1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series facts for kids

The 1976 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was a big year for stock car racing in the United States. It was the 28th season of professional racing and the sixth year with sponsorship from the Winston brand. The racing season started on January 18 and finished on November 21. Cale Yarborough won his first of three championships in a row. He drove the #11 Junior Johnson Holly Farms Chevrolet. Skip Manning was named the best new driver, called NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

Exciting Races of the Season

The 1976 NASCAR season had many thrilling races. Here are some of the most memorable ones:

Winston Western 500: A Road Course Win

The season kicked off with the Winston Western 500. Bobby Allison started in the lead. He drove a Matador car. Richard Petty started way back in 27th place. He quickly moved to the front. But his engine broke down. David Pearson led most of the race. He won his first road course race since 1966. This was a big win for his team, Wood Brothers Racing. Darrell Waltrip had a scary crash. His brakes failed, and he went off the track. Luckily, he was okay and finished the race.

Daytona 500: A Famous Finish

The Daytona 500 in 1976 became one of the most famous races ever. Some drivers, like A. J. Foyt and Darrell Waltrip, had their qualifying times removed. The race ended with a dramatic crash. Race leaders Richard Petty and David Pearson crashed very close to the finish line. This exciting ending was shown live on TV. It made many more people interested in stock car racing.

Carolina 500: Petty's Big Win

Richard Petty won the Carolina 500 easily. The race had a big crash on the backstretch. Bobby Allison's car flipped over.

Richmond 400: Marcis Wins a Close Race

Cale Yarborough was close to winning his first race of the season. But he crashed with only twelve laps left. Dave Marcis then won the race. He just barely beat Richard Petty in a close finish.

Southeastern 400: Yarborough's First Victory

Yarborough finally got his first win at the Southeastern 400. He led for most of the race. He finished a whole lap ahead of Darrell Waltrip. Petty lost his lead in the points standings. This happened after he crashed with other drivers early in the race.

Atlanta 500: Pearson's Comeback Win

NASCAR made a rule change for this race. Cars had to use smaller carburetors. David Pearson fought hard to get back to the front. He was several laps behind. He ended up winning his third race of the season. He beat Benny Parsons. Yarborough finished third.

Gwyn Staley 400: Yarborough Dominates

Dave Marcis started in the pole position. But Cale Yarborough took over the race. He led for most of the laps. He won at Junior Johnson's home track. He finished a lap ahead of Richard Petty.

Rebel 500: Pearson Chases Down Baker

Pearson caught up to Buddy Baker to win the Rebel 500. Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip had a big crash. Both Petty and Yarborough had engine problems and had to leave the race early.

Virginia 500: Waltrip's First Gatorade Win

Cale Yarborough crashed when Dave Marcis' car leaked fluid. This happened while they were fighting for the lead. Darrell Waltrip then won the race. This was his first win with Gatorade as a sponsor.

Winston 500: Baker's Fast Victory

Buddy Baker had a tough start. His team even drove his car back to their shop to fix the engine. But Baker made history. He was the first driver to win a 500-mile race in less than three hours. Benny Parsons had a crash early on. This made him lose his lead in the points standings to Yarborough.

Music City 420: Yarborough's Short Track Success

Yarborough was amazing at the Nashville Fairgrounds. He led almost all of the 420 laps. This was his third win on a short track that season. Richard Petty and Benny Parsons finished second and third.

Mason-Dixon 500: Parsons' Strong Finish

Benny Parsons' car was damaged in a crash. But it seemed to run even better afterward! He took the lead and won the race by a lot. Cale Yarborough led many laps but had engine trouble. He lost his points lead to Parsons.

World 600: Pearson Wins a Close Battle

Pearson won a very close race against Petty and Yarborough. The track owner, Bruton Smith, offered extra money for leading laps. Pearson and Yarborough fought hard for the lead. Janet Guthrie made her first NASCAR appearance in this race.

Riverside 400: Pearson's Second Riverside Win

Pearson won at Riverside again, completing a sweep of the season's races there. He had a race-long battle with Bobby Allison and Yarborough.

CAM2 Motor Oil 400: Pearson Takes Another Win

Cale Yarborough was leading this race. But he lost power because of a blown engine part. Pearson then took his seventh win of the season. Yarborough's second-place finish helped him get back the points lead.

Firecracker 400: Yarborough's Daytona Victory

Cale Yarborough won his first Daytona race since 1968. He beat Pearson and Bobby Allison. A. J. Foyt started in the pole position.

Nashville 420: Parsons Wins After Baker's Trouble

Neil Bonnett drove most of the race for Bobby Allison, who was injured. Buddy Baker led for a long time but had to stop with 90 laps left. Benny Parsons took over and won. He beat Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip.

Purolator 500: Petty's Second Win

NASCAR allowed bigger carburetors again for this race. The lead changed hands many times. Pearson had a tire problem right at the end. This allowed Petty to get his second win of the season.

Talladega 500: Marcis' First Superspeedway Win

Dave Marcis won his only Talladega race. It was also the first big track win for his crew chief, Harry Hyde. The lead changed a record number of times in this race. Both Benny Parsons and Cale Yarborough had engine problems. Petty also had engine trouble late in the race. Because of these issues, Cale took the points lead for good.

Champion Spark Plug 400: Pearson's Eighth Win

David Pearson won his eighth race of the season. Cale Yarborough finished second. Yarborough's team even hired a security guard for their engines. They thought someone might be trying to hurt their cars after two engine failures.

Volunteer 400: Yarborough's Fifth Win

Cale Yarborough won his fifth race of the season. He led for most of the laps. Darrell Waltrip started in the pole position and finished third.

Southern 500: Pearson Achieves a Career Goal

Pearson finally won the Southern 500. This was a race he had always wanted to win. There was a big crash when Buddy Baker's car broke down. Cale Yarborough hit a guardrail on pit road. His car's rear end was damaged. Richard Childress helped Yarborough's team fix it. Petty finished second even after hitting the wall.

Capital City 400: Yarborough Wins a Close One

Bobby Allison tried very hard to win this race. He chased Cale Yarborough right to the finish line. Yarborough won by just one car length. This win increased Cale's lead in the points.

Delaware 500: Yarborough's Second Straight Win

Cale Yarborough had to make up two laps twice in this race. But he still managed to win his second race in a row.

Old Dominion 500: Rain Shortens Race, Cale Wins

Darrell Waltrip started in the pole position. But Cale Yarborough won the race. Rain stopped the race early, after 340 laps.

Wilkes 400: Yarborough's Ninth Win

Yarborough won his fourth race in a row. This was his ninth win of the season, the most by any driver.

National 500: Donnie Allison's Surprise Win

Donnie Allison surprised everyone by winning the National 500. His car's engine was checked after the race. It was found to be legal. This was Donnie's first big win since 1971. Veteran driver Buck Baker, who was 57, raced in his last Winston Cup race. Neil Bonnett had to drive most of the race for David Pearson. Pearson had a back injury.

American 500: Petty's Third Win

Richard Petty won the American 500. This was only his third win of the season. Lennie Pond finished second. Petty spent more time in the pits than Pond, but still won.

Dixie 500: Marcis Wins a Duel

Dave Marcis won his last superspeedway race. He had a long battle with Yarborough, Pearson, and Buddy Baker. Dale Earnhardt raced for the third time in his career. He had a big crash but was okay. Richard Petty's engine broke down. This almost guaranteed the championship for Cale Yarborough.

Los Angeles Times 500: Yarborough Clinches Championship

Pearson led the last 121 laps and easily won his tenth race of the season. Cale Yarborough officially won the season championship. This was his first championship and the first for his team owner, Junior Johnson. Yarborough just needed to start the race to win the title. He had to leave the race early with transmission problems. Bobby Allison and his brother Donnie both had engine problems. After the race, Bobby Allison told Roger Penske he was leaving the team.

Top Drivers of the Season

The 1976 season was a big one for many drivers. Here are the top drivers who scored the most points:

• 1st Place: Cale Yarborough - He won the championship!
• 2nd Place: Richard Petty
• 3rd Place: Benny Parsons
• 4th Place: Bobby Allison
• 5th Place: Lennie Pond
• 6th Place: Dave Marcis
• 7th Place: Buddy Baker
• 8th Place: Darrell Waltrip
• 9th Place: David Pearson
• 10th Place: Dick Brooks