1976 American 500
The 1976 American 500 was the 28th official race (out of 30) in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season.

Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Race report
This racing event took place on October 24, 1976, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina. In order to resolve itself, the race took four hours, fifteen minutes, and one second. Six cautions slowed the race for a duration of 35 laps.

As a result, Richard Petty would end up lapping the field as he scores the season sweep at Rockingham. Thirty-two thousand and five hundred live spectators attended this event. David Pearson gained the pole position qualifying at a speed of  but eventually finished in sixth place. Henley Gray was officially recorded as the last-place finisher due to an engine issue on the first lap.

Notable crew chiefs to actively participate in the race were Junie Donlavey, Jake Elder, Harry Hyde, Dale Inman, Bud Moore, Tim Brewer among others.

Richard Petty's teenage son Kyle would attend his father's victory celebrations; getting ready for his NASCAR career. The average speed of the race was . Jack Donohue was the only Canadian competitor out of the 36-car grid.

Qualifying

Finishing order
Section reference: 

 Richard Petty
 Lennie Pond
 Darrell Waltrip
 Bobby Allison
 Cale Yarborough
 David Pearson
 Donnie Allison
 Dick Brooks
 Skip Manning
 Coo Coo Marlin
 Sonny Easley
 Grant Adcox
 Ed Negre
 D.K. Ulrich
 Cecil Gordon
 Buddy Arrington
 Terry Bivins
 Rick Newsom
 Jackie Rogers
 David Sisco
 Jack Donohue
 Frank Warren
 Jimmy Means
 Tommy Gale
 Dave Marcis
 J.D. McDuffie
 Richard Childress
 Buddy Baker
 James Hylton
 Dick May
 Benny Parsons
 Travis Tiller
 Bobby Wawak
 Gary Myers
 Bruce Hill
 Henley Gray

Timeline
Section reference: 
 Start: David Pearson was leading the racing grid as the first official lap commenced
 Lap 2: Bruce Hill blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 5: Gary Myers blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 32: Dave Marcis took over the lead from David Pearson
 Lap 76: Bobby Wawak managed to overheat his vehicle
 Lap 85: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis
 Lap 88: Travis Tiller blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 96: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 117: Benny Parsons blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 127: Dick May blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 171: The rear end of James Hylton's vehicle came off in an unsafe manner
 Lap 180: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis
 Lap 191: Dave Marcis took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 208: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Dave Marcis
 Lap 216: Donnie Allison took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 217: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Donnie Allison
 Lap 227: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 264: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty
 Lap 299: The throttle on Buddy Baker's vehicle was acting badly enough to knock him out of the race
 Lap 322: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 324: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty
 Lap 329: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 363: Richard Childress blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 389: J.D. McDuffie blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 413: Lennie Pond took over the lead from Richard Petty, Dave Marcis blew his engine while driving at high speeds
 Lap 423: Richard Petty took over the lead from Lennie Pond
 Lap 486: Donnie Allison's fuel pump was beginning to cause problems for him
 Finish: Richard Petty was officially declared the winner of the event

Standings after the race