On April 2, 1978, the Southeastern 500 was held at Bristol International Raceway as the sixth race of the 30-race 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, drawing an estimated attendance of 29,000 for a 29-car field contesting 500 laps on the 0.533-mile track.
Neil Bonnett captured the pole with a qualifying speed of 110.409 mph in the #5 Jim Stacy Dodge. Darrell Waltrip, starting seventh in the #88 Gatorade Chevrolet for DiGard Motorsports, scored the victory by one lap over Benny Parsons. Dave Marcis finished third, followed by Cale Yarborough and Lennie Pond. Waltrip collected $19,200 for the win—his 10th career Grand National/Winston Cup victory—and led 208 laps. He averaged 92.401 mph in a race slowed by four cautions for 40 laps.
