The 1979 Winston 500, the tenth race of the NASCAR Winston Cup season, was held on May 6 at Alabama International Motor Speedway (Talladega) before roughly 80,000 fans. A 39-car field contested 188 laps on the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Darrell Waltrip claimed the pole in the #88 DiGard Oldsmobile with a speed of 195.644 mph. Bobby Allison started 12th in the #15 Bud Moore Ford and won by almost two full laps over Waltrip, with Buddy Arrington third, Richard Petty fourth, and Joe Millikan fifth. The race featured 21 lead changes and four cautions for 30 laps, averaging 154.770 mph; Allison earned $33,750.
On lap 4 a large multi-car accident erupted when leader Buddy Baker blew a tire, eliminating or damaging many contenders with no serious injuries. Neil Bonnett, driving the Wood Brothers No. 21 Wood Brothers Mercury, dominated by leading 122 laps and building a roughly 40-second advantage before his engine expired on lap 148, handing the lead to Allison for good. Waltrip left Talladega with an 81-point championship lead over Allison.
