The1976 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 28th season ofprofessionalstock car racing in the United States, the 5th modern era season of the Grand National series and sixth underR. J. Reynolds sponsorship through its Winston cigarette brand. The season began on Sunday, January 18 and ended on Sunday, November 21.Cale Yarborough, driving the #11Junior Johnson Holly FarmsChevrolet scored his first of three consecutive NASCAR Grand National SeriesWinston Cup Championships.Skip Manning was namedNASCAR Rookie of the Year.

• Winston Western 500 -Bobby Allison won the pole inRoger Penske's final race fielding aMatador and led the first 18 laps.Richard Petty started 27th and stormed through the field to lead 15 laps but fell out with engine failure.David Pearson led 124 laps for his first road course win since 1966 and theWood Brothers Racing team's firstRiverside win since 1968.Darrell Waltrip crashed on Lap 18 when his brakes failed entering Turn Eight; he plowed over the fencing and landed near a spectator fence but drove back to the pits; he ultimately finished 21st.^[1]

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #11 -Cale Yarborough
3. #38 -Jimmy Insolo
4. #96 -Ray Elder
5. #72 -Benny Parsons
6. #54 -Lennie Pond
7. #3 -Richard Childress
8. #71 -Dave Marcis
9. #48 -James Hylton
10. #73 -Bill Schmitt

• Daytona 500 – From disallowance of qualifying times forA. J. Foyt,Dave Marcis, andDarrell Waltrip to the crashing of race leadersRichard Petty andDavid Pearson a half-mile from the checkered flag - the finish broadcast live onWide World of Sports - the 1976 500 became one of the most celebrated races in history, and national interest in stock car racing began swelling with the finish.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #54 -Lennie Pond
5. #12 -Neil Bonnett
6. #81 -Terry Ryan
7. #70 -J.D. McDuffie
8. #63 -Terry Bivins
9. #3 -Richard Childress
10. #79 -Frank Warren

• Carolina 500 – Richard Petty won going away in a race marred by a huge melee on the backstretch whereBobby Allison tumbled.

1. #43 -Richard Petty
2. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
3. #11 -Cale Yarborough
4. #15 -Buddy Baker
5. #72 -Benny Parsons
6. #6 -Bobby Isaac
7. #41 -Grant Adcox
8. #14 -Coo Coo Marlin
9. #8 -Ed Negre
10. #70 -J.D. McDuffie

• Richmond 400 -Cale Yarborough's bid for his first win of the season ended when he crashed with twelve laps to go.Dave Marcis edgedRichard Petty in a battle of Dodges.

1. #71 -Dave Marcis
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #2 -Bobby Allison
4. #11 -Cale Yarborough
5. #63 -Terry Bivins
6. #3 -Richard Childress
7. #24 -Cecil Gordon
8. #05 -David Sisco
9. #72 -Benny Parsons
10. #64 -Elmo Langley

• Southeastern 400 - Yarborough finally broke through, leading 285 laps and putting runner-upDarrell Waltrip a lap down. Petty lost the point lead toBenny Parsons (who finished third) after a crash withCecil Gordon andBill Champion just 64 laps in.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #71 -Dave Marcis
5. #2 -Bobby Allison
6. #90 -Dick Brooks
7. #48 -James Hylton
8. #8 -Ed Negre
9. #67 -Buddy Arrington
10. #70 -J.D. McDuffie

• Atlanta 500 – NASCAR mandated smaller carburetors beginning with this race.David Pearson spent 225 laps fighting to get back onto the lead lap and took his third win of the season, beating Parsons. Yarborough finished third, a lap down after making up three laps of a four-lap deficit.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #72 -Benny Parsons
3. #11 -Cale Yarborough
4. #54 -Lennie Pond
5. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
6. #14 -Coo Coo Marlin
7. #90 -Dick Brooks
8. #12 -Neil Bonnett
9. #05 -David Sisco
10. #60 -Jackie Rogers

• Gwyn Staley 400 -Dave Marcis won the pole but finished a distant eighth asCale Yarborough won atJunior Johnson's home track, leading 364 laps and putting runner-upRichard Petty a lap down.Benny Parsons led 23 laps and finished fourth.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #2 -Bobby Allison
4. #72 -Benny Parsons
5. #70 -J.D. McDuffie
6. #54 -Lennie Pond
7. #90 -Dick Brooks
8. #71 -Dave Marcis
9. #3 -Richard Childress
10. #30 -Walter Ballard

• Rebel 500 - Pearson ran downBuddy Baker in a race where his father Buck finished sixth.Bobby Allison andDarrell Waltrip were involved in a hard crash at Lap 80 while Petty and Yarborough fell out with engine failures; Petty had led 52 laps while Cale led 16.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #15 -Buddy Baker
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #54 -Lennie Pond
5. #71 -Dave Marcis
6. #93 -Buck Baker
7. #41 -Grant Adcox
8. #18 -Joe Frasson
9. #3 -Richard Childress
10. #30 -Bruce Hill

• Virginia 500 –Cale Yarborough crashed whenDave Marcis' rearend spilled fluid while dueling for the lead.Darrell Waltrip thus took the win, his first withGatorade sponsorship.

1. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
2. #11 -Cale Yarborough
3. #21 -David Pearson
4. #43 -Richard Petty
5. #90 -Dick Brooks
6. #2 -Bobby Allison
7. #47 -Bruce Hill
8. #3 -Richard Childress
9. #30 -Walter Ballard
10. #24 -Cecil Gordon

• Winston 500 –Buddy Baker qualified twelfth, a run so disappointing hisBud Moore team drove the over four hours back to theirSpartanburg, SC shop to overhaul the engine before returning to Talladega for the race. Baker nonetheless became the first driver to win a 500-miler in less than three hours, while an early-race crash with Pearson,Dave Marcis, andDick Brooks eliminatedBenny Parsons and cost him the point lead (and a $10,000 bonus awarded to the driver who accumulated the most points per third of the season) to runner-up Yarborough.Richard Petty finished fourth after he stalled the car on an early pitstop and lost a lap.

1. #15 -Buddy Baker
2. #11 -Cale Yarborough
3. #2 -Bobby Allison
4. #43 -Richard Petty
5. #81 -Terry Ryan
6. #24 -Cecil Gordon
7. #28 -Donnie Allison
8. #47 -Bruce Hill
9. #71 -Dave Marcis
10. #79 -Frank Warren

• Music City 420 - Yarborough led 398 of 420 laps at theNashville Fairgrounds to his third short track win of the season. Richard Petty and pole-sitter Benny Parsons finished 2-3 after leading a combined six laps.Darrell Waltrip, long a Fairgrounds regular, led seven laps but finished 12th with rearend failure.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #15 -Buddy Baker
5. #2 -Bobby Allison
6. #54 -Lennie Pond
7. #71 -Dave Marcis
8. #30 -Walter Ballard
9. #05 -David Sisco
10. #79 -Frank Warren

• Mason-Dixon 500 -Benny Parsons suffered nose damage in a mid-race crash but his Chevrolet ran stronger after the wreck; he stormed to lead 161 of the race's last 169 laps and beat Pearson by 25 seconds.Cale Yarborough led 243 laps but was penalized a lap on a pitstop, then fell out with engine failure; he thus lost the point lead to Parsons.

1. #72 -Benny Parsons
2. #21 -David Pearson
3. #71 -Dave Marcis
4. #2 -Bobby Allison
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #43 -Richard Petty
7. #90 -Dick Brooks
8. #54 -Lennie Pond
9. #50 -Darrell Bryant
10. #3 -Richard Childress

• World 600 – Pearson edged Petty andCale Yarborough asBruton Smith made his official return toCharlotte Motor Speedway; among his first acts was posting $18,000 in lap leader bonuses payable to whoever led the most laps per 100 miles. Pearson and Yarborough fought for the lead and combined to lead 243 of the first 251 laps but Cale lost a lap with a cut tire and finished third; Petty led 56 laps.Janet Guthrie made her NASCAR debut.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #11 -Cale Yarborough
4. #2 -Bobby Allison
5. #72 -Benny Parsons
6. #28 -Donnie Allison
7. #90 -Dick Brooks
8. #54 -Lennie Pond
9. #18 -Harry Gant
10. #05 -David Sisco

• Riverside 400 - Pearson completed a season sweep at Riverside after a race-long chase with Bobby Allison and Yarborough.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #2 -Bobby Allison
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #96 -Ray Elder
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
7. #11 -Cale Yarborough
8. #38 -Jimmy Insolo
9. #43 -Richard Petty
10. #71 -Dave Marcis

• CAM2 Motor Oil 400 -Cale Yarborough dominated until he lost power due to a blownhead gasket (still finishing second) and Pearson took his seventh win of the season. Cale's runner-up finish regained him the point lead asBenny Parsons lost 21 laps and finished 19th.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #11 -Cale Yarborough
3. #2 -Bobby Allison
4. #43 -Richard Petty
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #90 -Dick Brooks
7. #54 -Lennie Pond
8. #05 -David Sisco
9. #60 -Jackie Rogers
10. #24 -Cecil Gordon

• Firecracker 400 - Cale Yarborough edged Pearson and Bobby Allison for his first Daytona win since 1968. A. J. Foyt won the pole.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #21 -David Pearson
3. #2 -Bobby Allison
4. #28 -A.J. Foyt
5. #71 -Dave Marcis
6. #14 -Coo Coo Marlin
7. #72 -Benny Parsons
8. #90 -Dick Brooks
9. #05 -David Sisco
10. #22 -Ricky Rudd

• Nashville 420 -Neil Bonnett drove most of the race for pole-sitterBobby Allison; days before Allison was injured in a bad crash at Elko, MN and had to give way to Bonnett after the opening lap; the Penske #2 finished a distant seventh.Buddy Baker led 220 laps but fell out while leading with 90 laps to go;Benny Parsons took over and beatRichard Petty andDarrell Waltrip. Waltrip's third place at his home track came following the hiring by DiGard of engine builder Marion "Ducky" Newman, who'd leftBud Moore's team in a salary dispute.

1. #72 -Benny Parsons
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
4. #54 -Lennie Pond
5. #11 -Cale Yarborough
6. #71 -Dave Marcis
7. #2 -Bobby Allison
8. #14 -Coo Coo Marlin
9. #92 -Skip Manning
10. #36 -Bobby Wawak

• Purolator 500 – NASCAR allowed teams to use larger carburetors again beginning with Pocono. The lead changed 47 times - a season high promptly broken a week later - as Pearson's blown tire coming to the white flag gave Petty only his second win of the season. Buddy Baker finished second.Benny Parsons edged Pearson for third while pole-sitterCale Yarborough blew his engine halfway through;Junior Johnson's team changed engines in the garage in 33 minutes and Yarborough finished 25th; he lost the points lead to Parsons.

1. #43 -Richard Petty
2. #15 -Buddy Baker
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #21 -David Pearson
5. #54 -Lennie Pond
6. #24 -Cecil Gordon
7. #67 -Buddy Arrington
8. #60 -Jackie Rogers
9. #3 -Richard Childress
10. #05 -David Sisco

• Talladega 500 –Dave Marcis took his only Talladega win and the first for crew chiefHarry Hyde; it was the first superspeedway win for Hyde's K&K Insurance Dodge since 1973. The lead changed a season-high 57 times.Benny Parsons blew his engine after 39 laps while Cale suffered another engine failure, yetJunior Johnson's team changed engines mid-race again, this time in 20 minutes.Richard Petty blew his engine after taking the lead in the final 20 laps; with this combination of DNFs Cale thus took the point lead for what proved to be the final time.Darrell Waltrip blew his engine and following the race DiGard fired team managerMario Rossi and engine builders Carroll "Stump" Davis and Keith Harlan; the team hiredRobert Yates to assist Marion Newman.

1. #71 -Dave Marcis
2. #15 -Buddy Baker
3. #90 -Dick Brooks
4. #48 -James Hylton
5. #54 -Lennie Pond
6. #30 -Tighe Scott
7. #70 -J.D. McDuffie
8. #3 -Richard Childress
9. #92 -Skip Manning
10. #26 - Jimmy Lee Capps

• Champion Spark Plug 400 – David Pearson took his eighth win of the season, but first since the June event atMichigan International Speedway.Cale Yarborough finished second;Junior Johnson hired a security guard to watch his engines, suspecting sabotage after back-to-back engine failures.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #11 -Cale Yarborough
3. #43 -Richard Petty
4. #2 -Bobby Allison
5. #71 -Dave Marcis
6. #12 -Neil Bonnett
7. #40 -D.K. Ulrich
8. #70 -J.D. McDuffie
9. #72 -Benny Parsons
10. #36 -Bobby Wawak

• Volunteer 400 - Cale Yarborough took his fifth win of the season leading 373 laps. Darrell Waltrip won the pole, his first with Robert Yates-Ducky Newman power, and led 27 laps to finish third.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
4. #72 -Benny Parsons
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #2 -Bobby Allison
7. #90 -Dick Brooks
8. #54 -Lennie Pond
9. #36 -Bobby Wawak
10. #3 -Richard Childress

• Southern 500 – Pearson took the one race he had sought his entire career. A big wreck occurred afterBuddy Baker blew up and spun; behind himSkip Manning spun and was hit in the left side door by Joe Frasson.Cale Yarborough hit a guardrail post on pit road and it bent the rearend assembly;Richard Childress helped the Junior Johnson crew replace the assembly and Cale finished 23rd;Richard Petty finished second despite hammering the wall off the track's infamous fourth turn and cut Cale's point lead to 29. Darrell Waltrip and Dave Marcis were the two remaining cars on the lead lap.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
4. #71 -Dave Marcis
5. #54 -Lennie Pond
6. #90 -Dick Brooks
7. #72 -Benny Parsons
8. #14 -Coo Coo Marlin
9. #2 -Bobby Allison
10. #36 -Bobby Wawak

• Capital City 400 -Bobby Allison made his most determined bid for a win of the season, chasingCale Yarborough and finished one length back at the finish. Cale increased his point lead over Petty to 44.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #2 -Bobby Allison
3. #43 -Richard Petty
4. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #54 -Lennie Pond
7. #71 -Dave Marcis
8. #90 -Dick Brooks
9. #30 -Terry Bivins
10. #36 -Bobby Wawak

• Delaware 500 -Cale Yarborough made up two laps on two separate occasions and won his second straight race.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #43 -Richard Petty
3. #21 -David Pearson
4. #2 -Bobby Allison
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #90 -Dick Brooks
7. #70 -J.D. McDuffie
8. #40 -D.K. Ulrich
9. #48 -James Hylton
10. #67 -Buddy Arrington

• Old Dominion 500 -Darrell Waltrip won the pole, his second since the hiring ofRobert Yates, but could only finish second to Cale as rain cut short the 500-lap race at 340 laps.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
3. #15 -Buddy Baker
4. #43 -Richard Petty
5. #72 -Benny Parsons
6. #90 -Dick Brooks
7. #63 -Jimmy Hensley
8. #30 -Terry Bivins
9. #55 -Sonny Easley
10. #3 -Richard Childress

• Wilkes 400 - Yarborough won his fourth straight race and season-leading ninth overall.

1. #11 -Cale Yarborough
2. #72 -Benny Parsons
3. #43 -Richard Petty
4. #15 -Buddy Baker
5. #54 -Lennie Pond
6. #90 -Dick Brooks
7. #70 -J.D. McDuffie
8. #36 -Bobby Wawak
9. #30 -Terry Bivins
10. #92 -Sonny Easley

• National 500 -Donnie Allison surprised the field in a backupHoss Ellington Monte Carlo; the engine measured a tick over the legal displacement in immediate post race inspection but after cooling down the engine was within limits; Ellington stated, "This one's legal. We left all the cheater stuff at Darlington." The win was Donnie's first in Grand National competition since 1971. 57 year old veteran Buck Baker competed in his final Winston Cup race. The two-time champion finished 24th in the #59 Monte Carlo fielded by H.C. Porter.Neil Bonnett had to drive most of the race in the Wood Brothers 21 when David Pearson had to get out of the car with a back injury that flared up the day before.

1. #1 -Donnie Allison
2. #11 -Cale Yarborough
3. #2 -Bobby Allison
4. #15 -Buddy Baker
5. #72 -Benny Parsons
6. #21 -David Pearson
7. #54 -Lennie Pond
8. #43 -Richard Petty
9. #90 -Dick Brooks
10. #36 -Bobby Wawak

• American 500 -Richard Petty took the win, only his third of the season.Lennie Pond finished second. Green flag pit stops became frequent as Petty spent a total of 125 seconds in the pits to Pond's 54 seconds.

1. #43 -Richard Petty
2. #54 -Lennie Pond
3. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
4. #2 -Bobby Allison
5. #11 -Cale Yarborough
6. #21 -David Pearson
7. #1 -Donnie Allison
8. #90 -Dick Brooks
9. #92 -Skip Manning
10. #14 -Coo Coo Marlin

• Dixie 500 –Dave Marcis took his final superspeedway win after a race-long duel with Yarborough, Pearson, and Buddy Baker; Richard Benyo ofStock Car Racing Magazine described the initial 62 laps as a battle where "Marcis was able to nose Pearson, Yarborough, and Baker to the stripe" from Laps 14 through 62.Dale Earnhardt made his third career start in this race and survived a vicious tumble after hitting the spinning Ford ofDick Brooks.Richard Petty's engine failure all but clinched the season championship forCale Yarborough. During the weekendPenske Racing issued a press release statingBobby Allison, fresh from victory in a USAC 200-mile stock car race atTexas World Speedway in the Penske Mercury, would return to the team for 1977.

1. #71 -Dave Marcis
2. #21 -David Pearson
3. #1 -Donnie Allison
4. #11 -Cale Yarborough
5. #15 -Buddy Baker
6. #72 -Benny Parsons
7. #88 -Darrell Waltrip
8. #12 -Neil Bonnett
9. #27 -Sam Sommers
10. #36 -Bobby Wawak

• LA Times 500 – Pearson led the final 121 laps and easily posted his eighth super-speedway win and tenth overall of the season. Yarborough clinched the season championship (his first and also the first for team ownerJunior Johnson) by taking the green flag, only to fall out with transmission trouble after leading 68 laps.Bobby Allison blew his engine simultaneously withhis brother Donnie and after the race toldRoger Penske he was leaving the team.

1. #21 -David Pearson
2. #54 -Lennie Pond
3. #72 -Benny Parsons
4. #90 -Dick Brooks
5. #48 -James Hylton
6. #36 -Bobby Wawak
7. #50 -Terry Bivins
8. #92 -Skip Manning
9. #81 -Terry Ryan
10. #47 -Bruce Hill

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time.Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.

^[2]

• 1976 NASCAR Winston West Series

• Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1976

• 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series
• 1976 in NASCAR
• NASCAR Cup Series seasons

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from February 2025