Official name Mason-Dixon 500 | ||
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Date May 16, 1976 (1976-May-16) Course Permanent racing facility1.000 mi (1.609 km) Distance 500 laps, 500.0 mi (804.6 km) Weather Mild with temperatures approaching 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds as high as 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) | ||
The 1976 Mason-Dixon 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series) event that took place on May 16, 1976, at Dover Downs International Speedway (now called Dover International Speedway) in the American community of Dover, Delaware.
Contents
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Background
Dower Downs International Speedway, now called Dover International Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Bristol Motor Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway. The NASCAR race makes use of the track's standard configuration, a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, and both the front stretch (the location of the finish line) and the backstretch are banked at nine degrees.
Summary
The total time of the race was four hours, nineteen minutes, and fifty-three seconds. Six cautions were given for thirty-eight laps while thirty-two thousand and eight hundred fans were in attendance for the race. The average speed in the race was 115.436 miles per hour (185.776 km/h) with the pole winning speed being 136.013 miles per hour (218.892 km/h). From lap 115 to lap 227, Cale Yarborough would get into a run of good luck and lead for a duration of 163 laps. He would never regain the lead after losing it to David Pearson on lap 278.
Benny Parsons defeated second place driver David Pearson by a time of 25½ seconds. Other notable racers who competed includes: Darrell Waltrip, Ricky Rudd, and Cale Yarborough (who would lose the points lead after this race). Bruce Hill finished in last place due to an engine problem on lap 2.
This race would be Neil Castles' final race in his NASCAR Cup Series career. It would also be the last race for Doc Faustina before his retirement. Total winnings for this race would be $108,140 ($455,136.60 when adjusted for inflation).