The 1979 Volunteer 500, the 22nd race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season, was held on August 25 at Bristol International Raceway. A 30-car field contested 500 laps on the high-banked half-mile. Richard Petty won the pole—his final career pole as a driver.
Darrell Waltrip started fifth in the DiGard Gatorade Chevrolet and won over Petty by 1.8 seconds. Bobby Allison finished third, Benny Parsons fourth, and Cale Yarborough fifth. Parsons led a race-high 254 laps, Allison 106, Petty 77, and Waltrip 33. The race averaged 91.493 mph through six cautions for 60 laps and featured 18 lead changes. Waltrip earned $13,510 for the victory.
