# 1976 American 500

The 1976 American 500 was the 28th official race (out of 30) in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.

## Race report

This race took place on October 24, 1976, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. The race took four hours, fifteen minutes, and one second. Six cautions slowed the race for 35 laps.
Richard Petty would end up lapping the field as he scored the season sweep at Rockingham. Thirty-two thousand and five hundred spectators attended this event. David Pearson gained the pole position qualifying at a speed of 139.117 miles per hour (223.887 km/h) but eventually finished in sixth place. Henley Gray was the last-place finisher due to an engine issue on the first lap.
Notable crew chiefs in the race were Junie Donlavey, Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Bud Moore, Tim Brewer among others.
Richard Petty's teenage son Kyle would attend his father's victory celebrations; getting ready for his NASCAR career. The average speed of the race was 117.718 miles per hour (189.449 km/h). Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid.

### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer |
| 1 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury |
| 2 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Dodge |
| 3 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Ford |
| 4 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge |
| 5 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet |
| 6 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Chevrolet |
| 7 | 2 | Bobby Allison | Mercury |
| 8 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet |
| 9 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet |
| 10 | 40 | D.K. Ulrich | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 54 | Lennie Pond | Chevrolet |
| 12 | 90 | Dick Brooks | Ford |
| 13 | 60 | Jackie Rogers | Chevrolet |
| 14 | 36 | Bobby Wawak | Chevrolet |
| 15 | 92 | Skip Manning | Chevrolet |
| 16 | 3 | Richard Childress | Chevrolet |
| 17 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge |
| 18 | 55 | Sonny Easley | Ford |
| 19 | 49 | Henley Gray | Dodge |
| 20 | 5 | James Hylton | Dodge |
| 21 | 41 | Grant Adcox | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | Chevrolet |
| 23 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Chevrolet |
| 24 | 05 | David Sisco | Chevrolet |
| 25 | 30 | Terry Bivins | Chevrolet |

## Finishing order

Section reference:
* Richard Petty
* Lennie Pond
* Darrell Waltrip
* Bobby Allison
* Cale Yarborough
* David Pearson
* Donnie Allison
* Dick Brooks
* Skip Manning
* Coo Coo Marlin
* Sonny Easley
* Grant Adcox
* Ed Negre
* D.K. Ulrich
* Cecil Gordon
* Buddy Arrington
* Terry Bivins
* Rick Newsom
* Jackie Rogers
* David Sisco
* Jack Donohue
* Frank Warren
* Jimmy Means
* Tommy Gale
* Dave Marcis
* J.D. McDuffie
* Richard Childress
* Buddy Baker
* James Hylton
* Dick May
* Benny Parsons
* Travis Tiller
* Bobby Wawak
* Gary Myers
* Bruce Hill
* Henley Gray

## Timeline

Section reference:
* Start: David Pearson was leading the racing grid as the first official lap commenced.
* Lap 2: Bruce Hill blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 5: Gary Myers blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 32: Dave Marcis took over the lead from David Pearson.
* Lap 76: Bobby Wawak managed to overheat his vehicle.
* Lap 85: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
* Lap 88: Travis Tiller blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 96: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 117: Benny Parsons blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 127: Dick May blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 171: The rear end of James Hylton's vehicle came off in an unsafe manner.
* Lap 180: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
* Lap 191: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 208: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
* Lap 216: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 217: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Donnie Allison.
* Lap 227: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 264: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty.
* Lap 299: The throttle on Buddy Baker's vehicle was acting badly enough to knock him out of the race.
* Lap 322: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 324: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty.
* Lap 329: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 363: Richard Childress blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 389: J.D. McDuffie blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 413: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty, Dave Marcis blew his engine while driving at high speeds.
* Lap 423: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond.
* Lap 486: Donnie Allison's fuel pump was beginning to cause problems for him.
* Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event.

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points | Differential |
| 1 | Cale Yarborough | 4380 | 0 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 4283 | -97 |
| 3 | Benny Parsons | 3984 | -396 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 3948 | -432 |
| 5 | Lennie Pond | 3669 | -711 |
| 6 | Dave Marcis | 3599 | -781 |
| 7 | Buddy Baker | 3539 | -841 |
| 8 | Darrell Waltrip | 3316 | -1064 |
| 9 | Richard Childress | 3285 | -1095 |
| 10 | Dick Brooks | 3211 | -1169 |