In the 1972 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway on September 24, a 36-car field drew a capacity crowd of 31,000 fans. Bobby Allison secured the pole with a qualifying speed of 85.890 mph. Richard Petty started fourth in his Plymouth and claimed a dramatic victory, edging Bobby Allison by just six seconds after 500 laps. David Pearson finished third, followed by Buddy Baker in fourth and Jimmy Hensley in fifth.
The race was slowed by eight cautions, with Petty averaging 69.989 mph and earning $7,350 for the win—his 147th career victory. Allison dominated early, leading a race-high 432 laps, but Petty passed him on lap 462 and held on for the victory. Notably, this marked LeeRoy Yarbrough’s final career start; he drove the Bill Seifert Ford and finished 30th after an accident.
