The 1977 Gwyn Staley 400, the sixth race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, was held on Sunday, March 27th at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. The event ran the full scheduled 400 laps on the 0.625-mile short track, covering 250 miles, with an average speed of 88.95 mph and a time of race of 2:48:38. Cale Yarborough, driving the #11 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson & Associates, dominated thoroughly from his second starting position (behind pole-sitter Neil Bonnett in the #71 Dodge), leading 320 laps and securing a convincing victory with a margin of victory of 6.4 seconds over the field. This win, described as an $14,000 birthday gift in contemporary reports, extended Yarborough’s points lead to 120 over Richard Petty and reinforced his championship trajectory in a season where he would claim his second consecutive title. Attendance was reported at 18,500, and the race featured six cautions for 42 laps along with 12 lead changes. Richard Petty finished second in the #43 Dodge, followed by Benny Parsons in third in the #72 Chevrolet, Buddy Baker in fourth in the #15 Ford (one lap down), and Bobby Allison in fifth in the #12 Matador (two laps down).
