The 1970 Old Dominion 500, held on October 18 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia, drew about 22,000 fans for a 30-car field. Bobby Allison took the pole with a speed of 82.167 mph. Richard Petty started fourth in his Petty Enterprises Plymouth and dominated, leading 480 of the 500 laps to win by a full lap over Allison. Cale Yarborough finished third, followed by Bobby Isaac and Donnie Allison. Petty averaged 72.235 mph in a race slowed by five cautions for 32 laps and collected $8,775 for the victory.
Only 10 cars finished the event. The small finishing field stemmed from a protest by independent drivers and teams, who were angered that $10,000 in extra qualifying prize money went largely to factory-backed entries; many parked their cars early in a staged walkout after just a handful of laps, leaving a thinned-out but competitive contest among the remaining cars.
