Race: National 500
NASCAR Winston Cup Series: Race 28 of 31
Date: October 11, 1981
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
← Holly Farms 400 | 1981 Season Results | American 500 →
National 500 Race Information
| Winner | Darrell Waltrip | Car | No. 11 Buick |
| Team / Owner | Junior Johnson | Sponsor | Mountain Dew |
| Winner Start | 1st | Winner Laps Led | 127 |
| Started First | Darrell Waltrip | Most Laps Led | Neil Bonnett (135) |
| Race Distance | 501 miles (334 laps) | Track Length | 1.5 miles |
| Track Type | Paved oval | Starters | 41 |
| Total Purse | $306,025 | Winner Earnings | $51,600 |
| Different Leaders | 13 | Lead-Lap Finishers | 3 |
| Points Leader After Race | Darrell Waltrip | Season Race | 28 of 31 |
National 500 Race Results
| Fin | Start | No. | Driver | Sponsor | Team / Owner | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Points | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Mountain Dew | Junior Johnson | Buick | 334 | 127 | running | 180 | $51,600 |
| 2 | 17 | 28 | Bobby Allison | Hardee's | Harry Ranier | Chevrolet | 334 | 17 | running | 175 | $27,400 |
| 3 | 8 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Gatorade | DiGard Racing | Buick | 334 | 0 | running | 165 | $29,925 |
| 4 | 22 | 55 | Tommy Ellis | Industrial Boiler | Tommy Ellis | Chevrolet | 333 | 1 | running | 165 | $11,400 |
| 5 | 30 | 47 | Ron Bouchard | J.D. Stacy | Jack Beebe | Buick | 332 | 0 | running | 155 | $12,180 |
| 6 | 19 | 72 | Rusty Wallace | Childs Tire | John Childs | Buick | 331 | 0 | running | 150 | $6,750 |
| 7 | 14 | 1 | Geoffrey Bodine | Zervakis Racing | Emanuel Zervakis | Buick | 331 | 11 | running | 151 | $7,050 |
| 8 | 34 | 24 | Morgan Shepherd | Washington Freightliner | Cecil Gordon | Buick | 331 | 0 | running | 142 | $8,195 |
| 9 | 18 | 13 | Jack Ingram | Carolina Tool | Bobby Hawkins | Ford | 329 | 0 | running | 138 | $4,400 |
| 10 | 33 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Kyle Petty's Boot Barn | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | 328 | 0 | running | 134 | $7,175 |
| 11 | 21 | 4 | Connie Saylor | Apache Stove | G.C. Spencer | Oldsmobile | 328 | 0 | running | 130 | $3,850 |
| 12 | 37 | 8 | Jimmy Means | Negre Racing | Norman Negre | Dodge | 327 | 0 | running | 127 | $3,750 |
| 13 | 25 | 62 | Rick Wilson | Florida Equipment & Service | Rick Wilson | Oldsmobile | 326 | 0 | running | 124 | $3,650 |
| 14 | 41 | 99 | D.K. Ulrich | Ulrich Racing | D.K. Ulrich | Buick | 326 | 0 | running | 121 | $6,115 |
| 15 | 13 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Truxmore / Sunny King | Junie Donlavey | Ford | 326 | 1 | running | 123 | $7,805 |
| 16 | 36 | 36 | H.B. Bailey | Almeda Auto Parts | H.B. Bailey | Pontiac | 324 | 0 | running | 115 | $3,250 |
| 17 | 40 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Bailey Excavating | J.D. McDuffie | Pontiac | 322 | 0 | running | 112 | $5,835 |
| 18 | 5 | 37 | Tim Richmond | Rogers Auto Leasing | Bob Rogers | Buick | 317 | 10 | engine | 114 | $5,650 |
| 19 | 10 | 2 | Joe Ruttman | J.D. Stacy | Jim Stacy | Buick | 276 | 0 | engine | 106 | $10,050 |
| 20 | 15 | 42 | Kyle Petty | STP | Petty Enterprises | Buick | 259 | 6 | crash | 108 | $6,475 |
| 21 | 23 | 6 | Bob Senneker | J.D. Stacy | Jim Stacy | Pontiac | 256 | 0 | crash | 100 | $1,975 |
| 22 | 28 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Sunny King Ford & Honda | Elmo Langley | Ford | 246 | 0 | clutch | 97 | $3,890 |
| 23 | 6 | 44 | Terry Labonte | J.D. Stacy | Billy Hagan | Buick | 234 | 6 | engine | 99 | $8,375 |
| 24 | 11 | 75 | Gary Balough | Chaparral Trailers | Rahmoc Enterprises | Buick | 226 | 0 | crash | 91 | $4,880 |
| 25 | 24 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Wrangler | Richard Childress | Pontiac | 220 | 2 | ignition | 93 | $4,920 |
| 26 | 26 | 23 | Charlie Glotzbach | Oxford Speedway | Dick Bahre | Buick | 218 | 0 | handling | 85 | $1,275 |
| 27 | 27 | 98 | Johnny Rutherford | Levi Garrett | Ron Benfield | Buick | 216 | 0 | engine | 82 | $1,250 |
| 28 | 29 | 14 | Sterling Marlin | Coors | Coo Coo Marlin | Chevrolet | 193 | 0 | clutch | 79 | $1,225 |
| 29 | 7 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Warner Hodgdon / National Eng. | Wood Brothers | Ford | 190 | 135 | engine | 86 | $12,450 |
| 30 | 9 | 43 | Richard Petty | STP | Petty Enterprises | Buick | 180 | 15 | engine | 78 | $9,125 |
| 31 | 3 | 27 | Cale Yarborough | Valvoline | M.C. Anderson | Buick | 153 | 2 | engine | 75 | $2,100 |
| 32 | 32 | 40 | Ronnie Thomas | McWhirter Grading | D.K. Ulrich | Buick | 137 | 0 | ignition | 67 | $1,075 |
| 33 | 16 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Mell-Gear | George Elliott | Ford | 130 | 0 | timing chain | 64 | $1,050 |
| 34 | 38 | 66 | Lake Speed | Ronnie Steele | Lake Speed | Buick | 118 | 0 | engine | 61 | $2,600 |
| 35 | 31 | 5 | Joe Millikan | Performance Connection | Cliff Stewart | Pontiac | 98 | 0 | crash | 58 | $5,950 |
| 36 | 35 | 94 | Bobby Wawak | Louise Smith | Bobby Wawak | Buick | 66 | 0 | valve | 55 | $990 |
| 37 | 4 | 1 | Buddy Baker | UNO | Hoss Ellington | Buick | 63 | 0 | tie rod | 52 | $1,480 |
| 38 | 12 | 15 | Benny Parsons | Melling Tool | Bud Moore | Ford | 50 | 0 | clutch | 49 | $6,925 |
| 39 | 39 | 38 | John Anderson | Copper Kettle Marina | Sandy Satullo | Buick | 41 | 0 | engine | 46 | $965 |
| 40 | 20 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Norton Company | Dave Marcis | Buick | 19 | 0 | engine | 43 | $2,515 |
| 41 | 2 | 33 | Harry Gant | Skoal Bandit | Hal Needham | Pontiac | 4 | 1 | crank | 45 | $8,505 |
Season Navigation
1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results