| Official Race Results | |||||||||
| Busch 500 | Bristol International Speedway | |||||||||
| August 22, 1981 | Race 22 of 31 | |||||||||
| Average Speed: 84.723 mph | |||||||||
| Margin of Victory: 1 lap Under Caution | Time of Race: 03:08:44 | ||||||||
| Lead Changes: 11 | |||||||||
| Cautions: 7 for 52 laps. | |||||||||
| Fin | St | Car | Driver | Make | Sponsor | Pts / Bonus | Laps | Status | Winnings |
| 1 | 1 | #11 | Darrell Waltrip | Buick | Mountain Dew | 185/10 | 500 | Running | $18,800 |
| 2 | 3 | #88 | Ricky Rudd | Chevrolet | Gatorade | 175/5 | 499 | Running | $12,375 |
| 3 | 16 | #44 | Terry Labonte | Buick | Stratagraph | 165/0 | 498 | Running | $8,800 |
| 4 | 6 | #28 | Bobby Allison | Buick | Hardee's | 165/5 | 497 | Running | $7,075 |
| 5 | 7 | #47 | Ron Bouchard * | Buick | J.D. Stacy Racing | 155/0 | 497 | Running | $5,670 |
| 6 | 8 | #15 | Benny Parsons | Ford | Melling Tool Company | 150/0 | 497 | Running | $6,250 |
| 7 | 15 | #66 | Lake Speed | Oldsmobile | Speed Racing | 146/0 | 493 | Running | $4,170 |
| 8 | 9 | #12 | Tim Richmond | Oldsmobile | Uno | 142/0 | 488 | Accident | $1,315 |
| 9 | 5 | #71 | Dave Marcis | Buick | W.H. Bolin | 138/0 | 487 | Running | $3,600 |
| 10 | 20 | #67 | Buddy Arrington | Dodge | Hill's Racing | 134/0 | 486 | Running | $3,780 |
| 11 | 2 | #33 | Harry Gant | Pontiac | Skoal Bandit | 130/0 | 485 | Running | $3,695 |
| 12 | 22 | #52 | Jimmy Means | Pontiac | Broadway Motors | 127/0 | 480 | Running | $3,035 |
| 13 | 23 | #70 | J.D. McDuffie | Pontiac | Bailey Excavating | 124/0 | 479 | Running | $2,875 |
| 14 | 26 | #68 | Lennie Pond | Buick | Bekaert | 121/0 | 478 | Running | $1,000 |
| 15 | 25 | #64 | Tommy Gale | Ford | Sunny King Honda | 118/0 | 471 | Running | $2,615 |
| 16 | 28 | #48 | James Hylton | Pontiac | Palatine Automotive | 115/0 | 464 | Running | $2,475 |
| 17 | 18 | #5 | Joe Millikan | Pontiac | Performance Connection | 112/0 | 434 | Running | $4,965 |
| 18 | 21 | #25 | Ronnie Thomas | Pontiac | Thomas Racing | 109/0 | 392 | Running | $2,255 |
| 19 | 13 | #24 | Morgan Shepherd | Buick | Gordon Racing | 111/5 | 339 | Rear End | $1,905 |
| 20 | 4 | #90 | Jody Ridley | Ford | Truxmore/Sunny King Ford-Honda | 103/0 | 317 | Rear Sway Bar | $2,875 |
| 21 | 12 | #2 | Joe Ruttman | Pontiac | J.D. Stacy Racing | 105/5 | 302 | Cracked Oil Pan | $5,100 |
| 22 | 29 | #20 | Rick Newsom | Chevrolet | Newsom Racing | 97/0 | 248 | Not Handling | $635 |
| 23 | 24 | #99 | Elliott Forbes-Robinson | Buick | Ulrich Racing | PE | 246 | Broken Brake Line | $870 |
| 24 | 10 | #43 | Richard Petty | Buick | STP | 91/0 | 73 | Cracked Cylinder Head | $5,060 |
| 25 | 17 | #37 | Mike Alexander | Buick | Roger's Auto Leasing | 88/0 | 49 | Accident | $595 |
| 26 | 27 | #17 | Mike Potter | Chevrolet | Kings Inn Daytona | PE | 32 | Steering | $1,130 |
| 27 | 14 | #3 | Dale Earnhardt | Pontiac | Wrangler Jeans | 82/0 | 31 | Accident | $2,620 |
| 28 | 11 | #42 | Kyle Petty | Buick | STP | 79/0 | 28 | Transmission | $860 |
| 29 | 30 | #08 | Joel Stowe | Pontiac | Satterfield Racing | PE | 14 | Running Too Slow | $540 |
| 30 | 19 | #40 | Cecil Gordon | Buick | Dixie Engineering | 73/0 | 3 | Withdrew | $530 |
| * Denotes Rookie | |||||||||