1976 Daytona 500
Encyclopedia
In the 1976 Daytona 500, Richard Petty
was leading on the last lap when he was passed on the backstretch by David Pearson. Petty tried to turn under Pearson coming off the final corner, but didn't clear Pearson. The contact caused the drivers to spin in to the grass in the infield just short of the finish line. Petty's car didn't start, but Pearson was able to keep his car running and limp over the finish line for the win. 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
.
won his only career NASCAR pole position
. There was a major speed discrepancy between cars in their qualification runs. Top teams were qualifying in the 178 miles per hour (286.5 km/h) to 179 miles per hour (288.1 km/h) range and a few teams qualified in the 186 miles per hour (299.3 km/h) range. Two of the teams who qualified in the 186 miles per hour (299.3 km/h) range were disqualified after NASCAR inspectors found suspicious extra fuel line
s. Some teams attributed these lines to performance-enhancing nitrous oxide
. One driver later admitted that he deliberately qualified slower to let the time from "offending" teams stick out.
Richard Petty
Richard Lee Petty is a former NASCAR driver who raced in the Strictly Stock/Grand National Era and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series...
was leading on the last lap when he was passed on the backstretch by David Pearson. Petty tried to turn under Pearson coming off the final corner, but didn't clear Pearson. The contact caused the drivers to spin in to the grass in the infield just short of the finish line. Petty's car didn't start, but Pearson was able to keep his car running and limp over the finish line for the win. 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
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
Qualifying
USAC stock car racer Ramo StottRamo Stott
Ramo Stott is a retired American stock car driver from Keokuk, Iowa. He competed in NASCAR Winston Cup, USAC stock car, and ARCA.-USAC:...
won his only career NASCAR pole position
Pole position
The term "pole position", as used in motorsports, comes from the horse racing term where the number one starter starts on the inside next to the inside pole. The term made its way, along with several other customs, to auto racing. In circuit motorsports, a driver has pole position when he or she...
. There was a major speed discrepancy between cars in their qualification runs. Top teams were qualifying in the 178 miles per hour (286.5 km/h) to 179 miles per hour (288.1 km/h) range and a few teams qualified in the 186 miles per hour (299.3 km/h) range. Two of the teams who qualified in the 186 miles per hour (299.3 km/h) range were disqualified after NASCAR inspectors found suspicious extra fuel line
Fuel line
A fuel line is a hose used to bring fuel from one point in a vehicle to another or from a storage tank to a vehicle. It is commonly made of reinforced rubber to prevent splitting and kinking....
s. Some teams attributed these lines to performance-enhancing nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
. One driver later admitted that he deliberately qualified slower to let the time from "offending" teams stick out.