| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 29 of 30 in the1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Atlanta International Speedway, used until 1996 | |||
| Date | November 7, 1976 (1976-11-07) | ||
| Official name | Dixie 500 | ||
| Location | Atlanta International Raceway,Hampton, Georgia | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.522 miles (2.449 km) | ||
| Distance | 328 laps, 499.2 mi (803.3 km) | ||
| Weather | Chilly with temperatures of 66.9 °F (19.4 °C); wind speeds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 127.396 miles per hour (205.024 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 46,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Bud Moore Engineering | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dave Marcis | K&K Insurance Racing | |
| Laps | 224 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 71 | Dave Marcis | K&K Insurance Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier | ||
The1976 Dixie 500 was aNASCARWinston Cup Series race that took place on November 7, 1976, atAtlanta International Raceway inHampton, Georgia, United States.
Atlanta International Raceway (now Atlanta Motor Speedway) is one of ten currentintermediate tracks to holdNASCAR races; the others areCharlotte Motor Speedway,Chicagoland Speedway,Darlington Raceway,Homestead Miami Speedway,Kansas Speedway,Kentucky Speedway,Las Vegas Motor Speedway,New Hampshire Motor Speedway, andTexas Motor Speedway.[3] However, at the time, only Charlotte and Darlington were built.
The layout at Atlanta International Speedway at the time was a four-turn traditional oval track that is 1.54 miles (2.48 km) long.[4] The track's turns arebanked at twenty-fourdegrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at five.[4]
Three hundred and twenty eight laps were done on a pavedoval track spanning 1.522 miles (2.449 km) for a grand total of 499.2 miles (803.4 km).[2] The total time of the race was three hours and fifty-five minutes.[2] Four cautions were made for forty-one laps.[2]Dave Marcis defeatedDavid Pearson by two car lengths.[2]
In his third career start, Dale Earnhardt reached a career best finish to that point of his very young career in a 19th-place finish.[2]Chevrolets filled out the majority of the racing grid.[5]
Notable crew chiefs for this race includedTravis Carter forBobby Allison,Tim Brewer,Sterling Marlin for his dadCoo Coo Marlin,Dale Inman forRichard Petty,Harry Hyde for race-winner Marcis,Jake Elder, andJunie Donlavey.[6] Speeds for this race were: 127.396 miles per hour (205.024 km/h) as the average and 161.652 miles per hour (260.154 km/h) for the pole position.[2] Forty-six thousand fans attended this live race.[2] Total winnings for this race were $132,625 ($732,850 when adjusted for inflation).[2]
Canadian driver Jack Donohue would finish in last place without completing any laps after being swept into a big crash on the opening lap.[7] he was granted 55 championship points just for qualifying.[2]
The race was primarily a battle between Marcis, David Pearson, Yarborough, and Donnie Allison; for most of the first 62 laps in particular the top four raced nose to nose;Stock Car Racing Magazine writer Richard Benyo reported “the lead would change at four different spots” on the oval.
G.C. Spencer crashed on the first lap while Billy McGinnis blew his vehicle's engine on lap 15. A faulty head gasket forced David Sisco to leave the race on lap 34. Oil pressure issues would force Dick May out of the race on lap 60 while faulty wheel bearings eliminated Chuck Bown from the race on lap 75.[2] Coo Coo Marlin had a bad engine on lap 114. Oil pressure issues forced Richard Petty to leave the race on lap 157, which ended his chance to overtake Yarborough for the Winston Cup title.
Frank Warren fell out with overheating by Lap 164 and Bobby Allison left on lap 168. Engine problems would claim the vehicles of Richard Childress on lap 218, Lennie Pond on lap 228, and Terry Bivins on lap 250. A problematic valve spring on lap 252 would end Richie Panch's weekend and Grant Adcox's engine would stop working on lap 254.[2]
David Pearson looked like a winner on lap 301 as he drove by Marcis but after cooling his tires Marcus retook the lead for good from Pearson fourteen laps later. A late yellow set up a two-lap sprint and Marcis won it.[2]
Richie Panch, son ofMarvin Panch, would retire after the end of this race whileBilly McGinnis would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut.[8]
Dale Earnhardt survived a huge crash whenDick Brooks slid down the banking of Turn 3; Earnhardt hit Brooks and tumbled to Turn 4.[9]
Future NASCAR starBill Elliott had a role wiping the windshield of 16th-place finisherGene Felton's stock car; Elliott would go on to have a successful Cup Series career of his own 12 years later.[10]
| Grid[2] | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | Buddy Baker | Ford | Bud Moore |
| 2 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Dodge | Nord Krauskopf |
| 3 | 21 | David Pearson | Mercury | Wood Brothers |
| 4 | 43 | Richard Petty | Dodge | Petty Enterprises |
| 5 | 1 | Donnie Allison | Chevrolet | Hoss Ellington |
| 6 | 27 | Sam Sommers | Chevrolet | M.C. Anderson |
| 7 | 11 | Cale Yarborough | Chevrolet | Junior Johnson |
| 8 | 2 | Bobby Allison | Mercury | Roger Penske |
| 9 | 88 | Darrell Waltrip | Chevrolet | DiGard Racing |
| 10 | 01 | Chuck Bown | Chevrolet | Gerald Craker |
Section reference:[2]
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Cale Yarborough | 4545 | 0 |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 4362 | -183 |
| 3 | Benny Parsons | 4139 | -406 |
| 4 | Bobby Allison | 4033 | -512 |
5 | Dave Marcis | 3784 | -761 |
6 | Lennie Pond | 3760 | -785 |
| 7 | Buddy Baker | 3699 | -846 |
| 8 | Darrell Waltrip | 3462 | -1083 |
| 9 | Richard Childress | 3373 | -1172 |
| 10 | David Pearson | 3298 | -1247 |
| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1976 | Succeeded by |