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1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

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The 1976 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 28th season of professional stock car racing in the United States, the 5th modern era season of the Grand National series and sixth under R. 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 #11 Junior Johnson Holly Farms Chevrolet scored his first of three consecutive NASCAR Grand National Series Winston Cup Championships. Skip Manning was named NASCAR Rookie of the Year.

Season recap

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No Date Event Circuit Winner
1 January 18 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway David Pearson
February 12 125 Mile Qualifying Races Daytona International Speedway Dave Marcis
Darrell Waltrip
2 February 15 Daytona 500 David Pearson
3 February 29 Carolina 500 North Carolina Speedway Richard Petty
4 March 7 Richmond 400 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Dave Marcis
5 March 14 Southeastern 400 Bristol International Speedway Cale Yarborough
6 March 21 Atlanta 500 Atlanta International Raceway David Pearson
7 April 4 Gwyn Staley 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Cale Yarborough
8 April 11 Rebel 500 Darlington Raceway David Pearson
9 April 25 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway Darrell Waltrip
10 May 2 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Buddy Baker
11 May 8 Music City USA 420 Nashville Speedway Cale Yarborough
12 May 16 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Benny Parsons
13 May 30 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway David Pearson
14 June 13 Riverside 400 Riverside International Raceway David Pearson
15 June 20 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 Michigan International Speedway David Pearson
16 July 4 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway Cale Yarborough
17 July 17 Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway Benny Parsons
18 August 1 Purolator 500 Pocono Raceway Richard Petty
19 August 8 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Dave Marcis
20 August 22 Champion Spark Plug 400 Michigan International Speedway David Pearson
21 August 29 Volunteer 400 Bristol International Speedway Cale Yarborough
22 September 6 Southern 500 Darlington Raceway David Pearson
23 September 12 Capital City 400 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Cale Yarborough
24 September 19 Delaware 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Cale Yarborough
25 September 26 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway Cale Yarborough
26 October 3 Wilkes 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Cale Yarborough
27 October 10 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway Donnie Allison
28 October 24 American 500 North Carolina Speedway Richard Petty
29 November 7 Dixie 500 Atlanta International Raceway Dave Marcis
29 November 21 Los Angeles Times 500 Ontario Motor Speedway David Pearson

Race Summaries

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  • Winston Western 500 - Bobby Allison won the pole in Roger Penske's final race fielding a Matador 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 the Wood Brothers Racing team's first Riverside 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]
  • Daytona 500 – From disallowance of qualifying times for A. J. Foyt, Dave Marcis, and Darrell Waltrip to the crashing of race leaders Richard Petty and David Pearson a half-mile from the checkered flag - the finish broadcast live on Wide 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.
  • Carolina 500 – Richard Petty won going away in a race marred by a huge melee on the backstretch where Bobby Allison tumbled.
  • Richmond 400 Cale Yarborough's bid for his first win of the season ended when he crashed with twelve laps to go. Dave Marcis edged Richard Petty in a battle of Dodges.
  • Southeastern 400 Yarborough finally broke through, leading 285 laps and putting runner-up Darrell Waltrip a lap down. Petty lost the point lead to Benny Parsons (who finished third) after a crash with Cecil Gordon and Bill Champion just 64 laps in.
  • 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.
  • Gwyn Staley 400 - Dave Marcis won the pole but finished a distant eighth as Cale Yarborough won at Junior Johnson's home track, leading 364 laps and putting runner-up Richard Petty a lap down. Benny Parsons led 23 laps and finished fourth.
  • Rebel 500 - Pearson ran down Buddy Baker in a race where his father Buck finished sixth. Bobby Allison and Darrell 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.
  • Virginia 500 – Cale Yarborough crashed when Dave Marcis' rearend spilled fluid while dueling for the lead. Darrell Waltrip thus took the win, his first with Gatorade sponsorship.
  • Winston 500 – Buddy Baker qualified twelfth, a run so disappointing his Bud Moore team drove the over four hours back to their Spartanburg, 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, and Dick Brooks eliminated Benny 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.
  • Music City 420  - Yarborough led 398 of 420 laps at the Nashville 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.
  • 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.
  • World 600 – Pearson edged Petty and Cale Yarborough as Bruton Smith made his official return to Charlotte 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.
  • Riverside 400  - Pearson completed a season sweep at Riverside after a race-long chase with Bobby Allison and Yarborough.
  • CAM2 Motor Oil 400 - Cale Yarborough dominated until he lost power due to a blown head gasket (still finishing second) and Pearson took his seventh win of the season. Cale's runner-up finish regained him the point lead as Benny Parsons lost 21 laps and finished 19th.
  • Firecracker 400 - Cale Yarborough edged Pearson and Bobby Allison for his first Daytona win since 1968. A. J. Foyt won the pole.
  • Nashville 420 - Neil Bonnett drove most of the race for pole-sitter Bobby 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 beat Richard Petty and Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip's third place at his home track came following the hiring by DiGard of engine builder Marion "Ducky" Newman, who'd left Bud Moore's team in a salary dispute.
  • 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-sitter Cale 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.
  • Talladega 500 – Dave Marcis took his only Talladega win and the first for crew chief Harry 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, yet Junior 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 manager Mario Rossi and engine builders Carroll "Stump" Davis and Keith Harlan; the team hired Robert Yates to assist Marion Newman.
  • Champion Spark Plug 400 – David Pearson took his eighth win of the season, but first since the June event at Michigan International Speedway. Cale Yarborough finished second; Junior Johnson hired a security guard to watch his engines, suspecting sabotage after back-to-back engine failures.
  • 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.
  • Southern 500 – Pearson took the one race he had sought his entire career. A big wreck occurred after Buddy Baker blew up and spun; behind him Skip 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.
  • Capital City 400 - Bobby Allison made his most determined bid for a win of the season, chasing Cale Yarborough and finished one length back at the finish. Cale increased his point lead over Petty to 44.
  • Delaware 500 - Cale Yarborough made up two laps on two separate occasions and won his second straight race.
  • Old Dominion 500 - Darrell Waltrip won the pole, his second since the hiring of Robert Yates, but could only finish second to Cale as rain cut short the 500-lap race at 340 laps.
  • Wilkes 400 - Yarborough won his fourth straight race and season-leading ninth overall.
  • National 500 - Donnie Allison surprised the field in a backup Hoss 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.
  • 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.
  • Dixie 500 – Dave Marcis took his final superspeedway win after a race-long duel with Yarborough, Pearson, and Buddy Baker; Richard Benyo of Stock 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 of Dick Brooks. Richard Petty's engine failure all but clinched the season championship for Cale Yarborough. During the weekend Penske Racing issued a press release stating Bobby Allison, fresh from victory in a USAC 200-mile stock car race at Texas World Speedway in the Penske Mercury, would return to the team for 1977.
  • 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 owner Junior Johnson) by taking the green flag, only to fall out with transmission trouble after leading 68 laps. Bobby Allison blew his engine simultaneously with his brother Donnie and after the race told Roger Penske he was leaving the team.

Daytona 500

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Main article: 1976 Daytona 500

Dixie 500

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Main article: 1976 Dixie 500

Firecracker 400

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Main article: 1976 Firecracker 400

Gwyn Staley 400

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Main article: 1976 Gwyn Staley 400

Los Angeles Times 500

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Main article: 1976 Los Angeles Times 500

Full Drivers’ Championship

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Further information: List of NASCAR points scoring systems

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

Pos. Driver RSD DAY CAR RCH BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT Pts
1 Cale Yarborough 2 42 3 4 1* 3* 1* 25 2 2 1* 27* 3 7 2* 1* 5 25 26 2* 1* 23 1* 1* 1* 1* 2 5 4 23 4644
2 Richard Petty 25 2 1* 2 27 28 2 23 4 4 2 6 2 9 4 22 2 1 20 3 2 2 3 2 4 3 8 1* 28 27 4449
3 Benny Parsons 5 3 5 9 3 2 4 3 20 26 3 1 5 3 19 7 1 3 39 9 4 7 29 26 5 2 5 31 6 3 4304
4 Bobby Allison 15 25 21 3 5 29 3 18 6 3 5 4 4 2 3 3 7 24 23 4 6 9 2 4 27 29 3 4 26 33 4097
5 Lennie Pond 6 4 30 23 22 4 6 4 22 11 6 8 6 25 7 32 4 5 5 25 8 5 6 34 29 5 7 2 24 2 3930
6 Dave Marcis 8 27 26 1* 4 32 8 5 21 9 7 3 29 10 30 5 6 22 1 5 22 4 7 14 12 17 29 25 1* 24 3875
7 Buddy Baker 28 33 4 29 21 25 26 2* 27 1* 4 5 28 5 5 35 23* 2 2* 31 5 31 5 5 3 4 4* 28 5 39 3745
8 Darrell Waltrip 21 32 2 24 2 5 22 31 1* 33 12 30 11 6 29 39 3 26 37 27 3 3 4 31 2 24 11 3 7 40 3505
9 David Pearson 1* 1 29 1 1 3 37 2 1* 1 1 2 2 4* 1 1* 3 19 6 6 2 1* 3483
10 Dick Brooks 33 41 24 26 6 7 7 35 5 12 7 7 6 8 29 31 3 29 7 6 8 6 6 6 9 8 29 4 3447
11 Richard Childress 7 9 23 6 20 11 9 9 8 24 17 10 17 11 18 12 28 9 8 13 10 36 25 20 10 23 15 27 25 36 3428
12 J. D. McDuffie 19 7 10 21 10 27 5 27 23 27 20 15 25 14 16 24 13 21 7 8 23 25 11 7 21 7 23 26 13 11 3400
13 James Hylton 9 23 19 15 7 31 13 32 12 28 18 17 13 16 35 26 11 17 4 21 13 20 16 9 18 11 18 29 12 5 3380
14 D. K. Ulrich 12 19 17 20 25 21 19 16 16 20 11 12 16 26 12 16 17 38 21 7 11 16 17 8 13 26 30 14 18 25 3280
15 Cecil Gordon 23 18 34 7 28 16 12 11 10 6 14 36 20 12 10 34 15 6 29 26 21 12 13 35 15 13 28 15 23 16 3247
16 Frank Warren 11 10 28 19 14 15 20 17 29 10 10 13 18 20 24 13 12 16 12 23 20 19 26 23 14 22 26 22 27 18 3240
17 David Sisco 29 20 8 23 9 27 13 24 14 9 22 10 8 9 16 10 31 32 14 39 23 11 16 14 19 20 33 30 2994
18 Skip Manning (R) 30 35 30 12 17 11 14 17 16 22 11 33 20 31 9 12 9 14 18 32 12 23 21 13 9 14 8 2931
19 Ed Negre 13 9 13 8 13 17 28 30 32 19 34 27 24 17 37 25 11 27 30 29 26 27 15 22 25 37 13 12 2709
20 Buddy Arrington 11 31 11 9 30 18 24 28 22 26 31 14 11 40 26 7 33 17 35 18 10 11 12 12 16 DNQ 2573
21 Terry Bivins (R) 8 13 5 24 26 22 19 15 12 14 9 32 8 9 25 17 22 7 2099
22 Bobby Wawak DNQ 29 26 26 26 14 10 14 24 10 9 10 10 22 25 8 10 33 10 6 2062
23 Bruce Hill 36 22 18 10 7 8 23 39 37 25 25 27 29 32 19 22 36 30 34 35 11 10 1995
24 Jimmy Means (R) 40 34 31 15 39 23 11 24 23 11 24 19 18 24 27 20 27 23 17 DNQ 1752
25 Dick May 38 16 15 21 14 27 21 18 19 16 16 28 19 17 17 20 30 32 1719
26 Walter Ballard 25 14 19 24 10 QL 9 8 16 22 31 37 26 22 16 DNQ 1554
27 Henley Gray 36 30 23 29 25 33 20 17 11 15 21 12 13 19 36 37 1425
28 Coo Coo Marlin 21 8 6 13 6 8 34 12 8 32 10 30 DNQ 1412
29 Gary Myers DNQ 11 35 27 25 30 27 19 27 27 27 21 29 26 18 34 1296
30 Jackie Rogers 15 12 10 36 9 38 8 15 35 15 19 1173
31 Grant Adcox DNQ 7 12 7 19 12 30 18 13 14 12 20 1163
32 Neil Bonnett (R) 5 8 30 19 39 29 33 38 6 24 28 35 8 1130
33 Tommy Gale DNQ 15 35 22 18 37 21 29 34 40 25 24 17 1005
34 Donnie Allison 34 7 35 6 33 1 7 3 34 988
35 Joe Mihalic 17 12 26 DNQ 18 23 13 13 22 18 981
36 Elmo Langley 10 15 15 13 13 25 15 QL 824
37 Travis Tiller DNQ 18 17 18 26 23 22 33 28 32 DNQ 816
38 Sonny Easley 32 9 10 33 11 15 14 772
39 Joe Frasson 14 8 36 36 30 40 28 30 34 707
40 Jabe Thomas DNQ 27 13 21 14 21 14 648
41 Bill Elliott (R) 33 36 38 23 28 19 14 32 635
42 Dean Dalton 29 15 18 28 11 14 DNQ 633
43 Earle Canavan DNQ 18 17 19 34 36 29 24 DNQ 610
44 Rick Newsom 18 30 20 38 30 24 18 607
45 Tighe Scott 35 17 15 30 6 36 566
46 Terry Ryan 6 5 40 32 9 558
47 Darrell Bryant DNQ 11 20 36 40 9 19 35 40 546
48 Buck Baker 6 34 16 28 36 16 17 24 513
49 Chuck Bown 16 19 28 31 19 481
50 Baxter Price DNQ 16 23 24 21 20 28 479
51 Dick Skillen 31 21 21 17 30 455
52 Sam Sommers 24 DNQ 36 30 36 9 412
53 Ricky Rudd DNQ 23 33 10 DNQ 16 407
54 Jimmy Lee Capps 24 33 21 10 389
55 Bob Burcham DNQ 14 33 30 35 35 374
56 John Utsman (R) DNQ 14 19 12 15 345
57 Harold Miller DNQ DNQ 18 14 20 333
58 Ray Elder 4 4 DNQ 320
59 G. C. Spencer 25 34 17 35 319
60 Jerry Sisco 11 22 26 312
61 Jimmy Insolo 3 8 21 307
62 Don Puskarich 27 21 15 300
63 Earl Brooks 20 32 20 20 273
64 Bill Champion DNQ 28 29 16 270
65 Jack Donohue 19 21 36 261
66 Richard D. Brown 22 24 30 261
67 Junior Miller 14 15 239
68 Jimmy Hensley 25 7 234
69 Roy Smith 20 27 38 234
70 Eddie Bradshaw 18 15 DNQ 227
71 Chuck Wahl 22 13 DNQ 226
72 Bill Schmitt 10 26 219
73 Bruce Jacobi DNQ 37 28 27 DNQ 213
74 Gary Matthews 17 23 206
75 Bill Polich 26 DNQ 17 197
76 Larry LaMay 30 16 188
77 Walter Wallace 28 18 188
78 Ron Esau 14 35 DNQ 179
79 Gary Johnson 29 DNQ 176
80 Carl Joiner 20 31 173
81 Ferrel Harris QL 25 28 167
82 Hugh Pearson 24 30 DNQ 164
83 Johnny Ray (R) 31 28 149
84 Harry Gant 9 138
85 Jim Thirkettle 34 29 137
86 Larry Esau 13 124
87 Jim Vandiver 13 124
88 Gene Felton 16 115
89 Jim Hurtubise 16 115
90 Don Reynolds 18 DNQ 109
91 Budd Hagelin 19 37 106
92 Bill Dennis 21 100
93 Tommy Ellis 21 100
94 Richie Panch 21 100
95 John Dineen 22 DNQ 97
96 Doc Faustina DNQ 24 DNQ 91
97 Clyde Lynn 24 91
98 Glen McDuffie 27 82
99 J. C. Danielson 28 79
100 Glenn Francis 28 79
101 Sterling Marlin 29 76
102 Hershel McGriff 30 32 73
103 Dale Earnhardt 31 19 70
104 Rusty Sanders 31 70
105 John Hamson 32 DNQ 67
106 Dick Trickle 32 67
107 John Haver 33 64
108 Ernie Stierly 33 DNQ 64
109 Sam Beler 34 61
110 Charlie Glotzbach 34 61
111 Harry Jefferson 35 DNQ 58
112 Johnny Kieper 35 58
113 Tom Williams 37 DNQ 52
114 Bobby Isaac 6 38 49
115 Bill Hollar DNQ 39 46
116 Earl Ross 39 46
117 Janet Guthrie 15 15 33 22 20
118 A. J. Foyt 22* 32 4 22 38
119 Neil Castles 25 25 38
120 David Hobbs 34 17
121 Johnny Rutherford 20 31
122 Salt Walther 12
123 Larry Phillips 13
124 Bruce Blodgett 15
125 Ernie Shaw 16
126 Mike Hiss 22
127 Ramo Stott 26
128 Jeff Handy 28
129 Billy McGinnis 34
130 Gordon Johncock 39
131 Al Holbert 40
132 Elliott Forbes-Robinson DNQ
133 Dave Decker DNQ
134 Bill Seifert DNQ
135 Darel Dieringer DNQ
136 Blackie Wangerin DNQ
137 John Banks DNQ
138 Terry Link DNQ
139 Jim Fleming DNQ
140 Jerry Mabie DNQ
141 Jerry Hansen DNQ
142 Earl Ressler DNQ
143 Steve Pfeifer DNQ
144 Richard White DNQ
145 Ross Kusah DNQ
146 Leon Fox DNQ
147 Dennis Wilson DNQ
148 Bryce Mann DNQ
149 Sue Williams DNQ
150 Arlene Hiss DNQ
151 Terry Wood DNQ
152 Don Graham DNQ
153 Jack Simpson DNQ
154 John Weibel DNQ
155 Summer McKnight DNQ
156 Dick Whalen DNQ
157 Chris Monoleos DNQ
158 Norm Palmer DNQ
159 Bill Osborne DNQ
160 Jerry Barnett DNQ
161 Perry Cottingham DNQ
162 Marty Robbins Wth DNQ
Pos. Driver RSD DAY CAR RCH BRI ATL NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT Pts

[2]

References

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  1. ^ Stock Car Racing Magazine, June 1976, p. 25
  2. ^ "1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Central - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
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