1976 Gwyn Staley 400
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 30 in the 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series | |||
 North Wilkesboro Speedway | |||
| Date | April 4, 1976 | ||
| Official name | Gwyn Staley 400 | ||
| Location | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro, North Carolina | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 0.625 miles (1.005 km) | ||
| Distance | 400 laps, 250 mi (402 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching as warm as 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 18.8 miles per hour (30.3 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 96.858 miles per hour (155.878 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 18,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver |
K&K Insurance Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | |
| Laps | 364 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Cale Yarborough | Junior Johnson & Associates | |
| Television in the United States | |||
Network | untelevised | ||
| Announcers | none | ||
The 1976 Gwyn Staley 400 was a
Background
Three drivers entered the 1970 Wilkes 400 in a very close points race. Bobby Isaac was just ahead of James Hylton, and Bobby Allison was close behind. But Richard Petty, who was out of the points because of a shoulder injury suffered at Darlington in May, was considered the favorite to win the race. Isaac started from the pole for a record-tying fourth consecutive time, matching Fred Lorenzen and Herb Thomas with a qualifying lap time of 21.346 seconds / 105.406 mph. Fans were given quite a show as Isaac and Petty exchanged the lead a total of 11 times throughout the race. Isaac, in the Nord Krauskopf's K&K Insurance Dodge, led 179 laps and took the win by six car lengths over Petty. Petty, who had started the race in the third-place position, would lead the most laps in the race with 216. Bobby Allison started fourth and finished fourth behind his brother, Donnie Allison. And Hylton finished fifth at the end of the day. Isaac advanced to become the 1970 Winston Cup Champion at season's end, with Allison being the runner-up in points.
Bad weather in 1971 caused the Wilkes 400 to be postponed to November 21. Due to the
The Wilkes 400 in 1972 was one of the wildest finishes in NASCAR Cup Series history. Buddy Baker won the pole in the No. 71 K&K Insurance Dodge owned by Nord Krauskopf, but he only led the first lap of the race. Richard Petty and Bobby Allison swapped the lead for the rest of the race, beating and banging each other for the win. At times was more of a demolition derby than a race. Both cars were destroyed by the end, with Allison's car noticeably smoking. This was the peak of the Petty-Allison rivalry. Petty was declared the winner, but in Victory Lane, a fan tried to attack him. But he was defended by his helmet-wielding brother, Maurice Petty. This was Richard Petty's last of 137 wins in a Plymouth.
In the Gwyn Staley 400 of 1973, Bobby Allison landed on the pole with a qualifying lap of 21.077 seconds / 106.750 MPH. Richard Petty qualified on the outside pole, and in dominating fashion he led 386 laps, winning by over four laps. It was Petty's tenth career win at North Wilkesboro and his 151st career NASCAR victory. Benny Parsons led six laps and finished second. Buddy Baker finished third in the No. 71 K&K Insurance Dodge owned by Nord Krauskopf. Allison would end up leading seven laps and finished fourth in the race. Cecil Gordon rounded out the top five finishers. Yvon DuHamel, a top AMA road racer from Quebec, drove a Mercury prepared by Junie Donlavey and finished in tenth place in his only career Cup race. Twenty of the 30 cars that entered the race were running at the finish.
In the Wilkes 400 of 1973 Bobby Allison, driving for his own No. 12 Coca-Cola team won the pole position. He and Richard Petty led most of the race, Allison with 161 and Petty with 222. As Petty led the race late, Allison pitted and got fresh tires on a late pit stop, running down Petty and passing him on the final lap. It was considered as one of the most exciting races ever at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
In 1975 the
Race report
There were 28 American-born drivers who participated in this race; Jeff Handy finished in last place due to an engine problem on the third lap of this 400-lap race. David Sisco would be knocked out of the race on lap 12 due to a missing rear end while Buddy Baker would be forced to leave the race on lap 38 due to an overheating car. Problems with the vehicle's brakes would relegate Neil Castles to the sidelines on lap 125 while Richard D. Brown would take his vehicle to the garage on lap 172 due to a missing rear end. Problems with the vehicle's rear end would also end Baxter Price's racing weekend on lap 278. Darrell Waltrip's temperamental transmission would force his vehicle to exit the race on lap 291 as the final DNF of the race.[2]
Jabe Thomas was the lowest-finishing driver to finish the race.[2] He was 51 laps behind the leaders.[2]
Marcis, who was described as having his "best season ever" to that point in the year,
Bill Champion would retire from NASCAR competition following the event,[8] along with last-place finisher Jeff Handy.[9]
Results
Race results
References
- ^ "1976 Gwyn Staley 400 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f "1976 Gwyn Staley 400". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ St. Petersburg Times. St. Petersburg, FL. April 5, 1976. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Yarborough bounces to win in Gwyn Staley 400 event". Rome News-Tribune. Rome, GA. April 5, 1976. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ Garrett, Jerry (April 4, 1976). "Staley Competition Tough for Dick Petty". The Robesonian. Lumberton, NC. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Marcis On Pole For Staley 400". The Ledger. Lakeland, FL. April 3, 1976. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Junior Miller - NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Bill Champion - NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "Jeff Handy - NASCAR Sprint Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
- ^ "1976 Gwyn Staley 400 Results". ESPN. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
External links
- 1976 Gwyn Staley 400 at Race Database