The 1979 NASCAR Winston Cup Series ran 31 races from January 14 to November 18. Richard Petty won his seventh and final championship in the No. 43 STP Chevrolet for Petty Enterprises, beating Darrell Waltrip by just 11 points (4,830 to 4,819) through sheer consistency: 5 wins, 23 top-5s, and 27 top-10s. Waltrip, in the No. 88 Chevrolet for DiGard Motorsports, led the series with 7 victories but couldn’t overcome Petty’s reliability in the tight points chase.
The season’s biggest highlight was the Daytona 500, the first NASCAR race aired live flag-to-flag on CBS. Petty won, but a last-lap crash between Donnie Allison and Cale Yarborough triggered a wild post-race fight involving Yarborough and the Allison brothers, boosting NASCAR’s national fame.
Dale Earnhardt took Rookie of the Year in his first full season with Rod Osterlund Racing. The title was decided in the finale at Ontario Motor Speedway, where Petty’s fifth-place finish sealed it after Waltrip hit late-race issues. 1979 combined close competition, rising stars, and a TV breakthrough that helped NASCAR explode in popularity.
Winston West 500
January 14, 1979
Daytona 500
February 18, 1979
Carolina 500
March 4, 1979
Richmond 400
March 11, 1979
Atlanta 500
March 18, 1979
Northwestern Bank 400 March 25, 1979
Southeastern 500
April 1, 1979
Rebel 500
April 8, 1979
Virginia 500
April 22, 1979
Winston 500
May 6, 1979
Music City USA 420
May 12, 1979
Mason-Dixon 500
May 20, 1979
World 600
May 27, 1979
Texas 400
June 3, 1979
NAPA 400
June 10, 1979
Gabriel 400
June 17, 1979
Firecracker 400
July 4, 1979
Busch Nashville 420
July 14, 1979
Coca-Cola 500
July 30, 1979
Talladega 500
August 5, 1979
Champion S.P. 400
August 19, 1979
Volunteer 500
August 25, 1979
Southern 500
September 3, 1979
Capital City 400
September 9, 1979
CRC Chemicals 500 September 16, 1979
Old Dominion 500 September 23, 1979
NAPA National 500
October 7, 1979
Holly Farms 400
October 14, 1979
American 500
October 21, 1979
Dixie 500
November 4, 1979
LA Times 500
November 18, 1979
