1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400

1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400

Race details[1]
Race 15 of 30 in the 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season
Layout of Michigan International Speedway
Date	June 19, 1977
Official name	Cam 2 Motor Oil 400
Location	Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.000 mi (3.218 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643 km)
Weather	Hot with temperatures approaching 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 16.9 miles per hour (27.2 km/h)
Average speed	135.033 miles per hour (217.315 km/h)
Attendance	61,200[2]
Pole position
Driver	David Pearson	Wood Brothers Racing
Most laps led
Driver	Cale Yarborough	Junior Johnson & Associates
Laps	106
Winner
No. 11	Cale Yarborough	Junior Johnson & Associates
Television in the United States
Network	untelevised
Announcers	none

The 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that was held on June 19, 1977, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan.

Only manual transmission vehicles were allowed to participate in this race; a policy that NASCAR has retained to the present day.

Background

Michigan International Speedway is a four-turn superspeedway that is 2 miles (3.2 km) long.^[3] Opened in 1968, the track's turns are banked at eighteen degrees, while the 3,600-foot-long front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at twelve degrees.^[3] The back stretch, has a five degree banking and is 2,242 feet long.^[3]

Summary

36 qualifying drivers filled up the grid for this 200-lap event; all of them were born in the United States of America.^[2] Bill Seifert would return after a five-year absence from NASCAR in order to bedazzle the spectators; a 12th-place finish ended being "in the cards" for him.

Ferrel Harris was credited with the last-place finish due to difficulties with his engine on the ninth lap. Donnie Allison would be the highest place finisher not to finish the race; he acquired a similar problem on lap 176. Cale Yarborough would defeat NASCAR racing legend Richard Petty by a mere ten seconds. More than 61,000 fans would see nearly three hours of professional stock car racing. Most of the vehicles in the running either belong to the Ford or Chevrolet manufacturers. Benny Parsons, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and future NASCAR on FOX personality Darrell Waltrip would duel amongst each other for the lead early on in the race. Winnings for each driver varied from a then-incredible $20,625 for the race winner ($79,134.77 when adjusted for inflation) to a humble $1,300 for the last-place finisher ($5,076.5 when adjusted for inflation).^[2] The total prize purse of this race was $123,005 in American dollars ($480,334.19 when adjusted for inflation).^[4]

Janet Guthrie was the lone female competitor in this male-dominated racing event. Richard Childress, then a driver/owner, competed in this race and finished in 35th place (after starting out in 8th place).^[2] Roland Wlodyka would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in this race.^[5] After this race, Bill Elliott would start to dominate the racing that took place at Michigan International Speedway. Elliott's debut at this Irish Hills race track in addition to his 15th-place finish quickly taught him how to excel on that particular track.

Finishing order

1. Cale Yarborough
2. Richard Petty
3. Benny Parsons
4. Dave Marcis
5. David Pearson
6. Buddy Baker
7. Dick Brooks
8. Sam Sommers
9. Butch Hartman
10. Bobby Allison
11. James Hylton
12. Bill Seifert
13. Marty Robbins
14. Jimmy Means
15. Bill Elliott
16. D.K. Ulrich
17. Terry Ryan
18. Bobby Wawak
19. Buddy Arrington
20. J.D. McDuffie
21. Bobby Wawak
22. Buddy Arrington
23. Tommy Gale
24. Donnie Allison*
25. David Sisco
26. Janet Guthrie
27. Skip Manning*
28. Ricky Rudd*
29. Roland Wlodyka*
30. Frank Warren*
31. Tighe Scott*
32. Bruce Hill*
33. John Kennedy*
34. Richard Childress*
35. Darrell Waltrip*
36. Ferrel Harris*

* Driver failed to finish race

Standings after the race

Pos	Driver	Points[2]
1	Cale Yarborough	2531
2	Richard Petty	2428
3	Benny Parsons	2254
4	Darrell Waltrip	2140
5	Buddy Baker	2050

References

1. Weather information for the 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
2. 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 racing information at Racing Reference
3. "Michigan International Speedway". CBS Sports. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
4. 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
5. 1977 Cam 2 Motor Oil 400 racing information at Race Database