On April 9, 1978, the Rebel 500 was held at Darlington Raceway as the seventh race of the 30-race 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, drawing an estimated attendance of 62,000 for a 36-car field contesting 367 laps on the 1.366-mile track.
Bobby Allison captured the pole with a qualifying speed of 151.862 mph in the #15 Norris Industries Ford. Benny Parsons, starting eighth in the #72 1st National City Travelers Checks Chevrolet for L.G. DeWitt, scored the victory by 1.9 seconds over Darrell Waltrip. Lennie Pond finished third, followed by Dave Marcis and Richard Petty. Parsons collected $21,700 for the win—his second of the season—and led 83 laps. He averaged 127.544 mph in a race slowed by seven cautions for 44 laps.












