a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on September 5, 1976, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, U.S..
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Summary
The race took four hours and nine minutes for David Pearson to defeat Richard Petty by nearly three seconds.[2][3] This would give Pearson a win in all three "crown jewel" events of 1976; the Daytona 500, the World 600, and this race.[4] Souvenir programs were handed out at the race for only $2 ($8.29 when adjusted for inflation).[5] Soft drinks were sold at the event in addition to French fries, hot dogs, and hamburgers.[5] Pepsi products were sold at the race through it sponsorship with driver Lennie Pond.[5]
Eight cautions were given for 65 laps in front of a live audience of 70000 people. There were 31 lead changes and the average speed of the race was 120.534 miles per hour (193.981 km/h).[2] Forty drivers were on the starting grid; all the drivers were born in the United States of America.[2] Most of the drivers in the race brought Chevrolet vehicles into the race.[2] There were only three Ford entries and two entries by the drivers Mercury automobiles.[2]
The entire racing purse was worth $169,700 ($703,312.22 when adjusted for inflation).[6] Pearson would receive $16,155 of the total purse ($66,953.5 when adjusted for inflation) while last-place finisher Darrell Bryant would receive only $1,135 of the total winnings ($4,703.94 when adjusted for inflation).[7]
Top ten finishers
- David Pearson – #21
- Richard Petty – #43
- Darrell Waltrip – #88
- Dave Marcis – #71
- Lennie Pond – #54
- Dick Brooks – #90
- Benny Parsons – #72
- Coo Coo Marlin – #14
- Bobby Allison – #2
- Bobby Wawak – #36
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cale Yarborough | 3310 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 3281 |
| 3 | Benny Parsons | 3263 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 3125 |
| 5 | Dave Marcis | 2914 |
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1976 Southern 500 at the Old Farmers' Almanac
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 1976 Southern 500 information at Racing-Reference.info
- ↑ 1976 SOUTHERN 500 - Checkered flag for the "Silver Fox" at YouTube
- ↑ 1976 Southern 500 information at HowStuffWorks.com
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 1976 Southern 500 collectible souvenir program at EverythingCollectibles.biz. Accessed 2012-02-15. Archived 2012-02-17.
- ↑ 1976 Southern 500 racing information at FantasyRacingCheatSheet.com
- ↑ 1976 Southern 500 at DriverAverages.com. Accessed 2012-02-15. Archived 2012-02-17.
| Preceded by 1976 Volunteer 400 |
NASCAR Winston Cup Season 1976 |
Succeeded by 1976 Capital City 400 |
| Preceded by 1975 |
Southern 500 races 1976 |
Succeeded by 1977 |
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