The 1979 Capital City 400, the 24th race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season, was held on September 9 at Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway. A 26-car field contested 400 laps on the 0.542-mile short track. Dale Earnhardt, returning from broken collarbones suffered in a crash at Pocono, won the pole with a speed of 92.605 mph.
Bobby Allison started second in the #15 Bud Moore Ford and dominated, leading 369 of the 400 laps to win by 11 seconds over Darrell Waltrip. This was Allison’s fifth win of the year and 57th of his Grand National career. Ricky Rudd finished third, Earnhardt fourth, and Cale Yarborough fifth. Allison averaged 80.604 mph through two cautions for 20 laps. The race featured six lead changes among four drivers.
