The 1979 Richmond 400, the fourth race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season, was held on March 11 at the .542-mile Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway after being postponed from its original February 25 date by heavy snowfall. A field of 30 cars competed before 21,000 fans on the short track.
Bobby Allison claimed the pole in his #15 Bud Moore Ford with a speed of 92.957 mph and led much of the early going. Cale Yarborough took control in the #11 Junior Johnson Oldsmobile and led the final 176 laps, winning by six seconds over Allison. Darrell Waltrip finished third, followed by Benny Parsons and Richard Petty. The race featured just three lead changes and was slowed by only two cautions for eight laps, producing an average speed of 83.608 mph. The victory paid Yarborough $16,275 and marked his 60th career Cup win.
