The 1977 Champion Spark Plug 400, held on August 22nd at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan was Race 20 of the 1977 NASCAR Winston Cup Series and drew an enthusiastic crowd of about 35,000 spectators to the 2‑mile superspeedway. David Pearson captured the pole position for the event in his Wood Brothers Mercury, but Darrell Waltrip, driving the No. 88 DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet, paced the field throughout much of the southern Michigan afternoon, leading a race‑high 120 of the scheduled 200 laps before taking the checkered flag for the victory. Waltrip’s win came over a competitive field that included Pearson and Benny Parsons, who finished second and third respectively, as the race saw multiple lead changes and strategic drafting battles typical of Michigan’s high‑speed layout. The contest was contested cleanly with relatively few stoppages, and the average speed was about 137.944 mph across the 400‑mile distance, underscoring the brisk, fast‑paced nature of the event. Waltrip’s triumph at Michigan came as part of a breakthrough season that solidified his status among NASCAR’s top drivers in 1977.
