Sunday 24th October 1976

Richard Petty turned in a dominant second half to roll to victory in the American 500, leading 193 of the 492 laps at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham. Petty, who led all but 10 of the final 164 laps, finished more than a lap ahead of runner-up Lennie Pond. Darrell Waltrip — the Hall of Famer who famously finished second to Pond in the 1973 NASCAR Rookie of the Year vote — came in third, three laps down. 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 117.718 miles per hour (189.449 km/h).