On September 27, 1959, Martinsville Speedway hosted the Virginia Sweepstakes 500, a unique 500-lap race that mixed convertibles and hardtops. A crowd of 13,500 watched a 47-car field take the green flag on the .525-mile dirt oval.
Glen Wood won the pole with a speed of 69.471 mph driving a convertible. In a competitive race slowed by seven cautions, Rex White (in a hardtop) took control late, leading the final 195 laps to win by a comfortable margin and earn $3,250. Glen Wood finished second, followed by Jim Reed, Tommy Irwin, and Speedy Thompson. White averaged 60.500 mph for the victory — his fifth win of the 1959 season.
The race also had championship implications: Lee Petty’s 10th-place finish was enough to mathematically clinch the 1959 Grand National title. He left Martinsville with a commanding 1,380-point lead over Cotton Owens, with only three races remaining in the season.
