The American 500, held on October 23, 1977, at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, was the 28th race of the 30-event NASCAR Winston Cup Series season. This 500-mile contest covered 492 laps on the 1.017-mile oval, with Donnie Allison securing both the pole and the victory in the #1 Hawaiian Tropic Chevrolet for Hoss Ellington Racing. Allison led an impressive 374 laps in a commanding performance. The top three finishers were Donnie Allison in first, Richard Petty in second (driving the #43 STP Dodge), and Darrell Waltrip in third (in the #88 Gatorade Chevrolet).
Cale Yarborough clinched his second consecutive Winston Cup championship with a fourth-place finish in the #11 Holly Farms Chevrolet for Junior Johnson & Associates, as his points lead proved insurmountable even after Petty’s strong runner-up showing. The race purse totaled $124,775, featured 24 lead changes among nine drivers, and had an average speed of 113.584 mph, marking a notable late-season event in the classic Rockingham fall tradition during the 1970s stock car era.
