1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series

American motorsport season February 2025 November 2025 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series 1980 1982 thumb|Darrell Waltrip, the Winston Cup Series champion in 1981 The 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series was the thirty-third season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 10th modern-era Cup Season. It was the first year of the Gen 3 car. Because of the energy crisis, manufacturers were downsizing their cars to be more fuel-efficient, which NASCAR reflected by mandating a 110-inch wheelbase that still exists today. The season began at Riverside International Raceway with the first Winston Western 500 on January 11, 1981 and ended with the same event on November 22. Darrell Waltrip won his first championship with point margin of fifty-three points over Bobby Allison. Ron Bouchard was named Rookie of the Year. Teams and drivers TeamMakeNo. Car numberDriverCar OwnerCrew Chief Arrington Racing Dodge Mirada 67 Buddy Arrington Buddy Arrington Benfield Racing Pontiac Grand Prix Buick Regal 98 Johnny Rutherford (R) Ron Benfield Buddy Parrott Bud Moore Engineering Ford Thunderbird 15 Benny ParsonsBud MooreBud Moore Cliff Stewart Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 5 Joe Millikan Cliff Stewart Darrell Bryant DiGard Motorsports Chevrolet Monte Carlo 88 Ricky Rudd Bill Gardner Gary Nelson Donlavey Racing Ford Thunderbird 90 Jody Ridley Junie Donlavey Ellington Racing Oldsmobile Cutlass Buick Regal 1 Buddy Baker Hoss Ellington Runt Pittman Gordon Racing Buick Regal 24 Cecil Gordon Cecil GordonMorgan Shepherd (R) Hagan Racing Buick Regal 44 Terry Labonte Billy Hagan Jake Elder Howard & Egerton Racing Buick Regal 86 Elliott Forbes-Robinson (R) Richard Howard Hylton Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 48 James Hylton James Hylton Osterlund Racing 16 1-16 Pontiac Grand Prix2Dale Earnhardt 20 1-20 Rod OsterlundDoug RichertJim Stacy Racing 15 17-31 Buick RegalJim StacyJoe Ruttman (R) 11 21-31 Dale InmanJunior Johnson & AssociatesBuick Regal 11 Darrell WaltripJunior Johnson Tim Brewer 41Richard Childress 1 31 Langley Racing Ford Thunderbird 64 Tommy Gale Elmo Langley Lennie Pond Racing Buick Regal 68 Lennie Pond Lennie Pond M. C. Anderson Racing Buick Regal 27 Cale Yarborough M. C. Anderson David Anderson Mach 1 Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 22 Stan Barrett (R) Hal Needham 33 Harry Gant Travis Carter Marcis Auto Racing Buick Regal 71 Dave Marcis Dave Marcis Claude Queen McDuffie Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 70 J. D. McDuffie J. D. McDuffie Means Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 52 Jimmy Means Jimmy Means Elliott Racing Ford Thunderbird 9 Bill Elliott 13 2, 5, 8, 10, 13, 16-17, 20-21, 23, 28-30 George Elliott Ernie Elliott Petty Enterprises Buick Regal 42 Richard Petty 1 1 Richard Petty Mike Beam Kyle Petty 30 2-31 43 Kyle Petty 1 1Steve Hmiel Richard Petty 30 2-31 Race Hill Farm Team Buick Regal 47 Ron Bouchard Jack Beebe Bob Johnson RahMoc Enterprises Buick Regal 75 Gary Balough (R) Bob Rahilly Bob Rahilly Ranier-Lundy Racing Pontiac LeMansBuick Regal 28 Bobby Allison Harry Ranier Waddell WilsonRichard Childress RacingPontiac Grand Prix 3 Richard Childress 20 1-20Richard ChildressKirk ShelmerdineDale Earnhardt 11 21-31 8Kirk Shelmerdine 1 14 Rogers Racing Buick Regal 37 Mike Alexander (R) Bob Rogers Raymond KellyTim Richmond (R) Speed Racing Oldsmobile Cutlass 66 Lake Speed Lake Speed Thomas Racing Pontiac Grand Prix 25 Ronnie Thomas Ronnie Thomas Ulrich Racing Buick Regal 99 D. K. Ulrich D. K. Ulrich Wawak Racing Buick Regal 94 Bobby Wawak Bobby Wawak Wood Brothers Racing Ford Thunderbird 21 Neil Bonnett Glen Wood Leonard Wood Season schedule and recap RoundDateEventTrackWinner 1 January 11 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway Bobby Allison February 8 Busch Clash Daytona International Speedway Darrell WaltripFebruary 12 UNO Twin 125 Qualifier Bobby Allison Darrell Waltrip February 13 Daytona 500 Consolation Race Lake Speed 2 February 15 Daytona 500 Richard Petty 3 February 22 Richmond 400 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Darrell Waltrip 4 March 1 Carolina 500 North Carolina Motor Speedway Darrell Waltrip 5 March 15 Coca-Cola 500 Atlanta International Raceway Cale Yarborough 6 March 29 Valleydale 500 Bristol International Raceway Darrell Waltrip 7 April 5 Northwestern Bank 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Richard Petty 8 April 12 CRC Rebel 500 Darlington International Raceway Darrell Waltrip 9 April 26 Virginia 500 Martinsville Speedway Morgan Shepherd 10 May 3 Winston 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Bobby Allison 11 May 9 Melling Tool 420 Nashville Speedway Benny Parsons 12 May 17 Mason-Dixon 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Jody Ridley 13 May 24 World 600 Charlotte Motor Speedway Bobby Allison 14 June 7 Budweiser 400 Texas World Speedway Benny Parsons 15 June 14 Hodgdon 400 Riverside International Raceway Darrell Waltrip 16 June 21 Gabriel 400 Michigan International Speedway Bobby Allison 17 July 4 Firecracker 400 Daytona International Speedway Cale Yarborough 18 July 11 Busch Nashville 420 Nashville Speedway Darrell Waltrip 19 July 26 Mt. Dew 500 Pocono Raceway Darrell Waltrip 20 August 2 Talladega 500 Alabama International Motor Speedway Ron Bouchard 21 August 16 Champion Spark Plug 400 Michigan International Speedway Richard Petty 22 August 22 Busch 500 Bristol International Raceway Darrell Waltrip 23 September 7 Southern 500 Darlington International Raceway Neil Bonnett 24 September 13 Wrangler SanforSet 400 Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway Benny Parsons 25 September 20 CRC Chemicals 500 Dover Downs International Speedway Neil Bonnett 26 September 27 Old Dominion 500 Martinsville Speedway Darrell Waltrip 27 October 4 Holly Farms 400 North Wilkesboro Speedway Darrell Waltrip 28 October 11 National 500 Charlotte Motor Speedway Darrell Waltrip 29 November 1 American 500 North Carolina Motor Speedway Darrell Waltrip 30 November 8 Atlanta Journal 500 Atlanta International Raceway Neil Bonnett 31 November 22 Winston Western 500 Riverside International Raceway Bobby Allison Season summary Race reports Western 500 – The final race where 115-inch wheelbase cars (Gen 2) were eligible to run, the field was a mix of 1977 racecars and 1981 models. Dale Earnhardt drove a 1981 Pontiac while race winner Bobby Allison drove a 1977 Monte Carlo. This race was also the first of what would be 788 consecutive Cup series starts for Ricky Rudd. #28 - Bobby Allison #44 - Terry Labonte #2 - Dale Earnhardt #3 - Richard Childress #42 - Richard Petty #78 - Jim Robinson #90 - Jody Ridley #86 - Elliott Forbes-Robinson #67 - Buddy Arrington #38 - Don Waterman Busch Clash - Seven drivers were invited to the 3rd annual Busch Clash for pole winners from 1980. Darrell Waltrip led 13 of 20 laps to win the event, pocketing $71,500 for his 15-minute, 52 second run. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #15 - Benny Parsons #1 - Buddy Baker #16 - David Pearson #27 - Cale Yarborough #28 - Bobby Allison #12 - Donnie Allison UNO Twin 125's– The new cars proved to be disturbingly ill-handling and there were several airborne crashes in testing and preliminary events. In the first 125 John Anderson and Connie Saylor flew off the ground and tumbled. Bobby Allison drove a Pontiac LeMans, which unlike the other makes sported a sloped tear glass and was notably more stable. He won the pole and his 125 under yellow for the Saylor crash. Darrell Waltrip in a notch backed Buick engaged in a very spirited duel. Following rookie Tim Richmond’s crash the race ended in a one lap sprint; Benny Parsons stormed from third to the lead but Waltrip re-passed him on the tri-oval apron for the win. Race 1: #28 - Bobby Allison #21 - Neil Bonnett #88 - Ricky Rudd #2 - Dale Earnhardt #16 - David Pearson #42 - Kyle Petty #93 - Don Whittington #71 - Dave Marcis #19 - Ronnie Sanders #25 - Ronnie Thomas Race 2: #11 - Darrell Waltrip #15 - Benny Parsons #1 - Buddy Baker #43 - Richard Petty #51 - A.J. Foyt #44 - Terry Labonte #23 - Geoff Bodine #9 - Bill Elliott #3 - Richard Childress #67 - Buddy Arrington 1981 Daytona 500 Consolation Race - The 12 cars that failed to qualify for the Daytona 500 were allowed to run in a consolation race for 30 laps (75 mi km on). This was the first time there was a consolation race since 1962. Lake Speed led all 30 laps to win and take home $5,000. #66 - Lake Speed #8 - Dick May #73 - Steve Moore #45 - Baxter Price #59 - A.C. York #08 - Alan Rogers #17 - Jerry Lovell #61 - Tommy Hilbert #94 - Bobby Wawak #01 - Dickie Boswell Daytona 500- NASCAR increased spoiler size twice during the week to keep the cars on the ground. The ensuing 500 saw only four minor cautions and 49 lead changes. Bobby Allison’s 1981 Pontiac LeMans was as expected from Thursday more stable and faster, but Richard Petty got out to the lead after his last pitstop by not changing tires; once in the lead he was uncatchable by Allison as he took his seventh and final Daytona 500 win. #43 - Richard Petty #28 - Bobby Allison #88 - Ricky Rudd #1 - Buddy Baker #2 - Dale Earnhardt #9 - Bill Elliott #90 - Jody Ridley #27 - Cale Yarborough #75 - Joe Millikan #98 - Johnny Rutherford Richmond 400– Darrell Waltrip drove Junior Johnson's Buick to his first win of the season, edging Ricky Rudd, driving Waltrip's former car, the DiGard Oldsmobile. Bobby Allison wrecked his Pontiac LeMans and drove Butch Lindley's car rather than run a backup Oldsmobile in the team's shop for fear NASCAR would use the existence of the backup to justify banning the LeMans altogether. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #88 - Ricky Rudd #43 - Richard Petty #5 - Morgan Shepherd #15 - Benny Parsons #47 - Harry Gant #2 - Dale Earnhardt #90 - Jody Ridley #75 - Joe Millikan #70 - J.D. McDuffie Carolina 500 - Cale Yarborough won the pole and led 320 laps but ran dry in the final 25 laps. Richard Petty led until three laps to go as Darrell Waltrip outlasted the field to win. The lead changed a track-record 36 times. This was the last race that Richard Petty would lead the Winston Cup points standings in his career. ESPN made their NASCAR broadcasting debut. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #27 - Cale Yarborough #43 - Richard Petty #21 - Neil Bonnett #1 - Buddy Baker #28 - Bobby Allison #75 - Joe Millikan #42 - Kyle Petty #66 - Lake Speed #86 - Elliott Forbes-Robinson Atlanta 500 – Team owner Harry Ranier protested NASCAR-mandated spoiler reduction to the Pontiac LeMans the team was running but got no support from rival teams. Cale Yarborough edged Harry Gant for the win while Dave Marcis flipped his car after sliding hard into a giant truck tire shielding the pit wall abutment. #27 - Cale Yarborough #47 - Harry Gant #2 - Dale Earnhardt #28 - Bobby Allison #15 - Benny Parsons #90 - Jody Ridley #51 - A.J. Foyt #5 - Morgan Shepherd #9 - Bill Elliott #6 - Joe Ruttman Southeastern 500 - Waltrip led 323 laps and edged Ricky Rudd for the win, his third of the season. There were eight caution flags, one of them involving a hard set-to between Benny Parsons and Joe Millikan. "I admit I lost my cool," Millikan said, to which team owner Bud Moore replied, "I'll straighten out Millikan's cool." #11 - Darrell Waltrip #88 - Ricky Rudd #28 - Bobby Allison #5 - Morgan Shepherd #15 - Benny Parsons #90 - Jody Ridley #44 - Terry Labonte #48 - Harry Gant #66 - Lake Speed #99 - Tim Richmond Northwestern Bank 400 - #43 - Richard Petty #28 - Bobby Allison #11 - Darrell Waltrip #71 - Dave Marcis #12 - Harry Gant #88 - Ricky Rudd #44 - Terry Labonte #47 - Ron Bouchard #5 - Morgan Shepherd #2 - Dale Earnhardt Rebel 500 – Waltrip edged Gant, who was making his debut in a Pontiac Grand Prix owned by Burt Reynolds and Hal Needham. Bobby Allison debuted a new Buick as the team gave up on the LeMans because of NASCAR spoiler reduction on the car. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #33 - Harry Gant #71 - Dave Marcis #9 - Bill Elliott #15 - Benny Parsons #1 - Buddy Baker #90 - Jody Ridley #16 - David Pearson #28 - Bobby Allison #75 - Joe Millikan Virginia 500– Rookie Morgan Shepherd dominated en route to his first career Grand National win. #5 - Morgan Shepherd #21 - Neil Bonnett #88 - Ricky Rudd #12 - Harry Gant #44 - Terry Labonte #90 - Jody Ridley #66 - Lake Speed #67 - Buddy Arrington #47 - Ron Bouchard #37 - Mike Alexander Winston 500 – Allison slugged it out with Waltrip, Rudd, and Buddy Baker en route to a wild last-lap win. #28 - Bobby Allison #1 - Buddy Baker #11 - Darrell Waltrip #88 - Ricky Rudd #77 - Donnie Allison #99 - Tim Richmond #44 - Terry Labonte #2 - Dale Earnhardt #25 - Dick May #94 - Bobby Wawak Melling Tool 420 - Ricky Rudd in the DiGard No. 88 and Benny Parsons in the Bud Moore No. 15 bearing the race sponsor's colors led 419 of 420 laps; only Darrell Waltrip broke this duopoly. Waltrip futilely chased Parsons over the final 84 laps as Parsons grabbed his first win with Bud Moore. #15 - Benny Parsons #11 - Darrell Waltrip #28 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #88 - Ricky Rudd #44 - Terry Labonte #42 - Kyle Petty #5 - Morgan Shepherd #67 - Buddy Arrington #71 - Dave Marcis Mason-Dixon 500 - David Pearson won the pole in the Kenny Childers No. 12 and led the first 41 laps before falling out with engine failure. Neil Bonnett in the Wood Brothers No. 21 led 404 laps but blew up with 41 laps to go; twenty laps later Cale Yarborough blew his engine and this left Jody Ridley effectively alone to the checkered. It was Ridley's only Winston Cup win, coming in his 55th start, and it was the only Cup win for team owner Junie Donlavey. #90 - Jody Ridley #28 - Bobby Allison #2 - Dale Earnhardt #99 - D.K. Ulrich #88 - Ricky Rudd #5 - Morgan Shepherd #67 - Buddy Arrington #44 - Terry Labonte #52 - Jimmy Means #27 - Cale Yarborough World 600 – Allison won in a crash-torn race in which his brother Donnie suffered a serious leg injury. #28 - Bobby Allison #33 - Harry Gant #27 - Cale Yarborough #88 - Ricky Rudd #42 - Kyle Petty #5 - Morgan Shepherd #6 - Joe Ruttman #75 - Joe Millikan #11 - Darrell Waltrip #86 - Elliott Forbes-Robinson Budweiser 400 - Benny Parsons and Dale Earnhardt squared off in a hard-fought race as the lead changed 35 official times, the most in Texas World Speedway's history. Parsons edged Earnhardt after five lead changes between them in the final eleven laps. The 1981 race proved to be the final major stock car race at the troubled Texas superspeedway until Ishin Speed Sport took it over ten years later. #15 - Benny Parsons #2 - Dale Earnhardt #28 - Bobby Allison #43 - Richard Petty #71 - Dave Marcis #90 - Jody Ridley #99 - Tim Richmond #66 - Lake Speed #6 - Joe Ruttman #33 - Harry Gant Warner W. Hodgdon 400 - Waltrip got back to victory in a four-car scramble with Earnhardt, Petty, and Bonnett. Crashes eliminated Bobby Allison, rookies Tim Richmond and Morgan Shepherd, and James Hylton. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #2 - Dale Earnhardt #43 - Richard Petty #21 - Neil Bonnett #88 - Ricky Rudd #42 - Kyle Petty #90 - Jody Ridley #0 - Roy Smith #71 - Dave Marcis #78 - Jim Robinson Gabriel 400 – After 50 lead changes Bobby Allison was running seventh when Kyle Petty's blown engine sent four of the top six in the field into the Turn Two guardrail, while race leaders Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip crashed before Turn Three. The win put Allison nearly 300 points ahead of Waltrip in the standings. Following the race Earnhardt's team owner Rod Osterlund sold the team to J. D. Stacy. #28 - Bobby Allison #33 - Harry Gant #15 - Benny Parsons #90 - Jody Ridley #2 - Dale Earnhardt #43 - Richard Petty #11 - Darrell Waltrip #27 - Cale Yarborough #21 - Neil Bonnett #47 - Ron Bouchard Firecracker 400 - Bobby Allison has taken a 256-point lead over Darrell Waltrip but after burning a valve and finishing 28th his point lead fell to 206. Cale Yarborough won the pole and led 78 laps while Harry Gant led 43 laps; Gant took the lead on Lap 138 but Cale stormed past for the win on the final lap. Dale Earnhardt led the opening lap in the first race with J. D. Stacy as new owner of the former Rod Osterlund Pontiac, but fell out with a vibration after 71 laps. #27 - Cale Yarborough #33 - Harry Gant #43 - Richard Petty #1 - Buddy Baker #98 - Johnny Rutherford #42 - Kyle Petty #37 - Mike Alexander #44 - Terry Labonte #47 - Ron Bouchard #11 - Darrell Waltrip Busch Nashville 420 - Waltrip led 303 laps and edged Allison for the win, with May winner Benny Parsons third. Rookie Mark Martin, a star in American Speed Association stockers, won the pole and led the opening 36 laps. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #28 - Bobby Allison #15 - Benny Parsons #88 - Ricky Rudd #44 - Terry Labonte #42 - Kyle Petty #2 - Dale Earnhardt #33 - Harry Gant #43 - Richard Petty #90 - Jody Ridley Mountain Dew 500 - Six years after the 1975 Purolator 500 and the controversial win by a Purolator-sponsored car, Darrell Waltrip's Buick with the race's sponsor took the win amid controversy. Cale Yarborough fell a lap down but got it back, but he pitted too early on a late yellow and lost the lap again. He stormed past Richard Petty on a last-lap restart thinking he was the leader, and Waltrip took the lead from Petty for the win. Yarborough initially protested the outcome thinking he was on the lead lap, but NASCAR score cards showed Waltrip indeed was the leader. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #43 - Richard Petty #15 - Benny Parsons #33 - Harry Gant #27 - Cale Yarborough #88 - Ricky Rudd #1 - Buddy Baker #42 - Kyle Petty #12 - Tim Richmond #47 - Ron Bouchard Talladega 500 – Bobby Allison led the most laps but slipped back in the final laps, leaving Darrell Waltrip, Terry Labonte, and rookie Ron Bouchard in contention for the win. On the final lap in Talladega's trioval, Labonte swung high on Waltrip and as the two jostled, Bouchard dove to the bottom and beat them to the line by inches. Bouchard's victory is considered by many to be one of the biggest upsets in NASCAR history. Dale Earnhardt finished 29th in his final race in the J. D. Stacy car after a falling out with the new owner. He would finish out the season driving Richard Childress's car. #47 - Ron Bouchard #11 - Darrell Waltrip #44 - Terry Labonte #33 - Harry Gant #28 - Bobby Allison #66 - Lake Speed #42 - Kyle Petty #90 - Jody Ridley #22 - Stan Barrett #71 - Dave Marcis Champion Spark Plug 400 – Richard Petty stormed past five cars with five laps to go and held off Waltrip and Ricky Rudd in the most competitive race of the season (65 lead changes, a still-standing record for Michigan International Speedway, among 14 drivers). Dale Earnhardt, in his first start for new owner retired driver Richard Childress, finished 9th. #43 - Richard Petty #11 - Darrell Waltrip #88 - Ricky Rudd #33 - Harry Gant #1 - Buddy Baker #2 - Joe Ruttman #28 - Bobby Allison #9 - Bill Elliott #3 - Dale Earnhardt #37 - Mike Alexander Busch 500 - #11 - Darrell Waltrip #88 - Ricky Rudd #44 - Terry Labonte #28 - Bobby Allison #47 - Ron Bouchard #15 - Benny Parsons #66 - Lake Speed #12 - Tim Richmond #71 - Dave Marcis #67 - Buddy Arrington Southern 500 - Neil Bonnett led 216 laps and edged Darrell Waltrip by one car length; Waltrip's runner-up finish pulled him to within 18 points of Bobby Allison. #21 - Neil Bonnett #11 - Darrell Waltrip #71 - Dave Marcis #44 - Terry Labonte #1 - Buddy Baker #3 - Dale Earnhardt #9 - Bill Elliott #01 - David Pearson #28 - Bobby Allison #27 - Cale Yarborough Wrangler Sanfor-Set 400 - Benny Parsons scores his 20th and penultimate victory in the Cup Series. Bobby Allison finishes fifth leading 95 laps but Darrell Waltrip finishes third leading the most laps at 149 which cuts Allison's lead down to 3 points. #15 - Benny Parsons #33 - Harry Gant #11 - Darrell Waltrip #44 - Terry Labonte #28 - Bobby Allison #3 - Dale Earnhardt #02 - Mark Martin #5 - Joe Millikan #90 - Jody Ridley #75 - Gary Balough CRC Chemicals 500 - Neil Bonnett put the entire field a lap down as he led 185 laps en route to his second win in three races. Darrell Waltrip beat Bobby Allison for second and thus took the point lead by 2 points over Allison. #21 - Neil Bonnett #11 - Darrell Waltrip #28 - Bobby Allison #47 - Ron Bouchard #88 - Ricky Rudd #2 - Joe Ruttman #42 - Kyle Petty #71 - Dave Marcis #37 - Tim Richmond #43 - Richard Petty Old Dominion 500 - Harry Gant led the most laps at 253 but faltered as Darrell Waltrip grabbed the lead with 36 laps to go; Waltrip's win was the first of four straight. Waltrip padded his lead by 41 points to lead Allison by 43 points. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #33 - Harry Gant #02 - Mark Martin #21 - Neil Bonnett #5 - Joe Millikan #47 - Ron Bouchard #24 - Jimmy Hensley #88 - Ricky Rudd #44 - Terry Labonte #28 - Bobby Allison Holly Farms 400 - Darrell Waltrip wins his second straight race while leading the most laps at 318. Bobby Allison finished second leading seventy six laps. Waltrip padded his lead by 10 points to lead Allison by 53 points. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #28 - Bobby Allison #5 - Joe Millikan #3 - Dale Earnhardt #47 - Ron Bouchard #24 - Morgan Shepherd #90 - Jody Ridley #99 - Bob McElwee #52 - Jimmy Means #67 - Buddy Arrington National 500 - Neil Bonnett dominates leading 135 of the races first 190 laps but then before he can complete lap 191 his engine expires, leaving Darrell Waltrip to battle with Bobby Allison for the rest of the race in which Waltrip prevails, winning his third straight race while padding his points lead by 5 to lead over Allison by 58 points. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #28 - Bobby Allison #88 - Ricky Rudd #55 - Tommy Ellis #47 - Ron Bouchard #72 - Rusty Wallace #01 - Geoff Bodine #24 - Morgan Shepherd #13 - Jack Ingram #67 - Buddy Arrington American 500 - Waltrip and Allison fought for the win as the lead changed between them during the final 19 laps; with his fourth straight win Waltrip increased his point lead by 10 points to lead Allison by 68 points. #11 - Darrell Waltrip #28 - Bobby Allison #33 - Harry Gant #43 - Richard Petty #2 - Joe Ruttman #15 - Benny Parsons #44 - Terry Labonte #9 - Bill Elliott #3 - Dale Earnhardt #90 - Jody Ridley Atlanta Journal 500 - ESPN broadcast the race live, the first such NASCAR broadcast for the third-year cable network, with Mike Joy, Larry Nuber, and Ned Jarrett handling the broadcast duty. The race was a hard-fought affair as Neil Bonnett battled Richard Petty, Joe Ruttman, and Harry Gant; Waltrip cut a tire in mid-race but battled and got his lap back; he rallied and took the lead at the white flag, but Bonnett stormed to the win while Waltrip padded his points lead by 15 points to lead Allison headed to the season finale at Riverside by 83 points. #21 - Neil Bonnett #11 - Darrell Waltrip #27 - Cale Yarborough #28 - Bobby Allison #90 - Jody Ridley #9 - Bill Elliott #44 - Terry Labonte #42 - Kyle Petty #1 - Buddy Baker #5 - Joe Millikan Winston Western 500 - For the first time in the modern era the series visited the same track three times in a season. This would not happen again until 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced NASCAR to make schedule changes due to a combination of local, state, and federal travel restrictions and limits on social gatherings. This race featured a great battle for the win between Allison and Ruttman for the last 20 laps. Bobby passed Joe with 9 laps to go and Ruttman got back alongside Allison several times but was never able to complete the pass. Allison did what he needed to do by winning the race and leading the most laps at 49. It was however not enough as Darrell Waltrip won his first championship by leading 1 lap & finishing in 6th place to beat Allison by 53 points. #28 - Bobby Allison #2 - Joe Ruttman #44 - Terry Labonte #3 - Dale Earnhardt #5 - Joe Millikan #11 - Darrell Waltrip #43 - Richard Petty #33 - Harry Gant #90 - Jody Ridley #47 - Ron Bouchard Final point standings List of NASCAR points scoring systems (key) Bold – Pole position awarded by time. Italics – Pole position set by owner's points. * – Most laps led. Pos. Position Driver RIV DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RIV MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RIV Pts Points scored 1 Darrell Waltrip 17 36 1* 1 36 1* 3 1* 26 3 2 12 9 30 1* 7* 10 1* 1* 2 2 1* 2 3* 2 1 1* 1* 1* 2 6 4880 2 Bobby Allison 1* 2* 23 6 4 3 2* 9 13 1 3 2 1* 3 29 1 28 2 25 5* 7 4 9 5 3 10 2 2 2 4 1* 4827 3 Harry Gant 15 23 6 18 2* 8 5 2 4* 34 22 16 2 10 31 2 2 8 4 4 4 11 14 2 23 2* 24 41 3 20 8 4210 4 Terry Labonte 2 40 26 21 19 7 7 14 5 7 6 8 14 23 22 11 8 5 13 3 14 3 4 4 29 9 30 23 7 7 3 4052 5 Jody Ridley 7 7 8 17 6 6 28 7 6 31 25 1 20 6 7 4 38 10 15 8 12 20 12 9 11 21 7 15 10 5 9 4002 6 Ricky Rudd 19 3 2 31 22 2 6 11 3 4 5* 5 4 24 5 30 40 4 6 23 3 2 23 12 5 8 25 3 18 38 40 3988 7 Dale Earnhardt 3 5 7 26 3 28 10 17 25 8 20 3 18 2* 2 5 35 7 11 29 9 27 6 6 15 26 4 25 9 24 4 3975 8 Richard Petty 5 1 3 3 38 29 1 33 28 39 4 19 24 4 3 6 3 9 2 40 1* 24 30 11 10 18 21 30 4 26 7 3880 9 Dave Marcis 28 15 22 15 27 31 4 3 11 14 10 31 35 5 9 29 13 25 33 10 11 9 3 19 8 14 16 40 12 28 25 3507 10 Benny Parsons 16 31 5 24 5 5 21 5 23 36 1 32 37 1 20 3 39 3 3 13 26 6 39 1 34 24 29 38 6 36 27 3449 11 Buddy Arrington 9 26 16 37 14 13 29 13 8 17 9 7 15 13 26 12 17 28 16 41 35 10 37 13 14 11 10 10 14 17 24 3381 12 Kyle Petty 20 32 24 8 41 11 22 25 15 30 7 20 5 29 6 21 6 6 8 7 19 28 34 22 7 19 18 20 37 8 37 3335 13 Morgan Shepherd (R) 4 28 8 4 9 34 1 23 8 6 6 31 21 15 20 13 29 36 34 19 16 29 12 28 6 8 27 31 13 3261 14 Jimmy Means 18 21 14 29 21 14 14 23 12 27 14 9 23 19 28 28 18 15 19 16 25 12 38 16 19 15 9 12 20 35 3142 15 Tommy Gale 17 18 19 18 15 19 18 18 11 17 14 17 12 30 36 19 21 31 18 21 15 29 17 24 13 14 22 13 22 26 3140 16 Tim Richmond (R) 29 30 17 16 26 10 18 12 14 6 12 7 33 14 15 12 9 34 30 8 22 14 9 20 13 18 22 21 20 3091 17 J. D. McDuffie 23 24 10 33 11 22 16 16 30 22 16 23 13 11 12 22 12 20 18 16 13 21 21 28 12 17 23 11 2996 18 Lake Speed 34 DNQ 12 9 35 9 23 7 18 24 28 8 16 33 22 27 6 15 7 13 20 27 22 27 34 31 14 16 2817 19 James Hylton 11 34 29 20 25 15 19 17 19 21 18 16 25 19 23 22 16 22 39 27 16 26 18 32 15 26 19 17 2753 20 Joe Millikan 13 9 9 7 15 17 26 10 29 38 8 31 23 17 18 8 21 5 3 35 19 10 5 2682 21 Ron Bouchard (R) 24 8 27 9 20 27 26 10 9 10 1 29 5 11 25 4 6 5 5 11 39 10 2594 22 Neil Bonnett 27 33 4 28 29 2 32 13* 29 4 9 30 34 37 28 1* 1 4 29 35 1* 332449 23 Cecil Gordon 36 37 19 23 37 21 31 21 24 15 19 15 18 13 27 25 29 21 17 24 30 23 26 19 152320 24 Cale Yarborough 8 2* 1 26 21 24 10 3 8 1* 5 28 17 10 13 31 25 3 2201 25 Richard Childress 4 38 13 22 17 16 17 31 22 13 13 17 19 14 18 19 21 17 23 26 392144 26 Ronnie Thomas 28 21 11 31 18 12 20 31 26 24 22 20 34 25 14 35 18 27 24 20 27 17 322138 27 Buddy Baker 4 5 40 6 2* 33 13 4 7 32 5 5 29 37 16 91904 28 Joe Ruttman (R) 10 29 7 9 29 22 6 21 15 30 6 17 26 19 5 25 21851 29 Mike Alexander (R) 13 33 12 11 36 10 21 11 21 27 32 7 27 17 35 10 25 20 32 DNQ1784 30 Bill Elliott 6 9 4 40 40 35 34 11 8 7 33 8 61442 31 Bobby Wawak DNQ 14 42 30 24 19 10 18 31 26 33 19 31 24 36 DNQ1212 32 D. K. Ulrich 19 13 22 23 4 32 27 20 23 31 21 18 14 17 271191 33 Johnny Rutherford 10 12 12 28 17 5 13 33 31 27 29 371140 34 Lennie Pond 27 11 11 11 24 14 17 27 16 25 23 36 1100 35 Elliott Forbes-Robinson (R) 8 25 10 39 27 16 10 35 23 12 231020 36 Stan Barrett (R) 13 36 16 35 32 11 18 26 14 9 842 37 Rick Newsom 27 32 20 23 33 DNQ 28 26 22 22768 38 Dick May DNQ 24 9 25 16 31 15 36 19 25 DNQ754 39 Connie Saylor (R) DNQ 37 12 14 33 40 11 12664 40 Gary Balough (R) 12 25 18 Wth 25 10 17 Wth 24 32 34 19656 41 Rick Wilson DNQ 35 25 42 37 42 20 13 11 639 42 Mark Martin 27 27 11 7 3 615 43 Bruce Hill 39 23 26 28 41 16 30 33 DNQ596 44 Donnie Allison 12 34 29 5 11 38 527 45 Geoff Bodine 22 30 23 7 30420 46 Joe Fields 28 25 16 22 15 DNQ 23 418 47 Jack Ingram 34 37 38 32 13 377 48 Randy Ogden DNQ 22 15 34 24 367 49 Don Waterman 10 23 15351 50 Jim Robinson 6 10 32351 51 Rusty Wallace 30 21 6 29323 52 Tommy Houston 20 20 12 DNQ 27 19 12 11 315 53 Bill Schmitt 22 24 14314 54 Don Whittington 14 14 35300 55 Dick Brooks 16 15 36 21 13294 56 H. B. Bailey DNQ 15 36 16 40288 57 Lowell Cowell 28 17 28 22 288 58 Roy Smith 31 8 30285 59 Don Puskarich 32 17 21279 60 Glenn Jarrett 19 25 27 276 61 A. J. Foyt 35 7 32 271 62 Butch Lindley 25 24 27 271 63 Tommy Ellis 26 30 4 33224 64 Don Sprouse DNQ 20 15 221 65 Slick Johnson 25 34 32 35 216 66 Hershel McGriff 33 25 38206 67 Chuck Bown 39 28 15197 68 Junior Miller 26 DNQ 20 188 69 David Pearson 29 30 32 8 25 8 154 70 Bob Schacht 32 30 DNQ140 71 Bob Riley 30 32 33 131 72 John Borneman 12 127 73 Gary Kershaw 12127 74 Jim Bown DNQ 32 36122 75 Rick O'Dell 16 115 76 Ronnie Sanders 19 DNQ109 77 Delma Cowart 18106 78 Steve Spencer 30 20 18 103 79 Henry Jones DNQ DNQ 20 DNQ 103 80 Bob Bondurant 21 18100 81 Bill Dennis 21 100 82 Joe Booher 24 20 42 22 97 83 Gene Thonesen 2297 84 Mark Stahl 2394 85 Bill Elswick 11 13 24 91 86 Steve Pfeifer 24 14 91 87 John Gunn 25 88 88 Charlie Glotzbach 26 85 89 Rick McCray 26 85 90 Roger Hamby 27 82 91 Billie Harvey 41 41 Wth DNQ80 92 Mike Potter 35 15 26 27 26 28 79 93 Sterling Marlin 26 28 79 94 Dave Dion 28 79 95 Scott Miller 2976 96 Elmo Langley 29 76 97 Baxter Price DNQ 30 34 73 98 Jimmy Insolo 30 36 73 99 Ernie Cline 30 73 100 Jocko Maggiacomo 31 70 101 Sandy Satullo II 31 70 102 Travis Tiller DNQ 3264 103 Pat Mintey 3461 104 Robert Tartaglia 35 58 105 Kevin Housby 36 55 106 Blackie Wangerin 42 DNQ 37 107 John Anderson DNQ 39 24 16 108 Bob McElwee 16 8 109 Terry Herman 14 31 110 Dean Combs 28 34 111 Jimmy Hensley 7 112 Rick Knoop 20 113 Rick Baldwin 21 114 Bob Senneker 21 115 Al Loquasto 24 116 Charlie Chamblee 26 117 Chuck Pittenger 28 118 Joel Stowe 29 119 Bruce Jacobi 30 120 Don Satterfield 30 121 Don Hume 33 122 Kirk Shelmerdine 33 123 Harry Dinwiddie DNQ DNQ DNQ 124 Dickie Boswell DNQ 125 Tom Sneva DNQ 126 Alan Rogers DNQ 127 Jerry Lovall DNQ 128 A. C. York DNQ 129 Sal Tovella DNQ 130 Tommy Hilbert DNQ 131 Steve Moore DNQ DNQ 132 Hurley Haywood DNQ 133 Eddie Falk DNQ 134 Wayne Morgan DNQ 135 Don Stanley DNQ 136 Ferrel Harris DNQ Pos. Position Driver RIV DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RIV MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RIV Pts Points scored Source:https://www.racing-reference.info/yeardet/1981/W Standings Earnhardt drove races 1–20 in the No. 2 Rod Osterlund Wrangler Jeans Pontiac Grand Prix but left the team when Osterlund sold it to J. D. Stacy. He finished the season driving for Richard Childress in the No. 3 Wrangler Pontiac Grand Prix. See also 1981 NASCAR Winston West Series References External links Winston Cup Standings and Statistics for 1981 * Category:NASCAR Cup Series seasons