The Virginia 500 was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 22, 1979, before a crowd of approximately 35,500 spectators. A field of 30 cars took the green flag for the ninth race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season, with Darrell Waltrip winning the pole position at 83.378 mph in the No. 88 DiGard Chevrolet. The 500-lap race featured five caution periods for 33 laps and was run at an average speed of 75.258 mph. Richard Petty led the most laps with 247 and controlled much of the second half of the event.
Petty drove his STP Chevrolet to a four-second victory over Buddy Baker, with Darrell Waltrip finishing third, Bobby Allison fourth, and Joe Millikan fifth. Petty earned $23,400 for the victory, his third win of the 1979 season. Waltrip’s third-place finish allowed him to increase his lead in the NASCAR Winston Cup championship standings to 86 points over Bobby Allison following the ninth race of the season.
