1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400

Coordinates: 30°32′13″N 96°13′16″W / 30.537°N 96.221°W / 30.537; -96.221

1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400
Race details[1]
Race 14 of 31 in the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season

Layout of Texas World Speedway
Date June 7, 1981 (1981-June-07)
Official name Texas 400
Location Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas
Course Permanent racing facility
2.000 mi (3.218 km)
Distance 250 laps, 400 mi (404 km)
Weather Hot with temperatures approaching 91 °F (33 °C); wind speeds up to 12.8 miles per hour (20.6 km/h)
Average speed 132.475 miles per hour (213.198 km/h)
Attendance 18,000[2]
Pole position
Driver Hagan Enterprises
Most laps led
Driver Dale Earnhardt Osterlund Motorsports
Laps 96
Winner
No. 15 Benny Parsons Bud Moore Engineering
Television in the United States
Network untelevised
Announcers none

The 1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series racing event that took place on June 7, 1981, at Texas World Speedway in the American community of College Station, Texas.

Summary

During the preceding season, NASCAR had completely stopped tracking the year model of all the vehicles and most teams did not take stock cars to the track under their own power anymore.

34 drivers qualified for this 200-lap race; with Baxter Price, Kirk Shelmerdine and D.K. Ulrich quitting the race early on in this three-hour-long session. Benny Parsons and Dale Earnhardt would dominate the later portion of the race. Parsons would end up beating the Intimidator by slightly more than half a second. All of the drivers were born in the United States of America. Only three drivers remained on the lead lap at the end of the race: Benny Parsons, Dale Earnhardt, and Bobby Allison. Eighteen thousand people would come to see 35 different lead changes.

Other notable participants at the race were: Richard Petty, J.D. McDuffie, Richard Childress, Terry Labonte, Ricky Rudd, and Kyle Petty. Crashes and engine problems also made up the bulk of the drivers who failed to finish the race. The winner received $22,750 in total winnings ($59,214.95 when considering inflation) while last-place finisher Baxter Price received a meager $900 ($2,342.57 when considering inflation).[2] The total purse for this event was $179,075 ($466,106.27 when considering inflation).[3]

Top ten finishers

Pos[2] Grid No. Driver Manufacturer Laps Winnings
1 4 15 Benny Parsons Ford 200 $22,750
2 3 2 Dale Earnhardt Pontiac 200 $18,650
3 2 28 Bobby Allison Buick 200 $14,650
4 5 43 Richard Petty Buick 199 $12,550
5 13 71 Dave Marcis Buick 198 $8,935
6 6 90 Jody Ridley Ford 198 $8,610
7 16 99 Tim Richmond Oldsmobile 196 $6,840
8 14 66 Lake Speed Oldsmobile 196 $5,630
9 12 6 Joe Ruttman Buick 195 $3,100
10 7 33 Harry Gant Pontiac 193 $2,700

Standings after the race

Pos Driver Points[2]
1 Bobby Allison 2256
2 Ricky Rudd 1984
3 Darrell Waltrip 1915
4 Harry Gant 1890
5 Dale Earnhardt 1848

References

  1. Weather information for the 1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
  2. 1 2 3 4 1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 racing information at Racing Reference
  3. 1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 racing information at Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet
Preceded by
1981 World 600
NASCAR Winston Cup Series Season
1981
Succeeded by
1981 Warner W. Hodgdon 400


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