In the 1976 Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville Speedway on September 26, a 30-car field drew 32,000 fans. Darrell Waltrip earned the pole with a qualifying speed of 88.484 mph. Cale Yarborough drove to victory in dramatic fashion, beating Waltrip by 14 seconds after rain shortened the race to 340 laps. Buddy Baker finished third, followed by Richard Petty in fourth and Benny Parsons in fifth.
The event saw just three cautions for 27 laps, with Yarborough averaging 75.370 mph and pocketing $22,700 for the win—his eighth victory of the season and third in a row. Yarborough led 273 laps in the #11 Junior Johnson Chevrolet. The triumph boosted his points lead to 79 over Petty as he solidified his championship run on the .525-mile track.
