The NASCAR Grand National Series held the Virginia 500 at Martinsville Speedway on April 19, 1959, with an attendance of 14,000 fans watching a 40-car field compete on the half-mile oval. Bobby Johns won the pole position with a qualifying speed of 66.03 mph. The race included three cautions and a 30-minute red flag period due to rain. Lee Petty drove the Petty Engineering No. 42 Oldsmobile to victory, averaging 59.512 mph and collecting $3,630 for the win.
Junior Johnson led the race until he was forced to make a pit stop on lap 308, allowing Petty to take the lead. Petty went on to win by five laps over Johnny Beauchamp, who received relief help from Larry Frank. Johnson finished third with relief assistance from Ned Jarrett, followed by Tom Pistone and Roy Tyner. The victory was Petty’s 40th career Grand National win and increased his championship points lead to 608 points over Cotton Owens.
