On September 4, 1978, the Southern 500 was held at Darlington Raceway as the 22nd race of the 30-race NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, drawing an estimated attendance of 65,000 for a 40-car field contesting 367 laps on the 1.366-mile track.
David Pearson captured the pole with a qualifying speed of 153.685 mph in the #21 Purolator Mercury for the Wood Brothers. Cale Yarborough, starting sixth in the #11 1st National City Travelers Checks Oldsmobile for Junior Johnson & Associates, scored the victory by three seconds over Darrell Waltrip. Richard Petty finished third with relief help from Dave Marcis, followed by Terry Labonte and Bobby Allison. Yarborough collected $30,175 for the win—his fourth Southern 500 victory—and led a race-high 203 laps. He averaged 116.828 mph in a race that featured 21 lead changes and was slowed by nine cautions for 72 laps.
