| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 20 of 31 in the1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Talladega Superspeedway | |||
| Date | August 2, 1981 (1981-08-02) | ||
| Official name | Talladega 500 | ||
| Location | Alabama International Motor Speedway,Talladega, Alabama | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 2.660 miles (4.280 km) | ||
| Distance | 188 laps, 500.1 mi (804.8 km) | ||
| Weather | 84 °F (29 °C); wind speeds of 9.9 miles per hour (15.9 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 156.737 miles per hour (252.244 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 75,000[2] | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Mach 1 Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Bobby Allison | Ranier Racing | |
| Laps | 105 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 47 | Ron Bouchard | Race Hill Farm Team | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | CBS | ||
| Announcers | Ken Squier Ned Jarrett | ||
The1981 Talladega 500 was aNASCARWinston Cup Series racing event that took place on August 2, 1981, atAlabama International Motor Speedway inTalladega, Alabama.
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known asAlabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is amotorsports complex located north ofTalladega, Alabama. It is located on the formerAnniston Air Force Base in the small city ofLincoln. The track is aTri-oval and was constructed byInternational Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by theFrance Family, in the 1960s. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line - located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts theNASCAR series such as theSprint Cup Series,Xfinity Series, and theCamping World Truck Series. Talladega Superspeedway is the longestNASCAR oval with a length of 2.66 miles (4.28 km), and the track at its peak had aseating capacity of 175,000 spectators.[3]
42 drivers would appear at this race;Joe Booher would receive credit for the last-place finish due to an engine issue on the fourth lap.[2] It took more than three hours to resolve the 188 lap race.[2][4] There were eight caution periods for 36 laps with 39 lead changes.[2][4]Harry Gant would win the pole position with a speed of 195.897 miles per hour (315.266 km/h). Rick Wilson crashed at least four times in this race before finally finishing his Oldsmobile off on lap 148.[2][4]
This race marked the end for an iconic sponsorship as the Wood Brothers' #21 Ford hit the track in its famousPurolator colors for the final time, ending a partnership that dated back to 1971.Neil Bonnett qualified well and led early before a mechanical gremlin put the #21 out.[2][4] Morgan Shepherd and his crew chief Darrell Bryant and a few of his own crew members got into a fight before this race. That led to Shepherd being released and Joe Millikan being hired for the rest of the season. Shepherd would qualify for the race in 15th place.[2][4] He would drop out of the race on lap 55 due to engine problems and finish 36th.[2][4]
Darrell Waltrip,Terry Labonte, andRon Bouchard were nose-to-tail going into the final lap. Coming through the trioval to the finish line, Labonte tried to pass Waltrip on the outside, Waltrip forcing him high, up against the wall. Bouchard, in third place, slipped by on the inside and won by 2 feet or 0.61 metres in a spectacular 3-wide photo finish in front of 75,000 spectators.[2][4][5][6] It would be the only Cup victory of his career. The thrilling win would propel him to that year'sNASCAR Rookie of the Year award. Bouchard andPete Hamilton are the only NASCAR Cup Series winners from Massachusetts to date.
Terry Herman would make his first NASCAR Cup start in this race whileSandy Satullo, II would make his last.[4]Stan Barrett would make the best finish of his career in this race;[2][4] he would go on to father independent driverStanton Barrett.Richard Childress would make one of his final driving appearances before becoming a full-time owner ofRichard Childress Racing.
The finish of the race was shown on theCBS Evening News that night, due to the technical problems that happened during the race.
| Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 33 | Harry Gant | Buick | Hal Needham |
| 2 | 28 | Bobby Allison | Buick | Harry Ranier |
| 3 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Pontiac | Jim Stacy |
| 4 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Buick | Bill Hagan |
| 5 | 27 | Cale Yarborough | Buick | M.C. Anderson |
| 6 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Ford | Wood Brothers |
| 7 | 1 | Buddy Baker | Buick | Hoss Ellington |
| 8 | 6 | Joe Ruttman | Buick | Jim Stacy |
| 9 | 62 | Rick Wilson | Oldsmobile | Rick Wilson |
| 10 | 47 | Ron Bouchard | Buick | Jack Beebe |
† signifies that the driver is known to be deceased
* Driver failed to finish race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Bobby Allison | 3029 | 0 |
| 2 | Darrell Waltrip | 2935 | -94 |
| 3 | Harry Gant | 2782 | -247 |
| 4 | Ricky Rudd | 2664 | -365 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt | 2608 | -421 |
6 | Terry Labonte | 2573 | -456 |
| 7 | Jody Ridley | 2566 | -463 |
8 | Richard Petty | 2562 | -467 |
| 9 | Benny Parsons | 2417 | -612 |
| 10 | Kyle Petty | 2272 | -757 |
| Preceded by | NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Talladega 500 races 1981 | Succeeded by |