The 1979 Southern 500, the 23rd race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season, was held on September 3 at Darlington Raceway before 60,000 fans. A 40-car field contested 367 laps on the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval. Bobby Allison won the pole with a speed of 154.880 mph. David Pearson, driving the #2 Osterlund Chevrolet in place of the injured Dale Earnhardt, started fifth and won by two laps plus four seconds over Bill Elliott in the #17 George Elliott Mercury. Terry Labonte finished third, followed by Buddy Baker in fourth, and Benny Parsons in fifth.
Pearson led 74 laps and averaged 126.259 mph through nine cautions for 52 laps, earning $29,925. Darrell Waltrip dominated much of the race by leading 165 laps but fell to 11th after late-race incidents. The event featured 18 lead changes among seven drivers and marked Pearson’s final start for the Osterlund team.














