- 1981 Carolina 500 Results Stock Car Online Results Reference
- 1981 Carolina 500 Results Stock Car Online Results Reference
| fin | qual | driver | team | laps led | car | sponsor | pts | laps | status | earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Darrell Waltrip | 13 | #11 Buick | Mountain Dew | 180 | 492 | Finish | $21,655 | |
| 2 | 1 | Cale Yarborough | 320 | #27 Buick | Valvoline | 0 | 492 | Finish | $12,370 | |
| 3 | 3 | Richard Petty | 25 | #43 Buick | STP | 170 | 492 | Finish | $14,370 | |
| 4 | 8 | Neil Bonnett | 82 | #21 Ford | Purolator | 165 | 492 | Finish | $6,920 | |
| 5 | 6 | Buddy Baker | 3 | #1 Oldsmobile | UNO | 160 | 491 | Finish | $3,895 | |
| 6 | 2 | Bobby Allison | 17 | #28 Pontiac | Tuf-Lon | 155 | 491 | Finish | $9,470 | |
| 7 | 14 | Joe Millikan | 8 | #75 Chevy | 151 | 488 | Finish | $6,230 | ||
| 8 | 26 | Kyle Petty | 0 | #42 Buick | STP | 142 | 486 | Finish | $2,670 | |
| 9 | 15 | Lake Speed | 0 | #66 Buick | George's T-Shirts | 138 | 482 | Finish | $2,770 | |
| 10 | 32 | Elliott Forbes-Robinson | 0 | #86 Buick | Howard & Egerton | 134 | 477 | Finish | $3,170 | |
| 11 | 23 | Ronnie Thomas | 0 | #25 Pontiac | Thomas Racing | 130 | 476 | Finish | $4,680 | |
| 12 | 28 | Johnny Rutherford | 0 | #98 Pontiac | Levi Garrett | 127 | 473 | Finish | $1,870 | |
| 13 | 24 | Mike Alexander | 0 | #37 Oldsmobile | Rogers Auto Leasing | 0 | 470 | Finish | $1,700 | |
| 14 | 30 | Bobby Wawak | 0 | #94 Buick | Louise Smith | 121 | 469 | Finish | $1,570 | |
| 15 | 17 | Dave Marcis | 0 | #71 Dodge | Buck Stove | 118 | 452 | Finish | $3,810 | |
| 16 | 22 | Tim Richmond | 0 | #99 Buick | UNO | 115 | 450 | Finish | $3,500 | |
| 17 | 34 | Jody Ridley | 0 | #79 Oldsmobile | Miller Roofing | 112 | 443 | Engine | $4,290 | |
| 18 | 7 | Harry Gant | 18 | #47 Buick | Race Hill Farm | 114 | 427 | Engine | $3,070 | |
| 19 | 37 | Tommy Gale | 0 | #64 Ford | Sunny King Ford & Honda | 106 | 424 | Finish | $2,860 | |
| 20 | 21 | James Hylton | 0 | #48 Pontiac | Palatine Auto Parts | 103 | 421 | Finish | $2,730 | |
| 21 | 9 | Terry Labonte | 5 | #44 Buick | Apache Stove | 105 | 412 | Accident | $6,270 | |
| 22 | 16 | Richard Childress | Richard Childress Racing | 0 | #3 Pontiac | Childress Racing | 97 | 409 | Engine | $2,420 |
| 23 | 35 | Cecil Gordon | 0 | #24 Buick | South Hill Texaco | 94 | 395 | Finish | $2,235 | |
| 24 | 10 | Benny Parsons | 0 | #15 Ford | Melling Tool | 91 | 379 | Accident | $6,200 | |
| 25 | 12 | Slick Johnson | 0 | #53 Chevy | Johnson Racing | 88 | 298 | Accident | $725 | |
| 26 | 11 | Dale Earnhardt | 0 | #2 Pontiac | Wrangler | 85 | 285 | Accident | $8,250 | |
| 27 | 33 | Glenn Jarrett | 0 | #17 Chevy | Kings Inn Daytona | 82 | 277 | Overheating | $1,915 | |
| 28 | 13 | Morgan Shepherd | 0 | #5 Pontiac | Performance Connection | 79 | 268 | Driveshaft | $650 | |
| 29 | 29 | Jimmy Means | 0 | #52 Pontiac | Broadway Motors | 76 | 254 | Accident | $1,855 | |
| 30 | 20 | David Pearson | 0 | #16 Chevy | Halpern Enterprises | 73 | 225 | Engine | $675 | |
| 31 | 5 | Ricky Rudd | 1 | #88 Oldsmobile | Gatorade | 75 | 224 | Accident | $6,045 | |
| 32 | 36 | Rick Newsom | 0 | #20 Chevy | Newsom Racing | 67 | 218 | Clutch | $590 | |
| 33 | 19 | J.D. McDuffie | 0 | #70 Pontiac | Bailey Excavating | 64 | 188 | Transmission | $1,805 | |
| 34 | 18 | Donnie Allison | 0 | #12 Oldsmobile | The 5 Racers | 61 | 109 | Oil Line | $580 | |
| 35 | 27 | Rick Wilson | 0 | #62 Oldsmobile | Florida Equipment & Service | 58 | 97 | Brakes | $575 | |
| 36 | 31 | Stan Barrett | 0 | #22 Pontiac | Skoal Bandit | 0 | 61 | Accident | $570 | |
| 37 | 25 | Buddy Arrington | 0 | #67 Dodge | Reid Trailer Sales | 52 | 34 | Engine | $1,770 |