The 1976 Los Angeles Times 500, the final race of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, was held on November 21 at Ontario Motor Speedway in Ontario, California.
David Pearson, driving the #21 Wood Brothers Mercury, dominated the 200-lap, 500-mile event on the 2.5-mile superspeedway. He secured the pole with a speed of 153.964 mph and led 121 laps, winning by a full lap over Lennie Pond in a race that saw only four lead changes. Pearson averaged 137.101 mph over the three-hour-and-thirty-eight-minute contest before a crowd of 44,702, earning $27,715 for his 10th victory of the season and 97th career win. Benny Parsons finished third, followed by Dick Brooks in fourth and James Hylton in fifth.
The race featured two cautions for 19 laps amid significant mechanical attrition, including blown engines, transmission failures, and clutch issues that sidelined many top contenders. Cale Yarborough, who clinched his first Winston Cup championship by taking the green flag, finished the season 195 points ahead of Richard Petty. Yarborough finished 23rd with clutch failure while Petty ended up 27th with engine trouble.
Skip Manning was named Rookie of the Year despite Terry Bivins scoring more points in the standings. The event highlighted the season’s top performers—Pearson, Yarborough, Petty, Parsons, and Bobby Allison—while showcasing Ontario’s unique multi-sanctioning facility history. High attrition allowed several independents strong finishes in a competitive close to the year.
