The 1981 Indianapolis 500 was the 65th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing”. The event was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indiana, United States on Sunday, 24 May 1981. Bobby Unser started on pole position and was the race winner. Having also won in 1968 and 1975, this was Unser’s third and final Indy 500 victory.
1981 Indianapolis 500 Race Result
| Pos. | No. | Driver | Chassis | Engine | Tire | Started | Laps | Total Time | Laps Led | Status | Avg. Speed | Prize Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | Bobby Unser | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 1 | 200 | 3:35:41.78 | 89 | Running | 139.184 | $299,124 |
| 2 | 40 | Mario Andretti | Wildcat | Cosworth | Goodyear | 32 | 200 | +5.18 | 12 | Running | 139.029 | $128,974 |
| 3 | 33 | Vern Schuppan | McLaren | Cosworth | Goodyear | 18 | 199 | 0 | Running | $87,974 | ||
| 4 | 32 | Kevin Cogan | Phoenix | Cosworth | Goodyear | 12 | 197 | 0 | Running | $59,024 | ||
| 5 | 50 | Geoff Brabham | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 15 | 197 | 0 | Running | $55,684 | ||
| 6 | 81 | Sheldon Kinser | Longhorn | Cosworth | Goodyear | 23 | 195 | 0 | Running | $44,754 | ||
| 7 | 16 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | McLaren | Cosworth | Goodyear | 16 | 195 | 0 | Running | $44,064 | ||
| 8 | 53 | Steve Krisiloff | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 17 | 194 | 0 | Running | $39,986 | ||
| 9 | 20 | Gordon Johncock | Wildcat | Cosworth | Goodyear | 4 | 194 | 52 | Engine | $62,501 | ||
| 10 | 4 | Dennis Firestone | Wildcat | Cosworth | Goodyear | 28 | 193 | 0 | Engine | $36,376 | ||
| 11 | 7 | Bill Alsup | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 7 | 193 | 0 | Running | $35,632 | ||
| 12 | 74 | Michael Chandler | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 25 | 192 | 0 | Running | $34,116 | ||
| 13 | 14 | A.J. Foyt | Coyote | Cosworth | Goodyear | 3 | 191 | 0 | Running | $35,795 | ||
| 14 | 84 | Tim Richmond | Parnelli | Cosworth | Goodyear | 33 | 191 | 0 | Running | $33,612 | ||
| 15 | 38 | Jerry Karl | McLaren | Chevrolet | Goodyear | 31 | 189 | 0 | Running | $35,480 | ||
| 16 | 37 | Scott Brayton | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 29 | 173 | 0 | Engine | $32,176 | ||
| 17 | 88 | Al Unser | Longhorn | Cosworth | Goodyear | 9 | 166 | 0 | Running | $31,600 | ||
| 18 | 31 | Larry Dickson | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 19 | 165 | 0 | Piston | $30,652 | ||
| 19 | 35 | Bob Lazier | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 13 | 154 | 0 | Engine | $33,732 | ||
| 20 | 56 | Tom Bigelow | Penske | Chevrolet | Goodyear | 14 | 152 | 0 | Engine | $30,140 | ||
| 21 | 90 | Bill Whittington | March | Cosworth | Goodyear | 27 | 146 | 0 | Stalled | $31,243 | ||
| 22 | 60 | Gordon Smiley | Wildcat | Cosworth | Goodyear | 8 | 141 | 1 | Accident | $29,240 | ||
| 23 | 55 | Josele Garza | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 6 | 138 | 13 | Accident | $40,282 | ||
| 24 | 79 | Pete Halsmer | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 24 | 123 | 0 | Accident | $30,702 | ||
| 25 | 2 | Tom Sneva | March | Cosworth | Goodyear | 20 | 96 | 25 | Clutch | $38,000 | ||
| 26 | 8 | Gary Bettenhausen | Lightning | Cosworth | Goodyear | 11 | 69 | 0 | Rod | $27,976 | ||
| 27 | 25 | Danny Ongais | Interscope | Cosworth | Goodyear | 21 | 64 | 4 | Accident | $30,380 | ||
| 28 | 5 | Pancho Carter | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 10 | 63 | 0 | Compression | $27,712 | ||
| 29 | 51 | Tom Klausler | Schkee | Chevrolet | Goodyear | 30 | 60 | 0 | Gearbox | $27,972 | ||
| 30 | 6 | Rick Mears | Penske | Cosworth | Goodyear | 22 | 58 | 1 | Pit fire | $28,560 | ||
| 31 | 91 | Don Whittington | March | Cosworth | Goodyear | 26 | 32 | 0 | Accident | $28,743 | ||
| 32 | 1 | Johnny Rutherford | Chaparral | Cosworth | Goodyear | 5 | 25 | 3 | Fuel pump | $29,620 | ||
| 33 | 48 | Mike Mosley | Eagle | Chevrolet | Goodyear | 2 | 16 | 0 | Radiator | $31,392 |