1976 Daytona 500
The 1976 Daytona 500, the 18th running of the event, happened on Feb. 15th, 1976 at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Fl. It is remembered for the late-race duel and accident between David Pearson and Richard Petty. Many fans consider this finish to be the greatest in the history of NASCAR. The end of the race was televised live on American network ABC.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 2 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
|
1976 Daytona 500 program cover | |||
| Date | February 15, 1976 | ||
| Location |
Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S. | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 77 °F (25 °C); wind speeds approaching 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 152.181 miles per hour (244.912 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |
| Norris Reed | |
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Dave Marcis | Nord Krauskopf | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Darrell Waltrip | DiGard Motorsports | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | A. J. Foyt | Ellington Racing | |
| Laps | 66 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 21 | David Pearson | Wood Brothers Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ABC's WWOS | ||
| Announcers |
Bill Flemming Jackie Stewart Chris Economaki | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
12.8/37 (18.3 million viewers) | ||
These were the first Daytona 500 starts for Neil Bonnett, Terry Ryan, Salt Walther, D. K. Ulrich, Roy Smith, Jimmy Lee Capps, Skip Manning, Tighe Scott, Dick May, and Jimmy Means. For Terry Bivins, Johnny Ray, Dr. Dick Skillen, David Hobbs, and Tom Williams, this would be their only Daytona 500 start. Joe Frasson, Jackie Rogers, David Sisco, and Earl Ross would make their last Daytona 500s this year.