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1976 Mason-Dixon 500
Race details [1] [2] [3]
Race 12 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Dover International Speedway
Layout of Dover International Speedway
Date May 16, 1976 (1976-May-16)
Official name Mason-Dixon 500
Location Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware
Course Permanent racing facility
1.000 mi (1.609 km)
Distance 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km)
Weather Mild with temperatures of 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Average speed 115.436 miles per hour (185.776 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
K&K Insurance Racing
Most laps led
Driver Cale Yarborough Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps 243
Winner
No. 73 Benny Parsons DeWitt Racing
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1976 Mason-Dixon 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series event that took place on May 16, 1976, at Dover Downs International Speedway (now called Dover International Speedway) in Dover, Delaware.

Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Background

Dover International Speedway, where the race was held.

Dower Downs International Speedway, now called Dover International Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. [4] The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. [5] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees. [5]

Race report

The total time of the race was four hours, nineteen minutes, and fifty-three seconds. [2] Six cautions were given for thirty-eight laps while thirty-two thousand and eight hundred fans were in attendance for the race. [2] The average speed in the race was 115.436 miles per hour (185.776 km/h) with the pole winning speed being 136.013 miles per hour (218.892 km/h). [2] From lap 115 to lap 227, Cale Yarborough would get into a run of good luck and lead for a duration of 163 laps. He would never regain the lead after losing it to David Pearson on lap 278. [2]

Benny Parsons defeated second place driver David Pearson by a time of 25½ seconds. [2] [6] Other notable racers who competed includes: Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, and Cale Yarborough (who would lose the points lead after this race). [2] [3] [7] Bruce Hill finished in last place due to an engine problem on lap 2. [2]

This race would be Neil Castles' final race in his NASCAR Cup Series career. It would also be the last race for Doc Faustina before his retirement. Total winnings for this race would be $108,140 ($579,023 when adjusted for inflation).

Qualifying

Grid [2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 71 Dave Marcis Dodge Nord Krauskopf
2 21 David Pearson Mercury Wood Brothers
3 2 Bobby Allison Mercury Roger Penske
4 15 Buddy Baker Ford Bud Moore
5 88 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet DiGard Racing
6 43 Richard Petty Dodge Petty Enterprises
7 72 Benny Parsons Chevrolet L.G. DeWitt
8 11 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet Junior Johnson
9 28 Donnie Allison Chevrolet Hoss Ellington
10 54 Lennie Pond Chevrolet Ronnie Elder
11 90 Dick Brooks Ford Junie Donlavey
12 36 Bobby Wawak Chevrolet John Gwinn
13 24 Cecil Gordon Chevrolet Cecil Gordon
14 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet Richard Childress
15 47 Bruce Hill Chevrolet Bruce Hill
16 8 Ed Negre Dodge Ed Negre
17 22 Ricky Rudd Chevrolet Al Rudd
18 67 Buddy Arrington Dodge Buddy Arrington
19 50 Darrell Bryant Chevrolet Cliff Stewart
20 40 D.K. Ulrich Chevrolet J.R. DeLotto

Top 10 finishers

Pos [2] Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Points Time/Status
1 7 72 Benny Parsons Chevrolet 500 176 180 4:19:53
2 2 21 David Pearson Mercury 500 75 175 +25.5 seconds
3 1 71 Dave Marcis Dodge 499 4 170 +1 lap
4 3 2 Bobby Allison Mercury 497 2 165 +3 laps
5 4 15 Buddy Baker Ford 495 0 155 +5 laps
6 6 43 Richard Petty Dodge 492 0 150 +7 laps
7 11 93 Dick Brooks Ford 492 0 146 +7 laps
8 10 54 Lennie Pond Chevrolet 491 0 142 +8 laps
9 19 50 Darrell Bryant Chevrolet 478 0 138 +12 laps
10 14 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet 476 0 134 +14 laps

Timeline

Section reference: [2]

  • Start of race: Bobby Allison had the pole position as the green flag waves into the air.
  • Lap 2: Bruce Hill's engine stopped working properly on this lap.
  • Lap 3: David Pearson took over the lead from Bobby Allison.
  • Lap 16: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 23: Benny Parsons took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 34: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
  • Lap 51: Tommy Gale had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 57: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 58: David Pearson took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 59: Benny Parsons took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 63: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
  • Lap 113: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 115: Cale Yarborough took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 136: Cecil Gordon's vehicle suffered from engine problems.
  • Lap 149: Transmission problems would force Donnie Allison to quit the race prematurely.
  • Lap 218: Engine problems struck Ed Negre in a manner that he could not continue the race.
  • Lap 247: Ricky Rudd had a terminal crash.
  • Lap 250: Ignition problems ended Earl Brooks' chance of winning the race.
  • Lap 271: Engine problems forced Buddy Arrington to step aside.
  • Lap 278: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough.
  • Lap 316: Engine problems managed to bring Darrell Waltrip into the garage for the remainder of the race.
  • Lap 320: A faulty swar bar took away Buck Baker's hopes at a respectable race finish.
  • Lap 326: Dave Marcis took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 327: David Pearson took over the lead from Dave Marcis.
  • Lap 332: Benny Parsons took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Lap 354: David Pearson took over the lead from Benny Parsons.
  • Lap 362: Benny Parsons took over the lead from David Pearson.
  • Finish: Benny Parsons was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points [2] Differential
1 Increase Benny Parsons 1836 0
2 Decrease Cale Yarborough 1812 -24
3 Richard Petty 1723 -113
4 Bobby Allison 1656 -180
5 Increase Dave Marcis 1612 -224
6 Decrease Lennie Pond 1588 -248
7 Richard Childress 1516 -320
8 Increase Buddy Baker 1429 -407
9 Decrease Darrell Waltrip 1384 -452
10 Increase Frank Warren 1371 -465

References

  1. ^ "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 weather information". The Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  3. ^ a b "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results (fourth references)". Driver Averages. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
  4. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on 12 September 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  5. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks—The Dover International Speedway". Dover International Speedway. Archived from the original on 21 September 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  6. ^ "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 winner information". Dover Speedway. Archived from the original on 2010-12-15. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
  7. ^ "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results (third reference)". Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14. Retrieved 2011-01-27.
Preceded by NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1976 		Succeeded by
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