The 1969 Old Dominion 500, the 46th race of the NASCAR Grand National season, was held on September 28 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, drawing roughly 20,000 fans for a 40-car field on the short 0.525-mile track. David Pearson captured the pole with a qualifying speed of 83.197 mph. Richard Petty, starting sixth in a Petty Enterprises Ford, took the lead for good on lap 465 and held on to win by six seconds over Pearson after 500 laps.
Buddy Baker finished third after leading a race-high 243 laps in his Dodge before losing a cylinder and ending up four laps down, followed by James Hylton and Buddy Arrington. The race lasted nearly four hours (3:57:37) and was slowed by eleven cautions for 61 laps, with Petty averaging just 63.127 mph. He earned $10,085 for the victory—his tenth of the season and the 101st of his career—in a contest that saw eleven lead changes among six drivers, including early dominance by Cale Yarborough.
