The Coca-Cola 500, held on July 31, 1977, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, was the 18th race of the 30-event NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. This 500-mile event covered 200 laps on the 2.5-mile tri-oval “Tricky Triangle” track. Benny Parsons secured the victory in the #72 King’s Row Fireplace Chevrolet for L.G. DeWitt Racing after starting fourth and leading 118 laps. The top three finishers were Benny Parsons in first, Richard Petty in second (driving the #43 STP Dodge), and Darrell Waltrip in third (in the #88 Gatorade Chevrolet from the pole, his first superspeedway pole).
Cale Yarborough (in the #11 Holly Farms Chevrolet for Junior Johnson & Associates) finished sixth in this race, but his championship pursuit continued strong towards a second consecutive season title. The race purse totaled $105,150 and featured an impressive 47 lead changes among eight drivers. The event lasted three hours and 53 minutes with an average speed of 128.379 mph, and included cautions and strategy plays typical of Pocono’s unique layout. Attendance was estimated at 58,000 for the mid-summer classic.
