The following is an overview of the events of 1979 in motorsport including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people.
The calendar includes only annual major non-championship events or annual events that had significance separate from the championship. For the dates of the championship events see related season articles.
| Date | Event | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 26December-14 January | 1st Dakar Rally | [1] |
| 3–4 February | 17th 24 Hours of Daytona | [2] |
| 18 February | 21st Daytona 500 | [3] |
| 27 May | 37th Monaco Grand Prix | [4] |
| 27 May | 63rd Indianapolis 500 | [5] |
| 3–9 June | 62nd Isle of Man TT | [6] |
| 9–10 June | 47th 24 Hours of Le Mans | [7] |
| 21–22 July | 31st 24 Hours of Spa | [8] |
| 29 July | 2nd Suzuka 8 Hours | [9] |
| 20 September | 20th Hardie-Ferodo 1000 | [10] |
| 6–7 October | 8th 24 Hours of Nurburgring | [11] |
| 18 November | 26th Macau Grand Prix | [12] |
| Date | Month | Name | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | February | Valentino Rossi | Italian | Motorcycle racer | MotoGP World champion (2001-2005, 2008-2009). | [13] |
| 18 | April | Anthony Davidson | British | Racing driver | FIA World Endurance champion (2014). | [14] |
| 2 | July | Sam Hornish Jr. | American | Racing driver | Indianapolis 500 winner (2006). | [15] |
| 25 | December | Robert Huff | British | Racing driver | World Touring Car champion (2012). | [16] |
| Date | Month | Name | Age | Nationality | Occupation | Note | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | June | Louis Chiron | 79 | Monegasque | Racing driver | The first Monegasque Formula One driver. 1931 French Grand Prix winner. | [17] |
