The 1979 Mason-Dixon 500 was a 500-lap NASCAR Winston Cup Series race held on May 20, 1979, at Dover Downs International Speedway in Delaware. A crowd of 36,000 fans watched a relatively small 31-car field take the green flag on the one-mile concrete oval.
Darrell Waltrip won the pole position with a speed of 136.103 mph. The race was slowed by six cautions for 48 laps. Neil Bonnett, driving the #21 Wood Brothers Mercury in just his third start with the team, scored a dramatic victory. He beat Cale Yarborough by a narrow two car lengths with an average race speed of 111.269 mph. Buddy Baker finished third, followed by Bobby Allison in fourth and Dale Earnhardt in fifth. Bonnett earned $17,750 for the win — his third career NASCAR victory and his first with the legendary Wood Brothers team.
Following the race, Bobby Allison left Dover as the points leader, holding a 30-point advantage over Darrell Waltrip.
