The 1976 Los Angeles Times 500 was a NASCAR

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 racing event that took place on November 21, 1976 at Ontario Motor Speedway

Ontario Motor Speedway

The Ontario Motor Speedway, located in Ontario, California, east of Los Angeles, was the first and only automobile racing facility built to accommodate major races sanctioned by all of the four dominant racing sanctioning bodies: IndyCar Series and USAC for open-wheel oval car races; NASCAR for a ...

 in Ontario

Ontario, California

Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, U.S.A.. Each copy of the souvenir magazine was an inexpensive $2 USD per copy ($ in today's money).

Summary

There were 40 drivers on the racing grid; 39 of them were born in the United States of America

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 while Roy Smith

Roy Smith (racecar driver)

Roy Smith is a former NASCAR driver and part of a Victoria-era racing family—brother Al and son Gary have raced.-Career:...

 was born in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. 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 ,...

 would earn the last-place finish of the race due to an engine

Engine

An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert energy into useful mechanical motion. Heat engines, including internal combustion engines and external combustion engines burn a fuel to create heat which is then used to create motion...

 issue on lap 10 out of 200. David Pearson managed to defeat Lennie Pond

Lennie Pond

Lennie Pond is a former NASCAR driver. He won NASCAR Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honors in 1973, and won his only race at Talladega Superspeedway in 1978 for Ronnie Elder and Harry Ranier....

 by at least one lap in front of 44,702 people. There were four lead changes and two cautions for 19 laps in this three-hour and thirty-eight minute race. The other drivers who finished in the top ten were: Benny Parsons

Benny Parsons

Benjamin Stewart Parsons was an American NASCAR driver, and later an announcer/analyst on TBS, ESPN, NBC and TNT...

, Dick Brooks

Dick Brooks

Richard "Dick" Brooks was an American NASCAR driver. Born in Porterville, California, he was the 1969 NASCAR Rookie of the Year, and went on to win the 1973 Talladega 500...

, 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...

, Bobby Wawak

Bobby Wawak

Bobby Wawak was an American NASCAR driver from Villa Park, Illinois. He made 141 Grand National/Winston Cup starts, with 14 Top 10 finishes.-Local racing:...

, Terry Bivins

Terry Bivins

Terry Bivins is a retired NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver whose career spanned from 1975 to 1977.-Summary:He managed to lead only six laps out of 7,901 - the equivalent of . For starting an average of 20th place and finishing an average of 17th, Bivins earned a grand total of $61,725 in total...

, Skip Manning

Skip Manning

Skip Manning is a former NASCAR driver from Bogalusa, Louisiana. He competed in seventy-nine Winston Cup events in his career, spanning from 1975 to 1979. Manning won the rookie-of-the-year award in 1976...

, Terry Ryan, Bruce Hill

Bruce Hill

Bruce Edward Hill is a former professional American football player who selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 1987 NFL Draft with a draft pick the Buccaneers had received for trading Steve Young. A 6'0", 175-lb. wide receiver from Arizona State, Hill played his entire NFL...

, and J.D. McDuffie

J.D. McDuffie

John Delphus McDuffie was a NASCAR Winston Cup driver. He raced in the top division of NASCAR from 1963 to 1991. McDuffie had 106 top-tens in his Cup Series career...

. Pearson would earn 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 top speed of 153.964 miles per hour (247.8 km/h) while the average speed of the race would only be 137.101 miles per hour (220.6 km/h).

Former IndyCar driver Mike Hiss

Mike Hiss

Mike Hiss is a former driver in the USAC Championship Car series. He raced in the 1972-1976 seasons, with 28 career starts, including the Indianapolis 500 in 1972-1975. He finished in the top ten 13 times, with his best finish in 2nd position in 1972 at Ontario...

would make his only NASCAR start here.