1976 Mason-Dixon 500
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| 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
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| Date | May 16, 1976 | ||
| Official name | Mason-Dixon 500 | ||
| Location | Dover International Speedway (Dover, Delaware) | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.000 mi (1.609 km) |
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| Distance | 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) | ||
| Weather | Mild with temperatures approaching 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds as high as 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 (now Sprint Cup Series) event that took place on May 16, 1976, at Dover Downs International Speedway (now called Dover International Speedway) in the American community of Dover, Delaware.
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Summary
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][4] Other notable racers who competed includes: Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, and Cale Yarborough (who would lose the points lead after this race).[2][3][5] 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 ($449,697.98 when adjusted for inflation).
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 72 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | 500 |
| 2 | 2 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | 500 |
| 3 | 1 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Dodge | 499 |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | Bobby Allison | Mercury | 497 |
| 5 | 4 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Ford | 495 |
| 6 | 6 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | 492 |
| 7 | 11 | 93 | Dick Brooks | Ford | 492 |
| 8 | 10 | 54 | Lennie Pond | Chevrolet | 491 |
| 9 | 19 | 50 | Darrell Bryant | Chevrolet | 478 |
| 10 | 14 | 3 | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | 476 |
Timeline
- Start of race: Bobby Allison had the pole position as the green flag waves into the air
- 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 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 278: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough
- 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
- End of race: Benny Parsons was officially declared the winner of the event
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benny Parsons | 1836 |
| 2 | Cale Yarborough | 1812 |
| 3 | Richard Petty | 1723 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 1656 |
| 5 | Dave Marcis | 1612 |
References
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<references />, or <references group="..." />| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Season 1976 |
Succeeded by 1976 World 600 |
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