- 1981 National 500 Results Stock Car Online Results Reference
- 1981 National 500 Results Stock Car Online Results Reference
| fin | qual | driver | team | laps led | car | sponsor | pts | laps | status | earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 127 | #11 Buick | Mountain Dew | 180 | 334 | Finish | $51,600 | |
| 2 | 17 | Bobby Allison | 17 | #28 Chevy | Hardee's | 175 | 334 | Finish | $27,400 | |
| 3 | 8 | Ricky Rudd | 0 | #88 Chevy | Gatorade | 165 | 334 | Finish | $29,925 | |
| 4 | 22 | Tommy Ellis | 1 | #55 Chevy | Industrial Boiler | 0 | 333 | Finish | $11,400 | |
| 5 | 30 | Ron Bouchard | 0 | #47 Buick | J.D. Stacy | 155 | 332 | Finish | $12,180 | |
| 6 | 19 | Rusty Wallace | 0 | #72 Buick | Childs Tire | 150 | 331 | Finish | $6,750 | |
| 7 | 14 | Geoff Bodine | 11 | #01 Buick | Zervakis Racing | 151 | 331 | Finish | $7,050 | |
| 8 | 34 | Morgan Shepherd | 0 | #24 Buick | Washington Freightliner | 142 | 331 | Finish | $8,195 | |
| 9 | 18 | Jack Ingram | 0 | #13 Ford | Carolina Tool | 138 | 329 | Finish | $4,400 | |
| 10 | 33 | Buddy Arrington | 0 | #67 Dodge | Kyle Petty's Boot Barn | 134 | 328 | Finish | $7,175 | |
| 11 | 21 | Connie Saylor | 0 | #4 Oldsmobile | Apache Stove | 130 | 328 | Finish | $3,850 | |
| 12 | 37 | Jimmy Means | 0 | #8 Dodge | Negre Racing | 127 | 327 | Finish | $3,750 | |
| 13 | 25 | Rick Wilson | 0 | #62 Oldsmobile | Florida Equipment & Service | 124 | 326 | Finish | $3,650 | |
| 14 | 41 | D.K. Ulrich | 0 | #99 Buick | Ulrich Racing | 121 | 326 | Finish | $6,115 | |
| 15 | 13 | Jody Ridley | 1 | #90 Ford | Truxmore / Sunny King | 123 | 326 | Finish | $7,805 | |
| 16 | 36 | H.B. Bailey | 0 | #36 Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts | 115 | 324 | Finish | $3,250 | |
| 17 | 40 | J.D. McDuffie | 0 | #70 Pontiac | Bailey Excavating | 112 | 322 | Finish | $5,835 | |
| 18 | 5 | Tim Richmond | 10 | #37 Buick | Rogers Auto Leasing | 114 | 317 | Engine | $5,650 | |
| 19 | 10 | Joe Ruttman | 0 | #2 Buick | J.D. Stacy | 106 | 276 | Engine | $10,050 | |
| 20 | 15 | Kyle Petty | 6 | #42 Buick | STP | 108 | 259 | Accident | $6,475 | |
| 21 | 23 | Bob Senneker | 0 | #6 Pontiac | J.D. Stacy | 0 | 256 | Accident | $1,975 | |
| 22 | 28 | Tommy Gale | 0 | #64 Ford | Sunny King Ford & Honda | 97 | 246 | Clutch | $3,890 | |
| 23 | 6 | Terry Labonte | 6 | #44 Buick | J.D. Stacy | 99 | 234 | Engine | $8,375 | |
| 24 | 11 | Gary Balough | 0 | #75 Buick | Chaparral Trailers | 91 | 226 | Accident | $4,880 | |
| 25 | 24 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | 2 | #3 Pontiac | Wrangler | 93 | 220 | Ignition | $4,920 |
| 26 | 26 | Charlie Glotzbach | 0 | #23 Buick | Oxford Speedway | 85 | 218 | Handling | $1,275 | |
| 27 | 27 | Johnny Rutherford | 0 | #98 Buick | Levi Garrett | 82 | 216 | Rod | $1,250 | |
| 28 | 29 | Sterling Marlin | 0 | #14 Chevy Monte Carlo | Coors | 79 | 193 | Clutch | $1,225 | |
| 29 | 7 | Neil Bonnett | 135 | #21 Ford | Warner Hodgdon / Natl. Eng. | 86 | 190 | Rod Bearing | $12,450 | |
| 30 | 9 | Richard Petty | 15 | #43 Buick | STP | 78 | 180 | Rod | $9,125 | |
| 31 | 3 | Cale Yarborough | 2 | #27 Buick | Valvoline | 75 | 153 | Engine | $2,100 | |
| 32 | 32 | Ronnie Thomas | 0 | #40 Buick | McWhirter Grading | 67 | 137 | Ignition | $1,075 | |
| 33 | 16 | Bill Elliott | 0 | #9 Ford | Mell-Gear | 64 | 130 | Timing Chain | $1,050 | |
| 34 | 38 | Lake Speed | 0 | #66 Buick | Ronnie Steele | 61 | 118 | Engine | $2,600 | |
| 35 | 31 | Joe Millikan | 0 | #5 Pontiac | Performance Connection | 58 | 98 | Accident | $5,950 | |
| 36 | 35 | Bobby Wawak | 0 | #94 Buick | Louise Smith | 55 | 66 | Valve | $990 | |
| 37 | 4 | Buddy Baker | 0 | #1 Buick | UNO | 52 | 63 | Tie Rod | $1,480 | |
| 38 | 12 | Benny Parsons | 0 | #15 Ford | Melling Tool | 49 | 50 | Clutch | $6,925 | |
| 39 | 39 | John Anderson | 0 | #38 Buick | Copper Kettle Marina | 0 | 41 | Engine | $965 | |
| 40 | 20 | Dave Marcis | 0 | #71 Buick | Norton Company | 43 | 19 | Engine | $2,515 | |
| 41 | 2 | Harry Gant | 1 | #33 Pontiac | Skoal Bandit | 45 | 4 | Crank | $8,505 |