| 1981 Champion 400 NASCAR Cup Series Race 21 of 31 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race Information | Track Information | ||||
| Total Purse: | $181,185 | Race Date: | Aug 16, 1981 | Michigan International Speedway | |
| Margin of Victory: | 20 Car Lengths | Race Duration: | 3Hr 14Min 24Sec. | Brooklyn, Michigan | |
| Lead Changes: | 63 | Average Speed: | 123.457 MPH | 2 Mile Paved D-Shaped Oval | |
| No. of Cars: | 36 | No. of Cautions: | 9 For 51 Laps | mispeedway.com | |
| Winner, Pole and Manufacturer Information | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner Information | Pole Information | Manufacturer Points | ||||||
| Driver: | Richard Petty R. Petty | Driver: | Ron Bouchard R. Bouchard | Buick: | 9 | |||
| Car No.: | #43 Buick | Car No.: | #47 Buick | Chevrolet: | 0 | |||
| Team: | Petty Enterprises | Team: | Yunick-Rich Racing | Pontiac: | 0 | |||
| Crew Chief: | Wade Thornburg | Crew Chief: | Bob Johnson | Ford: | 0 | |||
| Laps Led: | 64 of 200 | Pole Speed: | 161.501 MPH | |||||
| Official 1981 Champion 400 Results |
|---|
| Finish | Start | Num | Driver | Sponsor | Status | Mfg | Points | Laps | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 43 | Richard Petty | STP | Running |  | 185 | 200 | 64 |
| 2 | 15 | 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Mountain Dew | Running | | 175 | 200 | 3 |
| 3 | 9 | 88 | Ricky Rudd | Gatorade | Running |  | 165 | 200 | 0 |
| 4 | 8 | 33 | Harry Gant | Skoal Bandit | Running |  | 165 | 200 | 3 |
| 5 | 19 | 1 | Buddy Baker | Uno | Running | | 155 | 200 | 0 |
| 6 | 5 | 2 | Joe Ruttman (R) | J.D. Stacy | Running | | 155 | 200 | 4 |
| 7 | 12 | 28 | Bobby Allison | Hardee's | Running | | 151 | 200 | 15 |
| 8 | 6 | 9 | Bill Elliott | Mell-Gear Tuning Components | Running |  | 142 | 200 | 0 |
| 9 | 10 | 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Wrangler Jeans | Running | | 138 | 200 | 0 |
| 10 | 20 | 37 | Mike Alexander (R) | Roger's Auto Leasing | Running | | 134 | 200 | 0 |
| 11 | 21 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Transmissions Unlimited | Running | | 135 | 200 | 5 |
| 12 | 18 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Truxmore Industries / Sunny King Ford / Honda | Running | | 132 | 200 | 1 |
| 13 | 16 | 98 | Johnny Rutherford (R) | Levi Garrett | Running | | 129 | 199 | 5 |
| 14 | 4 | 44 | Terry Labonte | Stratagraph Incorporated | Running | | 126 | 199 | 5 |
| 15 | 22 | 66 | Lake Speed | Lake Speed Racing | Running | | 118 | 199 | 0 |
| 16 | 25 | 70 | J.D. McDuffie | Bailey Excavating | Running | | 115 | 199 | 0 |
| 17 | 2 | 27 | Cale Yarborough | Valvoline | Running | | 117 | 198 | 9 |
| 18 | 3 | 75 | Gary Balough (R) | Chaparral Trailers | Running | | 0 | 198 | 0 |
| 19 | 17 | 42 | Kyle Petty | STP | Running | | 106 | 197 | 0 |
| 20 | 30 | 99 | Rick Knoop | Kargessport | Running | | 0 | 197 | 0 |
| 21 | 31 | 64 | Tommy Gale | Sunny King Ford & Honda | Running | | 105 | 197 | 2 |
| 22 | 29 | 40 | Joe Booher | Booher Farms | Running | | 97 | 196 | 0 |
| 23 | 24 | 5 | Joe Millikan | Performance Connection | Running | | 94 | 195 | 0 |
| 24 | 26 | 24 | Cecil Gordon | Gordon Racing | Running | | 91 | 195 | 0 |
| 25 | 33 | 52 | Jimmy Means | Broadway Motors | Running | | 88 | 186 | 0 |
| 26 | 13 | 15 | Benny Parsons | Melling Tool Company | Valve Spring | | 90 | 173 | 33 |
| 27 | 36 | 48 | James Hylton | Palatine Automotive | Running | | 87 | 156 | 8 |
| 28 | 11 | 21 | Neil Bonnett | Warner Hodgdon / National Engineering | Valve Spring | | 84 | 155 | 43 |
| 29 | 1 | 47 | Ron Bouchard (R) | J.D. Stacy | Engine | | 76 | 85 | 0 |
| 30 | 23 | 12 | Tim Richmond (R) | Uno | Engine | | 73 | 53 | 0 |
| 31 | 35 | 94 | Bobby Wawak | Wawak Racing | Oil Pump | | 70 | 28 | 0 |
| 32 | 28 | 97 | Bob Schacht | Test Tube | Transmission |  | 67 | 22 | 0 |
| 33 | 32 | 50 | Bruce Hill | Hill Racing | Driveshaft | | 64 | 21 | 0 |
| 34 | 14 | 2 | Morgan Shepherd (R) | Amsoil | Accident | | 61 | 20 | 0 |
| 35 | 27 | 67 | Buddy Arrington | Hills Racing | Valves |  | 58 | 13 | 0 |
| 36 | 34 | 19 | Dick May | Belden Asphalt | Camshaft | | 55 | 4 | 0 |
