1976 Firecracker 400
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| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 16 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 The official program of the 1976 Firecracker 400 NASCAR Winston Cup Series race. | |||
| Date | July 4, 1976 | ||
| Official name | Firecracker 400 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 4.023 km (2.500 miles) | ||
| Distance | 160 laps, 400 mi (643 km) | ||
| Weather | Hot with temperatures up to 91.0 °F (32.8 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 160.966 miles per hour (259.050 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 50,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Ellington Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | |
| Laps | 71 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC (tape delay) | ||
| Announcers | Keith Jackson | ||
The 1976 Firecracker 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series race that took place on July 4, 1976, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Ticket prices for this race ranged from $8 ($44.21 when adjusted for inflation) to $30 ($165.77 when adjusted for inflation).[3]
Qualifying
There were 40 drivers on the grid; all were American-born males except for Janet Guthrie.[2] Buddy Arrington was first out due to ignition troubles before the start of the first lap out of the 160 laps.[2][4] A. J. Foyt won the pole position with a speed of 183.090 miles per hour (294.655 km/h) while the average speed of the race was 160.966 miles per hour (259.050 km/h).[2][5]
Cale Yarborough defeated David Pearson by eight seconds in front of an audience of 40,000 people.[2] Two cautions (for 14 laps) and 41 different lead changes made the race two hours and twenty-nine minutes long.[2][5] The green flag was waved at 10:00 A.M.
The winner of the race received $22,215 ($122,754.11 when adjusted for inflation) while the last place finisher went home with $1,310 ($7,238.71 when adjusted for inflation).[2][4] Notable crew chiefs for this race included Billy Hagan, Junie Donlavey, Buddy Parrott, Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Bud Moore, Sterling Marlin, Herb Nab and Tim Brewer.[6]
The race was run on America's 200th birthday and was the site of Dick Skillen's best career finish of 17th. This race was the first career finish for Bill Elliott.[2]
Buck and Buddy Baker both exited the race on lap 32, as the 57-year-old elder champion made his final Daytona start.[2]
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 | A.J. Foyt | Chevrolet | Hoss Ellington |
| 2 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | Junior Johnson |
| 3 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 4 | 2 | Bobby Allison | Mercury | Roger Penske |
| 5 | 72 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | L.G. DeWitt |
| 6 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 7 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 8 | 14 | Coo Coo Marlin | Chevrolet | H.B. Cunningham |
| 9 | 41 | Grant Adcox | Chevrolet | Herb Adcox |
| 10 | 48 | James Hylton | Chevrolet | James Hylton |
Failed to qualify: Sam Sommers (#27) and Jerry Mabie (#34)[7]
