The 1976 Wilkes 400 was held on October 3 at North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina. The 0.625-mile short track hosted the 400-lap (250-mile) NASCAR Winston Cup event with a 30-car field and an attendance of 16,500.
Darrell Waltrip won the pole in his No. 88 DiGard Chevrolet with a qualifying speed of 107.449 mph. Cale Yarborough dominated the race in the No. 11 Junior Johnson Chevrolet. He took the lead on lap 109 and led the rest of the way, winning by a full lap over Benny Parsons.
Richard Petty finished third, Buddy Baker fourth, and Dick Brooks fifth. Yarborough earned $11,885 for the victory with an average speed of 96.380 mph. The race saw two cautions for just nine laps. This strong performance gave Yarborough a 99-point lead over Petty in the championship standings.
