Official name Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 | ||
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Date June 19, 1977 (1977-June-19) Location Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan Course Permanent racing facility
2.000 mi (3.218 km) Distance 200 laps, 400 mi (643 km) Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 16.9 miles per hour (27.2 km/h) | ||
The 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on June 19, 1977, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.
Contents
Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.
Background
Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long. Opened in 1968, the track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the 3,600-foot-long front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at twelve degrees. The back stretch, has a five degree banking and is 2,242 feet long.
Summary
36 qualifying drivers filled up the grid for this 200-lap event; all of them were born in the United States of America. Bill Seifert would return after a five-year absence from NASCAR in order to bedazzle the spectators; a 12th-place finish ended being "in the cards" for him.
Ferrel Harris was credited with the last-place finish due to difficulties with his engine on the ninth lap. Donnie Allison would be the highest place finisher not to finish the race; he acquired a similar problem on lap 176. Cale Yarborough would defeat NASCAR racing legend Richard Petty by a mere ten seconds. More than 61,000 fans would see nearly three hours of professional stock car racing. Most of the vehicles in the running either belong to the Ford or Chevrolet manufacturers. Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and future NASCAR on FOX personality Darrell Waltrip would duel amongst each other for the lead early on in the race. Winnings for each driver varied from a then-incredible $20,625 for the race winner ($80,091.82 when adjusted for inflation) to a humble $1,300 for the last-place finisher ($5,137.89 when adjusted for inflation). The total prize purse of this race was $123,005 in American dollars ($486,143.32 when adjusted for inflation).
Janet Guthrie was the lone female competitor in this male-dominated racing event. Richard Childress, then a driver/owner, competed in this race and finished in 35th place (after starting out in 8th place). Roland Wlodyka would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in this race. After this race, Bill Elliott would start to dominate the racing that took place at Michigan International Speedway. Elliott's debut at this Irish Hills race track in addition to his 15th-place finish quickly taught him how to excel on that particular track.
Finishing order
* Driver failed to finish race