1977 Old Dominion 500
Encyclopedia
The 1977 Old Dominion 500 was a NASCAR
Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on September 25, 1977 at the historic Martinsville Speedway
; a race track that has been operating since 1947.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races are still held on the track today in addition to the Nationwide Series (started in 1982
) and Camping World Truck Series (started in 1995). Since the track was repaved back in 1976, the one-year-old concrete
surface allowed cars to travel at relatively fast speeds for a short track during the 1970s. All of the race car drivers on the 30-car grid were American
-born males; no women or foreigners actually qualified for the race.
, Virginia
during that area. Had the race been held on this day in the year 2010, temperatures would have reached 93 °F (33.9 °C) - an increase of 16.8 degrees Fahrenheit from the temperatures of 1977. Five hundred laps on a paved oval track spanning 0.252 mile (0.40555368 km) per lap was the official distance of the race dictated by NASCAR. A grand total of 262.5 miles (422.5 km) was calculated from all the laps of the race. Thirteen lead changes were made as a part of the racing action.
Despite popular knowledge shared by non-NASCAR fans, the "500" number that was in the event's title indicated the number of laps that were in the race; as opposed to the number of kilometers or miles that the drivers had to finish. All Martinsville races traditionally advertised the number of laps that a race had because it is a very short track. Cale Yarborough
managed to defeat Benny Parsons
by 8/10ths of a second in front of 33000 live spectators; nine cautions were given out during the event for 57 laps. Neil Bonnett
would qualify for the pole position
with a speed of 87.637 miles per hour (141 km/h) - which would be the equivalent of 87.637 seconds. However, Yarborough would average a speed of 73.447 miles per hour (118.2 km/h) during the entire race.
He would retain his championship hopes after this race; being 219 points ahead of Richard Petty in the 1977 NASCAR Cup Series standings. The other top ten finishers were: David Pearson, Richard Petty
, Sam Sommers, Jimmy Hensley
, Buddy Arrington
, James Hylton
, Jimmy Means
, and Darrell Waltrip
. Baxter Price
would become the event's last-place finisher with a oil
leak on the fourth lap of the race. Chevrolet
vehicles would make up the majority of the grid with Ford
, Dodge
, Mercury
, and Matador
holding a sizeable minority of the vehicles that would compete in this event.
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup Series) racing event that took place on September 25, 1977 at the historic Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
; a race track that has been operating since 1947.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races are still held on the track today in addition to the Nationwide Series (started in 1982
1982 NASCAR Busch Series
The inaugural NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series began on Saturday February 13 and ended on Saturday October 31. Jack Ingram, driving as an owner-driver, won the championship at season's end.-Calendar:Calendar as follows-Goody's 300:...
) and Camping World Truck Series (started in 1995). Since the track was repaved back in 1976, the one-year-old concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
surface allowed cars to travel at relatively fast speeds for a short track during the 1970s. All of the race car drivers on the 30-car grid were American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-born males; no women or foreigners actually qualified for the race.
Historical summary
It took three hours and thirty-four minutes for the race to completely progress from the first green flag to the checkered flag. Temperatures for this race would reach an average of 76.2 °F (24.6 °C); which was considered to be typical autumn weather for the American community of MartinsvilleMartinsville, Virginia
Martinsville is an independent city which is surrounded by Henry County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,821 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Martinsville with Henry County for statistical purposes...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
during that area. Had the race been held on this day in the year 2010, temperatures would have reached 93 °F (33.9 °C) - an increase of 16.8 degrees Fahrenheit from the temperatures of 1977. Five hundred laps on a paved oval track spanning 0.252 mile (0.40555368 km) per lap was the official distance of the race dictated by NASCAR. A grand total of 262.5 miles (422.5 km) was calculated from all the laps of the race. Thirteen lead changes were made as a part of the racing action.
Despite popular knowledge shared by non-NASCAR fans, the "500" number that was in the event's title indicated the number of laps that were in the race; as opposed to the number of kilometers or miles that the drivers had to finish. All Martinsville races traditionally advertised the number of laps that a race had because it is a very short track. Cale Yarborough
Cale Yarborough
William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough , is a farmer, businessman and former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and owner. He is one of only two drivers in NASCAR history to win three consecutive championships...
managed to defeat Benny Parsons
Benny Parsons
Benjamin Stewart Parsons was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst on TBS, ESPN, NBC and TNT...
by 8/10ths of a second in front of 33000 live spectators; nine cautions were given out during the event for 57 laps. Neil Bonnett
Neil Bonnett
Lawrence Neil Bonnett was a NASCAR driver who compiled 18 victories and 20 poles over his 18-year career. The Alabama native currently ranks 35th in all-time NASCAR Cup victories. He appeared in the 1983 film Stroker Ace and the 1990 film Days of Thunder...
would qualify for the 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...
with a speed of 87.637 miles per hour (141 km/h) - which would be the equivalent of 87.637 seconds. However, Yarborough would average a speed of 73.447 miles per hour (118.2 km/h) during the entire race.
He would retain his championship hopes after this race; being 219 points ahead of Richard Petty in the 1977 NASCAR Cup Series standings. The other top ten finishers were: David Pearson, Richard Petty
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...
, Sam Sommers, Jimmy Hensley
Jimmy Hensley
Jimmy Hensley is a former NASCAR driver. With a career spanning 27 seasons in all three of NASCAR's elite divisions, Hensley may be best remembered for his Rookie of the Year award won in 1992, his 15th season in the series, and for his nine career Busch Series wins. He spent most of his career...
, Buddy Arrington
Buddy Arrington
Buddy Arrington is a retired NASCAR Grand National/Winston Cup driver.- Biography :...
, James Hylton
James Hylton
James Harvey Hylton is a part-time race car driver. He is a two-time winner in NASCAR and competes in the ARCA RE/MAX Series,finishing 16th in points in 2006. He made headlines while attempting to qualify for the 2007 Daytona 500 at age 72...
, Jimmy Means
Jimmy Means
James "Jimmy" Means is a former Winston Cup/Nextel Cup owner/driver. Currently, he is an adviser for Front Row Motorsports and owns his own team, Means Racing. He competed in NASCAR for eighteen years in mostly his own equipment, posting seventeen career top-tens...
, and Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Waltrip
Darrell Lee Waltrip is a 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion , 3-time runner-up , winner of the 1989 Daytona 500 and 5-time winner of the prestigeous Coca-Cola 600 ,...
. Baxter Price
Baxter Price
Baxter Price is an American racing driver from Monroe, North Carolina who competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.Price made 90 Winston Cup starts beginning in 1973, often as an owner-driver. He competed nearly full-time in 1978, when he finished a career-best 23rd in points, and 1979 when he...
would become the event's last-place finisher with a oil
Oil
An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
leak on the fourth lap of the race. Chevrolet
Chevrolet
Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918...
vehicles would make up the majority of the grid with Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, Dodge
Dodge
Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, and sport utility vehicles, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler Group LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
, Mercury
Mercury (automobile)
Mercury was an automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company launched in 1938 by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford, to market entry-level luxury cars slotted between Ford-branded regular models and Lincoln-branded luxury vehicles, similar to General Motors' Buick brand, and Chrysler's namesake brand...
, and Matador
AMC Matador
The AMC Matador is a mid-size car that was built and sold by American Motors Corporation from 1971 to 1978. The Matador came in two generations: 1971 to 1973 and a major redesign from 1974 to 1978...
holding a sizeable minority of the vehicles that would compete in this event.