Official NASCAR Race Results
Richard Petty won the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway.
08-16-1981 | Champion Spark Plug 400 | Michigan International Speedway
Table initially ordered on Finish Position. Click a column header to re-sort by that value.
| Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Sponsor | Pts | Laps | Led | Status | Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 43 | Richard Petty | Buick | STP | 185 | 200 | 64 | Running | 23,750 |
| 2 | 15 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Buick | Mountain Dew | 175 | 200 | 3 | Running | 17,525 |
| 3 | 9 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Chevrolet | Gatorade | 165 | 200 | 0 | Running | 15,150 |
| 4 | 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Pontiac | Skoal Bandit | 165 | 200 | 3 | Running | 6,000 |
| 5 | 19 | 1 | Buddy Baker | Buick | UNO | 155 | 200 | 0 | Running | 5,175 |
| 6 | 5 | 2 | Joe Ruttman | Pontiac | J.D. Stacy | 155 | 200 | 4 | Running | 9,375 |
| 7 | 12 | 28 | Bobby Allison | Buick | Hardee's | 151 | 200 | 15 | Running | 8,950 |
| 8 | 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Ford | Mell-Gear | 142 | 200 | 0 | Running | 3,525 |
| 9 | 10 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Pontiac | Wrangler | 138 | 200 | 0 | Running | 7,955 |
| 10 | 20 | 37 | Mike Alexander | Buick | Rogers Auto Leasing | 134 | 200 | 0 | Running | 3,700 |
| 11 | 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Buick | Transmissions Unlimited | 135 | 200 | 5 | Running | 5,295 |
| 12 | 18 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | Truxmore / Sunny King | 132 | 200 | 1 | Running | 6,275 |
| 13 | 16 | 98 | Johnny Rutherford | Pontiac | Levi Garrett | 129 | 199 | 5 | Running | 2,175 |
| 14 | 4 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Buick | Stratagraph | 126 | 199 | 5 | Running | 7,550 |
| 15 | 22 | 66 | Lake Speed | Buick | Speed Racing | 118 | 199 | 0 | Running | 4,155 |
| 16 | 25 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Pontiac | Bailey Excavating | 115 | 199 | 0 | Running | 3,960 |
| 17 | 2 | 27 | Cale Yarborough | Buick | Valvoline | 117 | 198 | 9 | Running | 2,445 |
| 18 | 3 | 75 | Gary Balough | Buick | Chaparral Trailers | 109 | 198 | 0 | Running | 3,975 |
| 19 | 17 | 42 | Kyle Petty | Buick | STP | 106 | 197 | 0 | Running | 3,250 |
| 20 | 30 | 99 | Rick Knoop | Buick | Kargas Sports | 103 | 197 | 0 | Running | 3,405 |
| 21 | 31 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Ford | Sunny King Ford & Honda | 105 | 197 | 2 | Running | 2,760 |
| 22 | 29 | 40 | Joe Booher | Buick | Booher Farms | 97 | 196 | 0 | Running | 1,020 |
| 23 | 24 | 5 | Joe Millikan | Pontiac | Performance Connection | 94 | 195 | 0 | Running | 6,335 |
| 24 | 26 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Buick | Gordon Racing | 91 | 195 | 0 | Running | 2,470 |
| 25 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Pontiac | Broadway Motors | 88 | 186 | 0 | Running | 2,575 |
| 26 | 13 | 15 | Benny Parsons | Ford | Melling Tool | 90 | 173 | 33 | Valve | 6,725 |
| 27 | 36 | 48 | James Hylton | Pontiac | Palatine Auto Parts | 87 | 156 | 8 | Running | 2,520 |
| 28 | 11 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Ford | Warner Hodgdon / National Eng. | 84 | 155 | 43 | Valve | 1,700 |
| 29 | 1 | 47 | Ron Bouchard | Buick | J.D. Stacy | 76 | 85 | 0 | Engine | 3,540 |
| 30 | 23 | 12 | Tim Richmond | Buick | UNO | 73 | 53 | 0 | Engine | 765 |
| 31 | 35 | 94 | Bobby Wawak | Buick | Wawak Racing | 70 | 28 | 0 | Oil pump | 1,150 |
| 32 | 28 | 97 | Bob Schacht | Oldsmobile | Test Tube | 67 | 22 | 0 | Transmission | 740 |
| 33 | 32 | 50 | Bruce Hill | Buick | Hill Racing | 64 | 21 | 0 | Driveshaft | 1,130 |
| 34 | 14 | 02 | Morgan Shepherd | Buick | Ams Oil | 61 | 20 | 0 | Crash | 1,120 |
| 35 | 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Hills Racing | 58 | 13 | 0 | Valve | 1,945 |
| 36 | 34 | 19 | Dick May | Buick | Belden Asphalt | 55 | 4 | 0 | Cam | 1,100 |
Race Recap
- Date: 08-16-1981
- Track: Michigan International Speedway
- Race: Champion Spark Plug 400
- Race #: 21
- Cars: 36
- Winner: Richard Petty
- Start Position: 7th
- Car Make: Buick
- Avg Speed: 123.457 mph
- Distance: 400 miles
- Purse: $181,185
- Cautions: 9
- Caution Laps: 51
- Lead Changes: 65
- Pole: 161.501 mph
