In 1976, the fall NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway wasn’t run on the Charlotte Motor Speedway ROVAL. And it’s a safe bet no one even thought of the event being conducted on anything else than the 1.5-mile oval that was the mainstay at CMS.
The National 500 on Oct. 10 is significant for a couple of reasons. It was the first victory for Donnie Allison and Wilmington, N.C.-based team owner Hoss Ellington, who were in their second season together.
It was also the race in which Cale Yarborough, in his fourth season with Junior Johnson, came away with a second-place finish that almost guaranteed him his first Cup Series championship.
Allison’s career had been spotty. The younger brother of NASCAR great Bobby Allison started on the Cup circuit in 1966. He raced for 21 years, but not once did he compete on the full schedule.
His most successful stretch came over four seasons, 1968-1971 during which he won six races with team owners Banjo Matthews and the Wood Brothers.
He became associated with Ellington in 1976 as part of a two-car operation that included AJ Foyt.
Meanwhile, Yarborough became a force in NASCAR during his tenure with Johnson, which began in 1973 when he replaced the departed Bobby Allison.
Incidentally, Allison’s split with Johnson came as something of a surprise, given that their one season together in 1972 produced 10 victories and a strong challenge for the championship, won by rival Richard Petty.
Suffice it to say that during the course of the campaign, Allison and Johnson began to have serious differences. Johnson was aware that Yarborough was anxious to revive his Cup career, which he had put aside to spend a couple of years in open-wheel cars and pursuit of the Indianapolis 500.
The story goes that Johnson placed a phone call to Allison during the early morning hours late in the ’72 season.
“Listen, we want to know what you want to do next year because right now we have a chance to sign the best stock car driver out there,” Johnson said.
Irritated and probably half-asleep, Allison said, “Then get him!” and hung up the phone.
If not the best, Yarborough certainly drove like one in his first three years with Johnson, during which he won 17 races and finished in second place in the final point standings twice.
The same year Yarborough joined Johnson, Donnie Allison signed on with the fledgling DiGard Racing Co. of Florida. The union produced some good…
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