The 1976 American 500 was the 28th official race (out of 30) in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
This racing event took place on October 24, 1976, at North Carolina Motor Speedway at Rockingham, North Carolina. In order to resolve itself, the race took four hours, fifteen minutes, and one second. Six cautions were given out for a duration of 35 laps.
As a result, Richard Petty would eventually defeat Lennie Pond by more than a lap. Thirty-two thousand and five hundred live spectators attended this event. David Pearson gained the pole position qualifying at a speed of 139.117 miles per hour (223.887 km/h) but eventually finished in sixth place. Henley Gray was officially recorded as the last-place finisher due to an engine issue on the first lap. Richard Petty's teenage son Kyle would attend his father's victory celebrations; getting ready for his NASCAR career.
The average speed of the race was 117.718 miles per hour (189.449 km/h). Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid.
Start: David Pearson was leading the racing grid as the first official lap commencedLap 2: Bruce Hill blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 5: Gary Myers blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 32: Dave Marcis took over the lead from David PearsonLap 76: Bobby Wawak managed to overheat his vehicleLap 85: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave MarcisLap 88: Travis Tiller blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 96: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 117: Benny Parsons blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 127: Dick May blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 171: The rear end of James Hylton's vehicle came off in an unsafe mannerLap 180: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave MarcisLap 191: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 208: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave MarcisLap 216: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 217: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Donnie AllisonLap 227: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 264: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard PettyLap 299: The throttle on Buddy Baker's vehicle was acting badly enough to knock him out of the raceLap 322: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 324: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard PettyLap 329: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 363: Richard Childress blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 389: J.D. McDuffie blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 413: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty, Dave Marcis blew his engine while driving at high speedsLap 423: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie PondLap 486: Donnie Allison's fuel pump was beginning to cause problems for himFinish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event
