On April 29, 1973, Martinsville Speedway hosted the Virginia 500 for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. A crowd of 29,000 watched a 34-car field tackle the .525-mile short track. David Pearson grabbed the pole in the #21 Wood Brothers Mercury with a qualifying speed of 86.369 mph.
Cale Yarborough dominated much of the afternoon in his #11 Chevrolet, leading 311 of the first 394 laps and appearing headed for victory. However, a late caution period for an infield emergency while Yarborough was pitting allowed Pearson to move into the lead lap. Pearson capitalized perfectly, winning by 12 seconds over Yarborough. Bobby Isaac finished third, followed by Buddy Baker and Cecil Gordon.
The race was slowed by seven cautions for 49 laps, resulting in an average speed of 70.251 mph. Pearson earned $11,250 for the victory. James Hylton, who finished 10th, left the race as the points leader with a slim 14.75-point margin over Yarborough.
