On May 28, 1978, the World 600 was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway as the 12th race of the 30-race 1978 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season, drawing an estimated attendance of 125,000 for a 40-car field contesting 400 laps on the 1.5-mile track.
David Pearson captured the pole with a qualifying speed of 160.551 mph in the #21 Purolator Mercury for the Wood Brothers. Darrell Waltrip, starting 17th in the #88 Gatorade Chevrolet for DiGard Motorsports, scored the victory by two seconds over Donnie Allison. Bobby Allison finished third, followed by Cale Yarborough and David Pearson. Waltrip collected $48,608 for the win—his fourth of the season—and led a race-high 144 laps. He averaged 138.355 mph in a race slowed by six cautions for 32 laps.
