The 1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on August 22, 1976, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Background Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is long. Opened in 1968, the track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the 3,600-foot-long front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at twelve degrees. The back stretch, has a five degree banking and is 2,242 feet long.
Race report 36 drivers took part in this race; David Hobbs was the only foreigner. The closing portion of the race would see Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough and David Pearson vie for the win. The first 67 laps of the race would see fairly even competition. Tighe Scott's last-place finish was due to his vehicle overheating on lap 6 of 200. Fifty-five thousand people would witness David Pearson defeat Cale Yarborough by more than a second. The total time of the race was 171 minutes.1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 at Racing Reference
Cale Yarborough led more than 120 laps in both of the MIS races in 1976 but had to settle for second place both times. David Pearson bested him to win both races in the Wood Brothers Purolator #21 Mercury as he claimed the season sweep. This race was almost a case of deja vu for fans as weirdly the "top four" was the almost the same in this one as it had been for the earlier race in June with Richard Petty and Bobby Allison as the only other cars on the lead lap just as before; the only difference was that Allison was third in June while Petty flip-flopped their positions with his third-place run here.
NASCAR handed out a total of $120,025 to all drivers ($ when adjusted for inflation). The majority of the vehicles were Chevrolets.1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
While the winner took home $11,950 ($ when adjusted for inflation), the last-place finisher took home $1,250 ($ when adjusted for inflation).1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 at Driver Averages
Notable crew chiefs for this race included Billy Hagan, Junie Donlavey, Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Sterling Marlin and Tim Brewer.1976 Champion Spark Plug 400 crew chiefs at Racing Reference
John Haver would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at this event while David Hobbs would wrap up his professional stock car career afterward.
Qualifying Grid Driver Manufacturer 1 21 David Pearson Mercury 2 15 Buddy Baker Ford 3 11 Cale Yarborough Chevrolet 4 54 Lennie Pond Chevrolet 5 43 Richard Petty Dodge 6 2 Bobby Allison Mercury 7 71 Dave Marcis Dodge 8 72 Benny Parsons Chevrolet 9 90 Dick Brooks Ford 10 88 Darrell Waltrip Chevrolet 11 47 Bruce Hill Chevrolet 12 40 D.K. Ulrich Chevrolet 13 52 Jimmy Means Chevrolet 14 92 Skip Manning Chevrolet 15 12 Neil Bonnett Chevrolet 16 05 David Sisco Chevrolet 17 36 Bobby Wawak Chevrolet 18 24 Cecil Gordon Chevrolet 19 7 Dean Dalton Chevrolet 20 48 James Hylton Chevrolet 21 18 Joe Frasson Chevrolet 22 9 David Hobbs Ford 23 60 Jackie Rogers Chevrolet 24 19 Henley Gray Chevrolet 25 51 John Haver Chevrolet 26 8 Ed Negre Dodge 27 70 J.D. McDuffie Chevrolet 28 3 Richard Childress Chevrolet 29 14 Coo Coo Marlin Chevrolet 30 79 Frank Warren Dodge
Finishing order POSST#DRIVERSPONSOR / OWNERCARLAPSMONEYSTATUSLEDPTS1121 David PearsonPurolator (Wood Brothers)Mercury20016700running271802311 Cale YarboroughHolly Farms (Junior Johnson)Chevrolet20013705running1251803543 Richard PettySTP (Petty Enterprises)Dodge20010985running22170462 Bobby AllisonCAM 2 (Roger Penske)Mercury2007375running61655771 Dave MarcisK & K Insurance (Nord Krauskopf)Dodge1996565running1116061512 Neil BonnettHawaiian Tropic (Neil Bonnett)Chevrolet1952455running115571240 D.K. UlrichGarden State Auto (J.R. DeLotto)Chevrolet1944545running014682770 J.D. McDuffieJ.D. McDuffieChevrolet1944335running01429872 Benny ParsonsKing's Row Fireplace (L.G. DeWitt)Chevrolet1945125running2143101736 Bobby WawakJ & B Corvette (John Gwinn)Chevrolet1931855running0134112419 Henley GrayBelden Asphalt (Henley Gray)Chevrolet1931755running0130122914 Coo Coo MarlinCunningham-Kelley (H.B. Cunningham)Chevrolet1923615running012713283 Richard ChildressKansas Jack (Richard Childress)Chevrolet1923255running0124141492 Skip ManningStratagraph (Billy Hagan)Chevrolet1922430running0121153310 Terry BivinsSunny King (Bill Champion)Ford1922875running0118163625 Dick MayDon RobertsonChevrolet1872635running011517229 David HobbsCoca-Cola (George Elliott)Ford1871130running018197 Dean DaltonBelden Asphalt (Dean Dalton)Chevrolet1841105running0109191147 Bruce HillBruce HillChevrolet1832300engine3111203191 Harold MillerBartow Paving (Harold Miller)Chevrolet1831055running0103212048 James HyltonKockums (James Hylton)Chevrolet1832030running0100223261 Joe MihalicLou ViglioneChevrolet1751005running097233079 Frank WarrenNative Tan (Frank Warren)Dodge174955running094241352 Jimmy MeansWIXC (Bill Gray)Chevrolet168955running09125454 Lennie PondPepsi-Cola (Ronnie Elder)Chevrolet1661555running088261824 Cecil GordonTransmissions Unlimited (Cecil Gordon)Chevrolet1541400engine085271088 Darrell WaltripGatorade (DiGard Racing)Chevrolet1343875engine082282118 Joe FrassonExcuse Lounge (Joe Frasson)Chevrolet118850running18429990 Dick BrooksTruxmore (Junie Donlavey)Ford1141335engine07630268 Ed NegreEd NegreDodge1081315engine07331215 Buddy BakerNorris Industries (Bud Moore)Ford864100engine275321605 David SiscoDavid SiscoChevrolet701290suspension067332551 John HaverJim's Furniture (George Harrivel)Chevrolet49780engine064343449 G.C. SpencerG.C. SpencerDodge37770engine061352360 Jackie RogersRed Dog's (Lou Viglione)Chevrolet15760steering058363530 Tighe ScottScotty's Fashions (Walter Ballard)Chevrolet61250overheating055
Standings after the race Pos Driver Points Differential 1 Cale Yarborough 3026 0 2 Benny Parsons 2952 -74 3 Richard Petty 2936 -90 4 Bobby Allison 2832 -194 5 Dave Marcis 2652 -374 6 Lennie Pond 2599 -427 7 Richard Childress 2477 -549 8 Buddy Baker 2420 -606 9 David Pearson 2352 -674 10 J.D. McDuffie 2263 -763
References