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 | |||
| Date | May 16, 1976 | ||
| Official name | Mason-Dixon 500 | ||
| Location | Dover Downs International Speedway, Dover, Delaware | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.000 miles (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) | ||
| Weather | 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 | ||
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.
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 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 ($597,553 when adjusted for inflation).
Qualifying
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 2 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 3 | 2 | Bobby Allison | Mercury | Roger Penske |
| 4 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Ford | Bud Moore |
| 5 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | DiGard Racing |
| 6 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 7 | 72 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | L.G. DeWitt |
| 8 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | Junior Johnson |
| 9 | 28 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet | Hoss Ellington |
| 10 | 54 | Lennie Pond | Chevrolet | Ronnie Elder |
| 11 | 90 | Dick Brooks | Ford | Junie Donlavey |
| 12 | 36 | Bobby Wawak | Chevrolet | John Gwinn |
| 13 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Chevrolet | Cecil Gordon |
| 14 | 3 | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | Richard Childress |
| 15 | 47 | Bruce Hill | Chevrolet | Bruce Hill |
| 16 | 8 | Ed Negre | Dodge | Ed Negre |
| 17 | 22 | Ricky Rudd | Chevrolet | Al Rudd |
| 18 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Buddy Arrington |
| 19 | 50 | Darrell Bryant | Chevrolet | Cliff Stewart |
| 20 | 40 | D.K. Ulrich | Chevrolet | J.R. DeLotto |
Top 10 finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Laps led | Points | Time/Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 72 | Benny Parsons | Chevrolet | 500 | 176 | 180 | 4:19:53 |
| 2 | 2 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | 500 | 75 | 175 | +25.5 seconds |
| 3 | 1 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Dodge | 499 | 4 | 170 | +1 lap |
| 4 | 3 | 2 | Bobby Allison | Mercury | 497 | 2 | 165 | +3 laps |
| 5 | 4 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Ford | 495 | 0 | 155 | +5 laps |
| 6 | 6 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | 492 | 0 | 150 | +7 laps |
| 7 | 11 | 93 | Dick Brooks | Ford | 492 | 0 | 146 | +7 laps |
| 8 | 10 | 54 | Lennie Pond | Chevrolet | 491 | 0 | 142 | +8 laps |
| 9 | 19 | 50 | Darrell Bryant | Chevrolet | 478 | 0 | 138 | +12 laps |
| 10 | 14 | 3 | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | 476 | 0 | 134 | +14 laps |
