The 1979 Southern 500 was a Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) event held at Darlington Speedway on September 3, 1979. Driving for an injured Dale Earnhardt, David Pearson dominated the event, leading 74 of the 367 laps in route to a two-lap victory over Bill Elliott. Points leader Darrell Waltrip struggled to 11th and watched his points lead on Richard Petty (9th) shrink to 162 markers. Stats
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