1976 Mason-Dixon 500

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.

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
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

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 ($485,871 when adjusted for inflation).

Qualifying
Grid[2] No. Driver Manufacturer Owner
1 71Dave MarcisDodgeNord Krauskopf
2 21David PearsonMercuryWood Brothers
3 2Bobby AllisonMercuryRoger Penske
4 15Buddy BakerFordBud Moore
5 88Darrell WaltripChevroletDiGard Racing
6 43Richard PettyDodgePetty Enterprises
7 72Benny ParsonsChevroletL.G. DeWitt
8 11Cale YarboroughChevroletJunior Johnson
9 28Donnie AllisonChevroletHoss Ellington
10 54Lennie PondChevroletRonnie Elder
11 90Dick BrooksFordJunie Donlavey
12 36Bobby WawakChevroletJohn Gwinn
13 24Cecil GordonChevroletCecil Gordon
14 3Richard ChildressChevroletRichard Childress
15 47Bruce HillChevroletBruce Hill
16 8Ed NegreDodgeEd Negre
17 22Ricky RuddChevroletAl Rudd
18 67Buddy ArringtonDodgeBuddy Arrington
19 50Darrell BryantChevroletCliff Stewart
20 40D.K. UlrichChevroletJ.R. DeLotto

Top 10 finishers
Pos[2] Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Laps led Points Time/Status
1 772Benny ParsonsChevrolet5001761804:19:53
2 221David PearsonMercury50075175+25.5 seconds
3 171Dave MarcisDodge4994170+1 lap
4 32Bobby AllisonMercury4972165+3 laps
5 415Buddy BakerFord4950155+5 laps
6 643Richard PettyDodge4920150+7 laps
7 1193Dick BrooksFord4920146+7 laps
8 1054Lennie PondChevrolet4910142+8 laps
9 1950Darrell BryantChevrolet4780138+12 laps
10 143Richard ChildressChevrolet4760134+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 Benny Parsons 1836 0
2 Cale Yarborough 1812 -24
3 Richard Petty 1723 -113
4 Bobby Allison 1656 -180
5 Dave Marcis 1612 -224
6 Lennie Pond 1588 -248
7 Richard Childress 1516 -320
8 Buddy Baker 1429 -407
9 Darrell Waltrip 1384 -452
10 Frank Warren 1371 -465
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References
  1. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 weather information". The Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  2. "1976 Mason-Dixon 500 racing results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 2011-01-20.
  3. "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. "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
1976 Music City USA 420		 NASCAR Winston Cup Season
1976		 Succeeded by
1976 World 600
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