Race Entry List
NASCAR Cup Series
Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
September 7th, 1981
Race #23 of the 1981 NASCAR Cup Series Season
- Previous Race
- Southern 500
- Next Race
- Laps Scheduled: 367
- Drivers Entered: 40
- Makes
- Buick (18)
- Chevrolet (2)
- Dodge (2)
- Ford (6)
- Oldsmobile (2)
- Pontiac (10)
- Last Darlington Raceway
race (CRC Chemicals Rebel 500)
- Pole: (-- mph)
- Winner:
| Car # | Driver | Hometown | Make | Sponsor | Team | Crew Chief |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | David Pearson | Buick | Ronnie Steele | Hoss Ellington | ||
| 1 | Buddy Baker | Buick | UNO | Hoss Ellington | ||
| 11 | Darrell Waltrip | Franklin, TN | Buick | Mountain Dew | Junior Johnson | |
| 12 | Tim Richmond | Buick | UNO | Kennie Childers | ||
| 13 | Jack Ingram | Ford | Carolina Tool | Bobby Hawkins | ||
| 15 | Benny Parsons | Ford | Melling Tool | Bud Moore | ||
| 17 | Mike Potter | Buick | Kings Inn Daytona | Roger Hamby | ||
| 2 | Joe Ruttman | Upland, CA | Pontiac | Neo-Life | Jim Stacy | |
| 21 | Neil Bonnett | Ford | Warner Hodgdon | Wood Brothers | ||
| 24 | Morgan Shepherd | Conover, NC | Buick | Gordon Racing | Cecil Gordon | |
| 25 | Ronnie Thomas | Pontiac | Thomas Racing | Ronnie Thomas | ||
| 27 | Cale Yarborough | Buick | Valvoline | M.C. Anderson | ||
| 28 | Bobby Allison | Chevrolet | Hardee's | Harry Ranier | ||
| 3 | Dale Earnhardt | Kannapolis, NC | Pontiac | Wrangler | Richard Childress | |
| 33 | Harry Gant | Pontiac | Skoal Bandit | Hal Needham | ||
| 36 | HB Bailey | Pontiac | Almeda Auto Parts | H.B. Bailey | ||
| 37 | Mike Alexander | Oldsmobile | Rogers Auto Leasing | Bob Rogers | ||
| 4 | Connie Saylor | Oldsmobile | Spencer Racing | G.C. Spencer | ||
| 40 | Slick Johnson | Buick | Ulrich Racing | D.K. Ulrich | ||
| 42 | Kyle Petty | Trinity, NC | Buick | STP | Petty Enterprises | |
| 43 | Richard Petty | Buick | STP | Petty Enterprises | ||
| 44 | Terry Labonte | Corpus Christi, TX | Buick | J.D. Stacy | Billy Hagan | |
| 47 | Ron Bouchard | Buick | J.D. Stacy | Jack Beebe | ||
| 48 | James Hylton | Roanoke, VA | Pontiac | Palatine Auto Parts | James Hylton | |
| 5 | Joe Millikan | Pontiac | Performance Connection | Cliff Stewart | ||
| 52 | Jimmy Means | Pontiac | Broadway Motors | Jimmy Means | ||
| 64 | Tommy Gale | Ford | Sunny King Ford & Honda | Elmo Langley | ||
| 66 | Lake Speed | Jackson, MS | Buick | Speed Racing | Lake Speed | |
| 67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Hills Racing | Buddy Arrington | ||
| 68 | Lennie Pond | Buick | The 5 Racers | Lennie Pond | ||
| 70 | JD McDuffie | Pontiac | Bailey Excavating | J.D. McDuffie | ||
| 71 | Dave Marcis | Wausau, WI | Buick | U.S. Army | Dave Marcis | |
| 75 | Gary Balough | Buick | Chaparral Trailers | RahMoc Enterprises | ||
| 8 | Dick May | Dodge | Brooks Honda | Norman Negre | ||
| 88 | Ricky Rudd | Chesapeake, VA | Chevrolet | Gatorade | DiGard | |
| 9 | Bill Elliott | Dawsonville, GA | Ford | Mell-Gear | George Elliott | |
| 90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | Truxmore / Sunny King | Junie Donlavey | ||
| 94 | Bobby Wawak | Buick | Louise Smith | Bobby Wawak | ||
| 98 | Johnny Rutherford | Pontiac | Levi Garrett | Ron Benfield | ||
| 99 | DK Ulrich | Buick | Ulrich Racing | D.K. Ulrich |