The Talladega 500, held on August 7, 1977, at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama, was the 19th race of the 30-event NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. Benny Parsons won the pole position in the #72 King’s Row Fireplace Chevrolet for DeWitt Racing with a qualifying time of 49.698 seconds, while attendance reached 65,000 spectators for this hot summer superspeedway showdown.
The race covered 188 laps on the 2.66-mile tri-oval, with Donnie Allison claiming victory in the #1 Hawaiian Tropic Chevrolet for Hoss Ellington Racing after starting second and leading a race-high 92 laps. Allison did require relief from Darrell Waltrip late in the event due to illness from drinking a soda during a pit stop. The top three finishers were Donnie Allison in first, Cale Yarborough in second (driving the #11 Holly Farms Chevrolet and Skip Manning in third (in the #92 Chevrolet. The race lasted three hours and four minutes with an average speed around 164 mph. The race had 49 lead changes among ten drivers and concluded under the fifth yellow of the day following a late incident. This mid-season classic at the world’s fastest track highlighted Donnie Allison’s strong performance and contributed to Yarborough’s points resurgence, aiding his path to a second consecutive championship.
