1976 Southern 500 - NASCAR Race
| Name of Race: | 1976 Southern 500 |
| Name of Track: | Darlington Raceway |
| Date: | September 5th |
Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina.
Looks Like An EggIt was the first superspeedway built with NASCAR racing in mind and is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
Largest Field of RacersDarlington has an interesting history. When the 1.366 mile long track first opened over a half-century ago, it was not uncommon for there to be 80 or more entrants in a race; this was curtailed over the years as NASCAR adopted a more uniform set of guidelines with regard to the number of cars which could qualify for a race.
Flip-FlopIn recent years the track has been reconfigured; what was the front stretch is now the back stretch, and the turns have been renumbered accordingly. Seating has been increased to approximately 60,000; it has been limited by the proximity of a railroad track to the facility, a highway behind the back stretch, and the still-present pond.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.
1976 Southern 500 NASCAR Race Results
Below are the race results for 1976 Southern 500, in order of finishing place.
| Fin | Driver | Num | Start | Money | Laps | Pts | Status | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Pearson | 21 | 1 | $16,155 | 367 | 0 | running | Purolator |
| 2 | Richard Petty | 43 | 8 | $18,055 | 367 | 0 | running | STP |
| 3 | Darrell Waltrip | 88 | 4 | $13,135 | 367 | 0 | running | Gatorade |
| 4 | Dave Marcis | 71 | 6 | $10,800 | 367 | 0 | running | K & K Insurance |
| 5 | Lennie Pond | 54 | 14 | $8,315 | 365 | 0 | running | Pepsi-Cola |
| 6 | Dick Brooks | 90 | 9 | $6,935 | 364 | 0 | running | Truxmore |
| 7 | Benny Parsons | 72 | 5 | $7,525 | 364 | 0 | running | King's Row Fireplace |
| 9 | Bobby Allison | 2 | 2 | $6,905 | 355 | 0 | running | CAM 2 |
| 11 | Dean Dalton | 7 | 25 | $3,045 | 351 | 0 | running | Dean Dalton |
| 12 | Cecil Gordon | 24 | 15 | $4,895 | 347 | 0 | running | Transmissions Unlimited |
| 13 | Grant Adcox | 41 | 20 | $2,845 | 346 | 0 | running | Adcox-Kirby |
| 14 | Terry Bivins | 30 | 24 | $4,485 | 345 | 0 | running | Ballard Racing |
| 17 | Buck Baker | 33 | 34 | $2,445 | 341 | 0 | running | Hadacol |
| 20 | James Hylton | 48 | 32 | $3,195 | 334 | 0 | running | Hylton Engineering |
| 21 | Henley Gray | 19 | 29 | $1,920 | 327 | 0 | running | Belden Asphalt |
| 22 | Bruce Hill | 47 | 18 | $2,645 | 321 | 0 | engine | Bruce Hill |
| 23 | Cale Yarborough | 11 | 7 | $4,695 | 307 | 0 | running | Holly Farms |
| 24 | Neil Bonnett | 12 | 16 | $1,645 | 290 | 0 | suspension | Hawaiian Tropic |
| 29 | Earle Canavan | 1 | 38 | $1,370 | 210 | 0 | engine | Byrd |
| 31 | Buddy Baker | 15 | 3 | $4,520 | 181 | 0 | crash | Norris Industries |
| 32 | Skip Manning | 92 | 26 | $1,795 | 172 | 0 | crash | Stratagraph |
| 33 | Donnie Allison | 28 | 10 | $1,270 | 167 | 0 | water pump | U.S. Army |
| 34 | Joe Frasson | 18 | 37 | $1,270 | 166 | 0 | crash | Excuse Lounge |
| 35 | Buddy Arrington | 67 | 30 | $1,720 | 124 | 0 | engine | Buddy Arrington |
| 36 | Richard Childress | 3 | 17 | $1,695 | 117 | 0 | running | Power Tool |
| 37 | Bruce Jacobi | 10 | 39 | $1,670 | 59 | 0 | engine | Sunny King |
| 40 | Darrell Bryant | 50 | 36 | $1,135 | 3 | 0 | engine | Hot Rod Barns |


