Earl Ross won the 1974 Old Dominion 500, his only NASCAR Cup Series victory.
The race was held on September 29, 1974, at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia. Ross drove the No. 52 Chevrolet for Junior Johnson & Associates and started 11th. He took the lead late after Cale Yarborough’s engine problems and won by more than one lap over Buddy Baker.
Ross’s victory was historic beyond the result: he became the first Canadian to win a NASCAR Cup Series race and, at the time, the first rookie to win a Cup event since 1965. He remained Canada’s only Cup winner for decades, although other Canadian drivers later competed successfully in NASCAR’s national series.
A common mix-up is confusing Ross’s win with victories by Canadian road-racing stars such as Ron Fellows or Jacques Villeneuve. Neither won a NASCAR Cup Series race. Ross made 26 Cup starts and never again reached Victory Lane.