1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400
Coordinates: 30°32′13″N 96°13′16″W / 30.537°N 96.221°W
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 14 of 31 in the 1981 NASCAR Winston Cup Series season | |||
 Layout of Texas World Speedway | |||
| Date | June 7, 1981 | ||
| 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 ($59,314.88 when considering inflation) while last-place finisher Baxter Price received a meager $900 ($2,346.52 when considering inflation).[2] The total purse for this event was $179,075 ($466,892.83 when considering inflation).[3]
Top ten finishers
| Pos[2] | Grid | No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Winnings | Laps led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 15 | Benny Parsons | Ford | 200 | $22,750 | 58 |
| 2 | 3 | 2 | Dale Earnhardt | Pontiac | 200 | $18,650 | 96 |
| 3 | 2 | 28 | Bobby Allison | Buick | 200 | $14,650 | 17 |
| 4 | 5 | 43 | Richard Petty | Buick | 199 | $12,550 | 0 |
| 5 | 13 | 71 | Dave Marcis | Buick | 198 | $8,935 | 0 |
| 6 | 6 | 90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | 198 | $8,610 | 1 |
| 7 | 16 | 99 | Tim Richmond | Oldsmobile | 196 | $6,840 | 0 |
| 8 | 14 | 66 | Lake Speed | Oldsmobile | 196 | $5,630 | 4 |
| 9 | 12 | 6 | Joe Ruttman | Buick | 195 | $3,100 | 3 |
| 10 | 7 | 33 | Harry Gant | Pontiac | 193 | $2,700 | 4 |
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[2] | Differential |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Allison | 2256 | 0 |
| 2 | Ricky Rudd | 1984 | -272 |
| 3 | Darrell Waltrip | 1915 | -341 |
| 4 | Harry Gant | 1890 | -366 |
| 5 | Dale Earnhardt | 1848 | -408 |
| 6 | Jody Ridley | 1817 | -439 |
| 7 | Terry Labonte | 1750 | -506 |
| 8 | Richard Petty | 1711 | -545 |
| 9 | Benny Parsons | 1634 | -622 |
| 10 | Buddy Arrington | 1615 | -641 |
References
- ↑ Weather information for the 1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 at The Old Farmers' Almanac
- 1 2 3 4 1981 Budweiser NASCAR 400 racing information at Racing Reference
- ↑ 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 |