In front of a crowd of 80,000, Bud Moore Engineering driver Buddy Baker became the first driver to win three NASCAR Winston Cup races in a row at Alabama International Motor Speedway when he beat Cale Yarborough by a whopping 35 seconds in the Winston 500. Baker, who had qualified outside of the top 10, led 135 of 188 laps on the way to the victory, his only win of the 1976 season and last win of his career while driving for Moore.
Unlike modern-day superspeedway races, the era before restrictor plates often saw top drivers spaced out in the field. Baker and Yarborough were the only finishers on the lead lap; third place Bobby Allison was a lap down, fourth place Richard Petty was down two, and no other driver finished within four laps of the leader.
METAL FUEL + RUBBER 