The 1976 World 600, the 17th running of the

event Event may refer to: Gatherings of people * Ceremony, an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion * Convention (meeting), a gathering of individuals engaged in some common interest * Event management, the organization of eve ...

, was a

Winston Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, 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. ...

racing event that took place on May 30, 1976, at

Charlotte Motor Speedway Charlotte Motor Speedway (previously known as Lowe's Motor Speedway from 1999 to 2009) is a motorsport complex located in Concord, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. The complex features a quad oval track that hosts NASCAR racing including th ...

Concord, North Carolina Concord is the county seat and largest city in Cabarrus County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 105,186, with an estimated population in 2021 of 107,697. In terms of population, the cit ...

Race report

The five drivers that dominated the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season were

David Pearson David or Dave Pearson may refer to: * David Pearson (librarian) (born 1955), British librarian and scholar * David Pearson (racing driver) (1934–2018), American car racing champion * David Pearson (scientist) (born 1942), Canadian scientist, a ...

(average finish of 7th place),

Cale Yarborough William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (born March 27, 1939) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner, businessman, and farmer. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships, winning in 1 ...

(average finish of 8th place),

Richard Petty Richard Lee Petty (born July 2, 1937), nicknamed "The King", is an American former stock car racing driver who raced from 1958 to 1992 in the former NASCAR Grand National and Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notabl ...

(average finish of 9th place), Benny Parsons (average finish of 10th place), and Bobby Allison (average finish 12th place). Four hundred laps took place spanning . It took four hours and twenty-two minutes for

to defeat

under the race's final yellow flag in front of 103,000 spectators. Pearson would earn the pole position with a speed of while the race's average speed would be ; he would clinch his third career World 600 win at this event along with his final win ever at Charlotte. Dale Earnhardt ran a #30 Army Special Chevrolet scheme at this event. Terry Ryan was the last-place finisher due to a hub problem on lap 11. Wisconsin short track ace Dick Trickle did a one-off in a second car, the #99 Ford, for the Junie Donlavey team, blew an engine and retired before halfway. Seven cautions slowed the race for 38 laps (including the 400th lap of the race). For the first 245 laps the primary battle was between Pearson and Yarborough as the lead officially changed 33 times in that span and 37 in all. Yarborough cut a tire and finished a lap down in third. David Pearson's next pole position would be at Riverside International Raceway two weeks later; he would win eight poles overall that year including at the

1976 National 500 The 1976 National 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on October 10, 1976, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. By 1980, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles an ...

; which took place that October. Bobby Isaac blew his engine and spun at Lap 46; it would be his final Winston Cup start. It was ironic that Isaac’s career ended in the World 600, as his debut came fifteen years earlier when, as a favor, he started and parked Junior Johnson's car in the qualifying race for this historic event. Janet Guthrie would make her debut here. She was invited to attempt this race by Humpy Wheeler after failing to qualify for the

1976 Indianapolis 500 The 60th 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 30, 1976. Polesitter Johnny Rutherford took the lead on lap 80, and was leading when rain halted the race on lap 103. Two ...

. Guthrie finished her first stock car race in 15th place and drove well over 500 miles in the process, silencing some of the era's critics who thought women wouldn't be able to go the distance in long oval races. Notable crew chiefs who participated in this race included Junie Donlavey,

Jake Elder J. C. "Jake" Elder (November 22, 1936 – February 24, 2010) was a NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series crew chief. He was the championship crew chief for two years and for part of a third season. Elder had these successes despite never pas ...

, Harry Hyde,

Dale Inman Dale Inman (born August 19, 1936) is a retired NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup Series crew chief from Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina. He is best known for being the crew chief of Richard Petty at Petty Enterprises during three de ...

, and Bud Moore. Race earnings for each driver ranged from the winner's share of $49,990 ($ when adjusted for inflation) to the last-place finisher's earnings of $885 ($ when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse sanctioned by NASCAR for this event was $225,025 ($ when adjusted for inflation).

Qualifying

Box Score

Cautions: 7 for 38 laps
Margin of victory: under caution (5) Indicates 5 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading 1 lap
(10) Indicates 10 bonus points added to normal race points scored for leading 1 lap & leading the most laps.

Lap Leader Breakdown

Lead changes: 37

Standings after the race

References

{{Coca-Cola 600

World 600 The Coca-Cola 600, originally the World 600, is an annual NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, on a Sunday during Memorial Day weekend. The first race, held in 1960, was also the first on ...

NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway