Southern 500
Darlington Raceway — January 1, 1978
Cale Yarborough
Winner
367
Laps
40
Entries
10
Leaders
Cale Yarborough won the 1978 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on January 1, 1978, leading 203 of 367 laps. Darrell Waltrip finished second; Richard Petty rounded out the podium. The race featured 10 different leaders.
Race Details
Date
Sunday, January 1, 1978
Track
Season
1978
Winner
Leaders
10 drivers
| Pos | Start | +/- | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | +5 | Cale Yarborough |
| 2 | 2 | — | Darrell Waltrip |
| 3 | 9 | +6 | Richard Petty |
| 4 | 19 | +15 | Terry Labonte |
| 5 | 3 | -2 | Bobby Allison |
| 6 | 16 | +10 | Bill Elliott |
| 7 | 25 | +18 | James Hylton |
| 8 | 29 | +21 | Buddy Arrington |
| 9 | 28 | +19 | Ronnie Thomas |
| 10 | 4 | -6 | Benny Parsons |
| 11 | 35 | +24 | Jimmy Means |
| 12 | 40 | +28 | Frank Warren |
| 13 | 33 | +20 | Tommy Gale |
| 14 | 32 | +18 | Gary Myers |
| 15 | 31 | +16 | Baxter Price |
| 16 | 14 | -2 | Dale Earnhardt |
| 17 | 36 | +19 | Joe Frasson |
| 18 | 39 | +21 | Ralph Jones |
| 19 | 18 | -1 | Roger Hamby |
| 20 | 24 | +4 | J.D. McDuffie |
| 21 | 34 | +13 | Ed Negre |
| 22 | 38 | +16 | Bob Burcham |
| 23 | 23 | — | Tighe Scott |
| 24 | 7 | -17 | Donnie Allison |
| 25 | 11 | -14 | Dick Brooks |
| 26 | 5 | -21 | Lennie Pond |
| 27 | 21 | -6 | Richard Childress |
| 28 | 1 | -27 | David Pearson |
| 29 | 17 | -12 | D.K. Ulrich |
| 30 | 15 | -15 | Coo Coo Marlin |
| 31 | 22 | -9 | Grant Adcox |
| 32 | 12 | -20 | Buddy Baker |
| 33 | 37 | +4 | Blackie Wangerin |
| 34 | 8 | -26 | Neil Bonnett |
| 35 | 10 | -25 | Dave Marcis |
| 36 | 13 | -23 | Ricky Rudd |
| 37 | 30 | -7 | Bobby Wawak |
| 38 | 26 | -12 | Dick May |
| 39 | 27 | -12 | Earle Canavan |
| 40 | 20 | -20 | Bruce Hill |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the 1978 Southern 500?
Cale Yarborough won the 1978 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway driving for Junior Johnson & Associates.
Where was the 1978 Southern 500 held?
The 1978 Southern 500 was held at Darlington Raceway on January 1, 1978.