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 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 . Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid.

Qualifying Grid 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

References