On April 30, 1972, Martinsville Speedway hosted the Virginia 500, the tenth race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season. A sellout crowd of 29,500 filled the stands to watch a competitive 36-car field tackle the legendary .525-mile paper-clip-shaped short track.
Bobby Allison earned the pole and a new track record in his #12 Richard Howard Chevrolet with a qualifying speed of 84.163 mph. Richard Petty started third in his #43 STP Plymouth. Bobby Isaac was the dominant driver for much of the day, leading four times for a race-high 268 laps, but his engine failed on lap 407.
David Pearson took the lead late but broke a transmission housing with just 30 laps remaining. Petty pounced, taking over the top spot and pulling away to win by a commanding seven full laps over runner-up Bobby Allison. Dave Marcis finished third, followed by Cecil Gordon and Richard Brown. The race was slowed by four cautions for 24 laps, with Petty averaging 72.657 mph over the 500-lap distance. The victory was Petty’s 144th career win and earned him $8,250.
