1981 Southern 500

The 1981 Southern 500 was a NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now the NASCAR Cup Series) event held at Darlington Raceway on September 7, 1981. Neil Bonnett dominated the event, leading 216 of 367 laps in route to victory, barely edging out Darrell Waltrip. Waltrip now closed in on Bobby Allison's point lead, as Allison's once large margin now shrunk to 18 points with his 9th place showing. Stats

This was Neil Bonnett's first win in a Ford car, who won the race, Bonnett, who crossed the finish line with Darrell Waltrip's Buick Regal nearly touching his bumper, drove the Wood Brothers Ford Thunderbird to his first victory since Aug. 3, 1980, when he took the Talladega 500.