- 1981 American 500 Results Stock Car Online Results Reference
- 1981 American 500 Results Stock Car Online Results Reference
| fin | qual | driver | team | laps led | car | sponsor | pts | laps | status | earnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Darrell Waltrip | 163 | #11 Buick | Mountain Dew | 185 | 492 | Finish | $23,410 | |
| 2 | 14 | Bobby Allison | 31 | #28 Buick | Hardee's | 175 | 492 | Finish | $17,100 | |
| 3 | 2 | Harry Gant | 125 | #33 Pontiac | Skoal Bandit | 170 | 492 | Finish | $10,150 | |
| 4 | 12 | Richard Petty | 92 | #43 Buick | STP | 165 | 492 | Finish | $10,400 | |
| 5 | 16 | Joe Ruttman | 3 | #2 Pontiac | J.D. Stacy | 160 | 492 | Finish | $9,700 | |
| 6 | 24 | Benny Parsons | 0 | #15 Ford | Melling Tool | 150 | 491 | Finish | $8,750 | |
| 7 | 10 | Terry Labonte | 0 | #44 Buick | J.D. Stacy | 146 | 490 | Finish | $8,350 | |
| 8 | 22 | Bill Elliott | 17 | #9 Ford | Mell-Gear | 147 | 490 | Finish | $3,000 | |
| 9 | 5 | Dale Earnhardt | Richard Childress Racing | 16 | #3 Pontiac | Wrangler | 143 | 489 | Finish | $7,360 |
| 10 | 19 | Jody Ridley | 0 | #90 Ford | Truxmore / Sunny King | 134 | 487 | Finish | $6,190 | |
| 11 | 37 | Ron Bouchard | 0 | #47 Buick | J.D. Stacy | 130 | 485 | Finish | $4,730 | |
| 12 | 26 | Dave Marcis | 2 | #71 Chevy | J.D. Stacy | 132 | 483 | Finish | $4,270 | |
| 13 | 27 | Tommy Gale | 0 | #64 Ford | Sunny King Ford & Honda | 124 | 475 | Finish | $3,980 | |
| 14 | 31 | Buddy Arrington | 0 | #67 Dodge | Kyle Petty's Boot Barn | 121 | 470 | Finish | $3,740 | |
| 15 | 34 | Cecil Gordon | 0 | #24 Buick | Washington Freightliner | 118 | 457 | Finish | $3,530 | |
| 16 | 4 | Buddy Baker | 2 | #1 Buick | UNO | 120 | 445 | Rear End | $1,425 | |
| 17 | 32 | D.K. Ulrich | 0 | #99 Buick | Ulrich Racing | 112 | 435 | Engine | $3,220 | |
| 18 | 3 | Ricky Rudd | 16 | #88 Chevy | Gatorade | 114 | 434 | Finish | $7,000 | |
| 19 | 17 | Joe Millikan | 0 | #5 Pontiac | Performance Connection | 106 | 425 | Finish | $6,100 | |
| 20 | 36 | Jimmy Means | 0 | #52 Pontiac | Broadway Motors | 103 | 404 | Finish | $2,760 | |
| 21 | 23 | Dick Brooks | 0 | #13 Ford | Carolina Tool | 0 | 379 | Valve | $825 | |
| 22 | 13 | Tim Richmond | 0 | #37 Buick | Rogers Auto Leasing | 97 | 334 | Accident | $800 | |
| 23 | 35 | Joe Fields | 0 | #92 Buick | Richmond Printing | 0 | 262 | Accident | $775 | |
| 24 | 29 | John Anderson | 0 | #17 Buick | Kings Inn Daytona | 0 | 226 | Suspension | $2,290 | |
| 25 | 8 | Cale Yarborough | 0 | #27 Buick | Valvoline | 88 | 214 | Accident | $1,225 | |
| 26 | 25 | James Hylton | 0 | #48 Pontiac | Palatine Auto Parts | 85 | 214 | Push Rod | $2,230 | |
| 27 | 15 | Morgan Shepherd | 25 | #96 Buick | Levi Garrett | 87 | 205 | Accident | $675 | |
| 28 | 28 | Chuck Bown | 0 | #16 Buick | Rose Auto Wrecking | 79 | 193 | Engine | $650 | |
| 29 | 11 | Johnny Rutherford | 0 | #98 Buick | Levi Garrett | 76 | 172 | Accident | $625 | |
| 30 | 30 | J.D. McDuffie | 0 | #70 Pontiac | Bailey Excavating | 73 | 165 | Engine | $2,130 | |
| 31 | 18 | Lake Speed | 0 | #66 Oldsmobile | Speed Racing | 70 | 162 | Engine | $2,125 | |
| 32 | 21 | Gary Balough | 0 | #75 Buick | Ferrailuolo & Sons Excavating | 67 | 117 | Accident | $1,395 | |
| 33 | 33 | Don Hume | 0 | #40 Buick | Newton Oil & Gas | 0 | 101 | Accident | $590 | |
| 34 | 7 | Dean Combs | 0 | #77 Buick | Captains Table | 0 | 89 | Accident | $585 | |
| 35 | 9 | Neil Bonnett | 0 | #21 Ford | Warner Hodgdon / Natl. Eng. | 58 | 55 | Accident | $1,080 | |
| 36 | 20 | Lennie Pond | 0 | #68 Buick | J.D. Stacy | 55 | 54 | Accident | $575 | |
| 37 | 6 | Kyle Petty | 0 | #42 Buick | STP | 52 | 19 | Engine | $870 |