1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

The 1977 NASCAR Grand National Winston Cup Series was the 29th season of

Winston Cup Championship. Ricky Rudd was crowned NASCAR Rookie of the Year

This was the last season without Terry Labonte until 2015; the team he would join was in 1977 driven by Skip Manning.

Season recap

No	Date	Event	Circuit	Winner
1	January 16	Winston Western 500	Riverside International Raceway	David Pearson
	February 17	125 Mile Qualifying Races	Daytona International Speedway	Richard Petty
	February 17	125 Mile Qualifying Races		Cale Yarborough
2	February 20	Daytona 500		Cale Yarborough
3	February 27	Richmond 400	Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway	Cale Yarborough
4	March 13	Carolina 500	North Carolina Speedway	Richard Petty
5	March 20	Atlanta 500	Atlanta International Raceway	Richard Petty
6	March 27	Gwyn Staley 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	Cale Yarborough
7	April 3	Rebel 500	Darlington Raceway	Darrell Waltrip
8	April 17	Southeastern 500	Bristol International Speedway	Cale Yarborough
9	April 24	Virginia 500	Martinsville Speedway	Cale Yarborough
10	May 1	Winston 500	Alabama International Motor Speedway	Darrell Waltrip
11	May 7	Music City USA 420	Nashville Speedway	Benny Parsons
12	May 15	Mason-Dixon 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	Cale Yarborough
13	May 29	World 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Richard Petty
14	June 12	Riverside 400	Riverside International Raceway	Richard Petty
15	June 19	Cam 2 Motor Oil 400	Michigan International Speedway	Cale Yarborough
16	July 4	Firecracker 400	Daytona International Speedway	Richard Petty
17	July 16	Nashville 420	Nashville Speedway	Darrell Waltrip
18	July 31	Coca-Cola 500	Pocono Raceway	Benny Parsons
19	August 7	Talladega 500	Alabama International Motor Speedway	Donnie Allison*
20	August 22	Champion Spark Plug 400	Michigan International Speedway	Darrell Waltrip
21	August 28	Volunteer 400	Bristol International Speedway	Cale Yarborough
22	September 5	Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	David Pearson
23	September 11	Capital City 400	Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway	Neil Bonnett
24	September 18	Delaware 500	Dover Downs International Speedway	Benny Parsons
25	September 25	Old Dominion 500	Martinsville Speedway	Cale Yarborough
26	October 2	Wilkes 400	North Wilkesboro Speedway	Darrell Waltrip
27	October 9	National 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	Benny Parsons
28	October 23	American 500	North Carolina Speedway	Donnie Allison
29	November 6	Dixie 500	Atlanta International Raceway	Darrell Waltrip
30	November 20	Los Angeles Times 500	Ontario Motor Speedway	Neil Bonnett

Donnie Allison is credited with the win but Darrell Waltrip finished the race for an over-heated Donnie Allison after Darrell Waltrip dropped out of the race after 106 laps. Points are always scored by the driver, who starts the race.

Race Summaries

David Pearson pounced when Cale Yarborough
spun and seized his eleventh race in his last 23 starts, and fourth straight win on a California speedway.

Daytona 500 - Cale Yarborough became only the second driver to win the Daytona 500 more than once, edging Benny Parsons. Richard Petty nearly lost a lap on the start due to an emergency stop on the pace lap; Bobby Wawak's car caught fire on Lap Four and the yellow allowed Petty to get a lap back; he roared through the field and led but fell out with engine failure, his eleventh engine-related failure in the last 37 races.
Richmond 400
- Yarborough led 161 laps as rain cut the event short at 245 laps; it was Cale's twelfth win in the last 37 races.
North Carolina Motor Speedway was repaved in the off-season and the surface proved slick; the lead changed 30 times amid numerous crashes. Richard Petty
pounced after halfway and won handily for the first superspeedway race to finish with an average speed under 100 MPH since 1961.

Atlanta 500

- Petty, Pearson, and Cale had the entire race to themselves and finished 1-2-3 as only two cautions interrupted the 500-miler.

Gwyn Staley 400 - Yarborough led 320 laps en route to the win. Neil Bonnett won his second pole of the season in Harry Hyde
's Dodge.

Rebel 500 - Darrell Waltrip first served notice for the season as a two-car crash with six laps to go brought out the yellow; Waltrip surged as Bobby Allison (subbing for his brother Donnie in Hoss Ellington
's Chevy) and Petty were racing to the line; all three hit the line abreast and Waltrip was declared the winner by inches as the race ended under yellow.

Bristol International Raceway as he led all but five laps and was seven laps ahead of runner-up Dick Brooks
, this thanks in part to only two brief yellows.

Virginia 500 - Darrell Waltrip led 51 laps in challenging Cale and also Benny Parsons
but fell out with brake failure. Parsons led 83 laps but was no match for Cale; the win was Yarborough's fifth of the season and 15th of the last 43 races.

Winston 500 - The race lead changed 63 times among 11 drivers as Donnie Allison led over 70 laps. Richard Petty exploded from ninth to the lead on Lap Six but fell out on Lap 153 with engine failure. On the final lap Darrell Waltrip led with Allison second, Cale Yarborough third, and Benny Parsons
fourth; Waltrip swung low in Turn Two to break the draft, and a mad scramble ensued where Cale rocketed to the high side in Three but was sideswiped by Waltrip and Parsons tried to shoot the gap; Cale edged Parsons for second as Waltrip broke away to the win.

Music City 420 - Benny Parsons
ended Yarborough's streak of short track wins when he grabbed the lead with 38 laps to go after Cale had led 275 straight laps; it was the first win for Parsons in the season.

David Pearson broke away to the win, his sixth of the season, increasing his point lead to 202 over third-place finisher Richard Petty
.

World 600 - Before Petty Enterprises left for the Charlotte Motor Speedway engine builder Maurice Petty created a race motor that had the same horsepower as their qualifying motor; Richard unleashed that horsepower leading 311 laps and winning by over half a lap; he broke away from early battles with Pearson and Donnie Allison and past halfway executed a risky three-abreast pass in the trioval around Pearson and Bobby Allison driving Benny Parsons' Chevrolet in relief with Coo Coo Marlin's lapped car involved. Cale Yarborough
broke a water pump and lost 50 laps getting repairs; his point lead was thus sliced nearly in half, to 108 points.

NAPA 400 - Petty broke away from the field for the final 63 laps and beat Pearson and Cale for his fourth win of the year; Petty and Pearson finished together in the top two for the 63rd and what turned out to be final time.

Michigan 400 - Cale Yarborough got back on track with a dominant win at Michigan International Speedway
, his first there since 1970. He was critical of the track's surface, which had buckled in spots due to a hard winter: "My car jumped out of gear three times."

J.D. Stacy; the former K&K Insurance #71 was renumbered and painted white with red lettering; a cylinder faltered on the start and Bonnett limped home eighth. After Cale and Bobby Allison fought for the lead in the first 49 laps with A. J. Foyt and Darrell Waltrip (the lead changed 28 times in that span) Richard Petty
took over, leading 92 of the last 111 laps. "I wish people would stop complaining about the Chevrolets," said Waltrip (second at the end). "A Dodge won the pole here and Petty's Dodge blew my doors off." Cale's transmission broke and after replacing the transmission he finished 14 laps down in 23rd, saying, "When Old Blue (Petty) wanted to go, he went." Petty cut Cale's point lead to 17.

Nashville 420 - Darrell Waltrip led the last 251 laps for an easy win, but scoring headaches (due to pit road being the track's infield quarter-mile oval) left second and third place in dispute; Bobby Allison finished a lap down in second and Richard Petty finished third.
Coca-Cola 500 - NASCAR mandated cylinder changes for Ford engines that gave them some 20 extra horsepower, though David Pearson believed "we need 40" to battle the Chevrolets. The race lead changed hands 47 times officially as Benny Parsons flexed the most muscle he'd shown in the season to that point. Darrell Waltrip won the pole, his first on a superspeedway, and photos from this Pocono race were used in an October story on Waltrip in Sports Illustrated. Richard Petty rallied from a flat tire in the first twenty laps; he closed on Parsons in the final laps but finished a close second. Parsons led 118 laps for his second win of the year, while Cale Yarborough finished sixth with damage from a crash with Buddy Baker at lap 120; Petty thus took the point lead by eight points over Cale and Junior Johnson
stated the car simply wasn't strong enough.

pay phones and the names of crewmen frantically telephoning to order new fuel cells were taken down. Thus were Junior Johnson, Hoss Ellington, Bud Moore, M.C. Anderson, and DiGard Racing caught with illegal fuel cells and fined. Donnie Allison fought for the lead as it changed 49 times on a brutally hot day; he fell ill after drinking a bottle of soda and needed a relief driver; Darrell Waltrip arrived in the Hoss Ellington pit and drove the final 40 laps, beating Cale Yarborough and Skip Manning
for the win, the final time entering the 2023 season a relief driver got the win. Cale was second despite complaining afterward that his car was stuck in fourth gear and was "the sorriest Chevrolet on the track"; with Petty finishing 11th with a burned valve, Cale retook the point lead and would never look back.

Champion Spark Plug 400 - Moved to Monday following Sunday rains, the 400-miler at Michigan International Speedway was won by Darrell Waltrip. It was the first Grand National race run following the passing of 1970 champion Bobby Isaac
.

Volunteer 500 - Yarborough grabbed his eighth win of the season, edging Darrell Waltrip
under caution.

David Pearson pounced to the win, only his second of the season. Following the race Ulrich confronted Yarborough about the wreck, and Cale responded, "I didn't hit you, Jaws did. Jaws
Waltrip." Ulrich started laughing upon recognizing the reference and it became a catchphrase for fans about Waltrip.

Capital City 400 - Dodge Chargers finished 1-2 as Neil Bonnett, heavily coached by crew chief Harry Hyde, edged Richard Petty
for his first Grand National win and the first for team owner J.D. Stacy.

Delaware 500 - Benny Parsons and Donnie Allison combined to lead 470 of 500 laps as Parsons grabbed his third win of the season and Donnie finished fourth. Neil Bonnett, fresh off his first career win, won the pole and led 20 laps. Cale Yarborough finished third and added 77 points to his lead as Richard Petty
fell out with engine failure.

Old Dominion 500 - Yarborough grabbed his ninth win of the season on a very hot day, so hot an exhausted Yarborough called for the track to shorten the distance of its races, which earned an angry rebuke from H. Clay Earles
.

Wilkes 400 - Richard Petty's fading title hopes took another blow at North Wilkesboro Speedway. Petty led 199 laps from the pole but crashed after being sideswiped by the lapped car of Bobby Allison. Darrell Waltrip
took the win and in postrace interviews said the race was easy according to what he called "The Cale Scale," a mocking reference to Yarborough's complaint about fatigue the week earlier.

Penske Racing's Chevrolet, and following the race the Chevy equipment was sold to businessman Rod Osterlund and Marcis was tabbed as the new team's driver; the Mercury racecars of the Penske team meanwhile were sold to Georgia youngster Bill Elliott
.

American 500 - Donnie Allison dominated the weekend for his second win of the year and ninth career Winston Cup Grand National win. Cale Yarborough clinched the championship despite a runner-up finish by Petty. Darrell Waltrip raced despite incurring injuries at Riverside International Raceway
and also after being kicked by a mule during a parade days before the race. "I ran into a wall and got stepped on by a mule," Waltrip said afterward.

Dixie 500 - Rain delayed the race to the doorstep of darkness and cut its distance to 268 laps. On the final lap with darkness close to enveloping the track, Darrell Waltrip, using the lapped car of James Hylton as a pick, stormed past Donnie Allison and stole the win; Donnie crashed with Cale Yarborough
at the stripe, finishing fourth.

NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series until the 2013 Daytona 500 when Danica Patrick
would lead laps.

Full Drivers’ Championship

(key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led.

Pos.	Driver	RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	NWS	DAR	BRI	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	ONT	Pts
1	Cale Yarborough	2*	1*	1*	6	3*	1*	16	1*	1*	2	2*	1	24	3	1*	23	4	6	2	5*	1*	5	4	3	1*	2	2	4	5	3	5000
2	Richard Petty	3	26	6	1*	1	2	3	3	3	20	5	3	1*	1*	2	1*	3	2	11	8	22	4	2	23	4	24*	32	2	6	2	4614
3	Benny Parsons	21	2	3	12	26	3	5	5	2	3	1	6	3	27	3	3	18	1*	24	3	3	25	3	1*	2	5	1*	7	3	12	4570
4	Darrell Waltrip	9	7	2	2	7	7	1	19	21	1	3	4	6	26	35	2	1*	3	22	1	2	6*	7	5	10	1	5	3	1	29	4498
5	Buddy Baker	12	3	9	4	5	4	7	29	24	33	6	9	5	5	6	7	6	27	6	30	15	3	27	6	21	9	4	29	7	4	3961
6	Dick Brooks		5	27	22	23	6	9	2	6	7	22	5	8	12	7	9	5	5	39	6	4	34	8	8	26	8	6	5	37	6	3742
7	James Hylton	14	10	8	9	38	9	32	7	17	18	11	33	28	14	11	39	19	10	9	16	9	13	9	16	8	12	14	13	26	9	3476
8	Bobby Allison	35	15	5	27	41	5	29	6	19	40	7	8	39	17	10	17	2	4	7	26	28	39	6	9	23	4	26	6	9	7	3467
9	Richard Childress	6	23	10	17	19	8	17	8	10	21	26	21	14	8	34	19	27	17	20	33	8	8	26	7	15	6	16	18	21	10	3463
10	Cecil Gordon	11	17	13	10	16	13	12	17	13	16	13	12	22	9	21	11	20	21	16	19	29	19	17	21	18	15	37	23	20	32	3294
11	Buddy Arrington		38	24	14	11	10	14	14		19	15	11	18	19	19	22	9	15	12	14	10	14	25	13	7	10	17	12	17	19	3247
12	J. D. McDuffie	29	13	16	15	31	22	19	20	9	26	24	13	25	33	20	24	8	14	8	20	18	12	13	12	17	23	15	10	27	20	3236
13	David Pearson	1	21		32	2		4*		5	22		2*	2	2	5	4		28	37	2		1		2	3		3	27	2	5	3227
14	Skip Manning		36	18	8	28	26	23	12	27	23	21	17	10	10	27	16	7	8	3	12	7	38	15	19	13	13	35	8	13	DNQ	3120
15	D. K. Ulrich	15	14	28	23	29	20	34	26	15	31	14	20	34	11	16	41	14	34	18	18	11	27	14	31	12	22	19	33	18	21	2901
16	Frank Warren	25	11	30	35	27	16	27	13		13	29	26	26	15	30	21	12	19	10	23	13	17	20	22	11	21	33	35	23	16	2876
17	Ricky Rudd (R)		22	26	19			22	10		28	10	27	17		28	36	10	7	4	7	16	7	11	32	27	7	24	25	8	8	2810
18	Neil Bonnett	17	37	7	5	12	21	33	4	12	29			7			8	21		25		17		1*	17	22	3	8	28	38	1*	2649
19	Jimmy Means		8	29	28	20	27	20	9	8	34	9	29	19		14	20	29	20	36	17	27		10	14	9	11	28	22	40	DNQ	2640
20	Tighe Scott (R)	DNQ	16	11	33	25	23	26	28	14	17		14	16		31	27	13	13	27	11	5	32	18	24	20		25	34	19	17	2628
21	Sam Sommers (R)		31		7	13		13	15	28	10			9		8	10	24	32	26	4	20	29		10	5	14	34	17	28	38	2517
22	Ed Negre	27	29	15	13	39	28	24	25	25	41		15	35					16		31	12	11	16	15	24	17	22	24	35	27	2214
23	Janet Guthrie (R)		12	12		30			11		32					26	40	15	11	34	10	6	16	12	11			9	9	16	24	2037
24	Donnie Allison		30		3	4		2		26	4*			33		24	6			1*			2		4*	28		36	1*	4*	42	1970
25	Dave Marcis	4	28	4	24	6	12	6	21	20	5	4		36		4					22							23	31	36	14	1931
26	Tommy Gale (R)		DNQ		21	22		21		23	15		18	37		23	38		25	14	32		18	24	26			21	15		22	1689
27	Dick May		DNQ										16	21					24	17		24	31	19	20	14	20	13	14	32		1324
28	Henley Gray	32	QL	19	16	33	14	28	23	18	39	25	32	38		22		17														1214
29	Bruce Hill		25		36	10		10		7	27		35	31		32	30			35	13		9					41	26	15		1213
30	Lennie Pond				34	9		31		4			7	4			33			5			28	5	30	25		30	36			1193
31	Butch Hartman		DNQ					11			25			23		9	18		9	29	25		35					31		12		1116
32	Ferrel Harris							18	18	16	14	20	19			36						14	33	22			25					1088
33	Baxter Price												24				25	16	22		34	26	21	21	37	30	18		16			1086
34	Coo Coo Marlin		4			8					8	8		12			13	11		40			26					12		10		1004
35	Bill Elliott		DNQ		30	32								15		15	35			23	29		10					10		11		926
36	Gary Myers (R)				11		11	15		29		12	22					26	30				15		34							888
37	David Sisco		DNQ			QL	19		22		30	19	30	32		25	34	22		28												847
38	Terry Bivins		QL	14	26	24	17	30		11	9												24									841
39	G. C. Spencer		DNQ			21		8						20			14			31			37					18		25		785
40	Terry Ryan		18								35	27		29		17	12				9											702
41	Joe Mihalic		DNQ		29			25											18	32	24		40		18				21			683
42	Elmo Langley			20					16			23	31					28			35					16						634
43	Dean Dalton	DNQ				37		35				30	34								21	23			29				19		DNQ	620
44	Earl Brooks		DNQ	25	25		25					17	25									25										552
45	Bobby Wawak	18	42							30						18					15		22						11	29		522
46	Harold Miller					17								27			28			13	28									30		470
47	Junior Miller			17	31		18		24																		26					467
48	Rick Newsom			23			29		27			16	28	DNQ										28	27							446
49	Ramo Stott		27			15					11			40			32															440
50	Grant Adcox		34								37						26	25		15										22		413
51	Sonny Easley	5													7																26	386
52	Ralph Jones		DNQ									18						23				19	30									382
53	Ronnie Thomas																		33						25	19			30			331
54	Morgan Shepherd		DNQ										10	13																33		322
55	Walter Ballard		19	22																							16					318
56	Norm Palmer	23													6																34	305
57	Earle Canavan							36					23						35		36		23								DNQ	301
58	Jimmy Lee Capps		33		18	18																										282
59	Jim Hurtubise		35			42											15								39							259
60	Chuck Bown	13													25																39	258
61	Jimmy Hensley									22																6						247
62	Travis Tiller																					21				29			32		DNQ	243
63	Roy Smith	22	39												23																	237
64	Roland Wlodyka															29			31				36					39			15	219
65	Bill Schmitt	19													30																41	219
66	Ron Hutcherson		32								6			11			29			Wth								11			DNQ	217
67	Hershel McGriff	7	DNQ												34																	207
68	Jim Thirkettle	16													24																	206
69	Elliott Forbes-Robinson		40		20	36																										201
70	Bob Burcham		9																											34		199
71	Chuck Wahl	26													18																	194
72	Bill Seifert															12									33							191
73	Eddie Bradshaw	10													DNQ																37	186
74	Richard White	DNQ													22																25	185
75	Gary Johnson	20													29																DNQ	179
76	Mike Kempton																	30					20									176
77	Marty Robbins															13				38												173
78	Kenny Brightbill																		12						40							170
79	Peter Knab										12									33								20				167
80	Larry LaMay						24		30																							164
81	Jocko Maggiacomo																		26		27				28						DNQ	164
82	Ernie Stierly	DNQ													20																35	161
83	Don Puskarich	30													28																DNQ	152
84	Hugh Pearson	8																														142
85	John Dineen	DNQ													13																DNQ	124
86	Joe Ruttman																														13	124
87	Jody Ridley					14																										121
88	Robin Schildknecht		DNQ	21			15																		DNQ							118
89	Harry Jefferson																														18	109
90	Jim Vandiver		20																													103
91	Harry Goularte														21																DNQ	100
92	Marv Acton																							23	38							94
93	Joe Frasson		DNQ								24																					91
94	Gary Matthews	24																													DNQ	91
95	Jim Raptis		DNQ																	30								40		39		89
96	Bill Baker	28													16																DNQ	79
97	John Borneman																														28	79
98	Paul Dean Holt											28																				79
99	Greg Heller																		29													76
100	Dick Trickle																											29				76
101	Harry Gant													30																		73
102	Don Graham	DNQ																													30	73
103	Carl Joiner	31																														70
104	Ron McGee																														31	70
105	Summer McKnight	DNQ													31																	70
106	Ray Elder														32																DNQ	67
107	Glenn Francis	33																													DNQ	64
108	Vince Giaformaggio																														33	64
109	John Kennedy															33																64
110	Jimmy Insolo	34													4																	61
111	Nestor Peles																		23						35							58
112	Phil Finney		DNQ			35																										58
113	Don Noel	DNQ													35																DNQ	58
114	Johnny Kieper																														36	55
115	Dick Skillen		DNQ								36																					55
116	Steve Stolarek																								36						DNQ	55
117	Raymond Williams												36																			55
118	Dale Earnhardt																											38				49
119	A. J. Foyt		6			34					38						5											7			11
120	Johnny Rutherford		41			40														21
121	Roger Hamby																										19			31
122	Billy McGinnis		DNQ																											14
123	Steve Moore																			19
124	Randy Myers																												20
125	Bill Osborne																														23
126	Salt Walther		24
127	Blackie Wangerin		DNQ																											24
128	Tom Sneva																											27
129	Lella Lombardi																31
130	Christine Beckers																37
131	Roger McCluskey																														40
132	Ivan Baldwin	DNQ
133	Nick deCourville	DNQ
134	J. C. Danielson	DNQ
135	Steve Behr	DNQ
136	John Soares Jr.	DNQ
137	Ron Esau	DNQ
138	Dennis Wilson	DNQ
139	Bryce Mann	DNQ
140	Chris Monoleos	DNQ
141	Mike Hiss	DNQ
142	John Hamson	DNQ													DNQ
143	Jack Simpson	DNQ													DNQ																DNQ
144	Steve Pfeifer	DNQ																													DNQ
145	Johnny Barnes		DNQ
146	Joe Booher		DNQ
147	Charlie Blanton		DNQ
148	A. J. Reno		DNQ
149	Jabe Thomas		DNQ																												DNQ
150	Bruce Jacobi													DNQ
151	Joseph Schultz																														DNQ
152	Bennie Vaught																														DNQ
153	Mike Brockman																														DNQ
154	Rocky Moran																														DNQ
Pos.	Driver	RSD	DAY	RCH	CAR	ATL	NWS	DAR	BRI	MAR	TAL	NSV	DOV	CLT	RSD	MCH	DAY	NSV	POC	TAL	MCH	BRI	DAR	RCH	DOV	MAR	NWS	CLT	CAR	ATL	ONT	Pts

^[1]

References

^ "1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Central - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-29.

External links

Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1977

[1] "1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Central - The Third Turn". www.thethirdturn.com. Retrieved 2021-04-29.

[1]