On April 28, 1974, Martinsville Speedway hosted the Virginia 500, shortened to 450 laps due to the ongoing energy crisis. A crowd of 32,000 turned out for the 30-car field on the .525-mile short track.
Cale Yarborough won the pole in his #11 Kar Kare Chevrolet with a speed of 84.362 mph and proceeded to dominate the event. He led 421 of the 450 laps, showcasing exceptional consistency on the tricky paper-clip layout. Richard Petty mounted a late charge but fell just short, finishing second by 2.1 seconds. Bobby Allison took third, followed by Benny Parsons and Lennie Pond.
The race was slowed by a season-high 12 cautions for 70 laps, contributing to an average speed of 70.427 mph. There were four lead changes among three drivers. Yarborough earned a hefty $20,000 payday for his 22nd career victory. The win extended his points lead to 37.98 over Richard Petty.
