The 1976 Mason-Dixon 500 was a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, and from 1950 to 1970 it was known as the Grand National Division. In 1971 ...

event that took place on May 16, 1976, at

Dover Downs International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly Dover Downs International Speedway and later Dover International Speedway) is a race track in Dover, Delaware. The track has hosted at least one NASCAR Cup Series race each year since 1969, including two per year ...

(now called Dover International Speedway) in Dover, Delaware. Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Background

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 Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...

Richmond International Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Cup Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Known as ...

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a NASCAR-owned stock car racing short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, just south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved oval tracks in ...

, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track

oval An oval () is a closed curve in a plane which resembles the outline of an egg. The term is not very specific, but in some areas (projective geometry, technical drawing, etc.) it is given a more precise definition, which may include either one ...

that is long. 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.

Race report

The total time of the race was four hours, nineteen minutes, and fifty-three seconds. Six cautions were given for thirty-eight laps while thirty-two thousand and eight hundred fans were in attendance for the race. The average speed in the race was with the pole winning speed being . 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.

Benny Parsons Benjamin Stewart Parsons (July 12, 1941 – January 16, 2007) was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst/pit reporter on SETN, TBS, ABC, ESPN, NBC, and TNT. He became famous as the 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series champion, ...

defeated second place driver David Pearson by a time of 25½ seconds. Other notable racers who competed includes: Darrell Waltrip,

Ricky Rudd Richard Lee Rudd (born September 12, 1956), nicknamed "The Rooster", is an American former racing driver. He is the uncle of actor Skeet Ulrich and former NASCAR Busch Series driver Jason Rudd. He retired in 2007 with 23 career wins. He was name ...

, and Cale Yarborough (who would lose the points lead after this race). Bruce Hill finished in last place due to an

engine An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power ...

problem on lap 2. This race would be

Neil Castles Henry Neil Castles (October 1, 1934 – August 4, 2022) was an American NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series driver. He raced from 1957 to 1976, and won the NASCAR Grand National East Series in 1972. Early life Castles was born in Ma ...

' final race in his NASCAR Cup Series career. It would also be the last race for

Doc Faustina Doc Faustina (born February 1, 1939 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver who competed from 1971 to 1976. Career Faustina competed in 1502 laps, earned $7,995 in winnings (over $36,500 when adjusted for inflation), and rac ...

before his retirement. Total winnings for this race would be $108,140 ($ when adjusted for inflation).

Qualifying

Top 10 finishers

Timeline

Section reference: * Start of race: Bobby Allison had the pole position as the green flag waves into the air. * Lap 2: Bruce Hill's engine stopped working properly on this lap. * 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 51: Tommy Gale had a terminal crash. * 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 136: Cecil Gordon's vehicle suffered from engine problems. * Lap 149: Transmission problems would force Donnie Allison to quit the race prematurely. * Lap 218: Engine problems struck Ed Negre in a manner that he could not continue the race. * Lap 247: Ricky Rudd had a terminal crash. * Lap 250: Ignition problems ended Earl Brooks' chance of winning the race. * Lap 271: Engine problems forced Buddy Arrington to step aside. * Lap 278: David Pearson took over the lead from Cale Yarborough. * Lap 316: Engine problems managed to bring Darrell Waltrip into the garage for the remainder of the race. * Lap 320: A faulty swar bar took away Buck Baker's hopes at a respectable race finish. * 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. * Finish: Benny Parsons was officially declared the winner of the event.

Standings after the race

References

{{authority control Mason-Dixon 500 Mason-Dixon 500 Mason-Dixon 500 NASCAR races at Dover Motor Speedway