|| *Comments on the 1981 Champion Spark Plug 400:* View the most recent comment <#27> | Post a comment <#post> Tweet 1. HomeDepotKid posted: 11.29.2004 - 9:44 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) A lot of people think the 1984 Daytona 500 was the first start for the Earnhardt/Childress combination. Not true. This is the one. 2. Jim Crooks posted: 12.20.2004 - 12:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Yep, that's true. The week before, Earnhardt drove his last race for J.D. Stacy in the #2. 3. MASH_guy posted: 06.14.2005 - 8:43 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) 63 lead changes!!! And nowadays, people are happy with less than half that amount. 4. Matt posted: 12.16.2006 - 5:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Cup debut for Bob Schacht. 5. SK posted: 12.28.2007 - 6:45 am Rate this comment: (1) (0) Ron Bouchard celebrates his first career win from a week before in fairly nice fashion, winning his first career pole. The race itself didn't go as smoothly, unfortunately. 6. SK posted: 12.28.2007 - 6:59 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) And former Rookie of the Year Bruce Hill makes his final Winston Cup start. 7. RaceFanX posted: 02.08.2008 - 5:23 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Career win #195 for Richard Petty 8. dtroppens posted: 02.22.2008 - 11:13 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) This is the last time in James Hylton's outstanding career that he led a lap in a race. 9. WillG_46 posted: 12.10.2008 - 7:25 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The first ever points race with 10+ cars finishing on the lead lap. 10. 18fan posted: 06.09.2010 - 11:34 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) The 65 lead changes in this race is an MIS record for any series. Even the CART races, which were always ultra-competitive, topped out at 63 in 1998. 11. Anonymous posted: 02.07.2011 - 5:28 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) First lead lap finish for Bill Elliott. 12. Walleyewhacker posted: 07.04.2011 - 2:28 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Third top 10 for Bill Elliott at MIS. First with some Harry Melling sponsor dollars as well! 13. Steve posted: 12.14.2012 - 10:14 pm Rate this comment: (0) (2) This was also King Richard's last win for Petty Enterprises. 14. joey2448 posted: 06.25.2013 - 1:59 am Rate this comment: (0) (2) Surprised no one's mentioned this, but this was the first race with Earnhardt driving with a #3 on the side of his car... 15. Red Byron posted: 07.01.2013 - 5:19 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Was at this race....still the most exciting race I've been at, remember that it was really hot and very humid that weekend.....camped in a campground bout a half mile from the track....never saw so many Mosquitos 16. b4il3y posted: 10.04.2013 - 4:09 am Rate this comment: (0) (3) Beginnings and ends of legacy and starts of others. Ron Ostrland, being the smart guy he was, let Dale go after this race. Jake Elder wasn't happy, neither was Dale. 17. Walleyewhacker posted: 02.15.2014 - 9:31 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Benny Parsons and Neil Bonnett both had vavle problems in their 351 Fords. 1979-83 was a bad period at MIS for Fords and Mercurys, as they couldn't spin the higher RPMs reliably for extended periods that the Chevy engines were spinning. Once Ernie Elliott got high RPM valves for the 351 Clevelands, Fords would dominate MIS from 1984 up to the COT car era. 18. mkl62 posted: 02.21.2014 - 11:36 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) Earnhardt's first race for Richard Childress Racing. Joe Ruttman took over duties in the #2 car. In 1982 & 1983, Earnhardt would drive for Bud Moore and Ricky Rudd would drive for Childress. Earnhardt would return to RCR in 1984 and remain there until his tragic death on February 18, 2001. 19. saltsburgtrojanfan posted: 07.18.2014 - 7:50 am Rate this comment: (0) (0) one of only two races Tommy Gale would lead 20. Anonymous posted: 09.23.2014 - 10:50 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Morgan Shepherd was involved in a nasty airborne wreck http://stockcar.racersreunion.com/photo/02-morgan-shepherd-98-johnny-rutherford-1981-champion-spark-plu-2 21. RaceFanX posted: 05.04.2016 - 5:11 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) The King picks his third and last win of 1981. This was also his third and last Cup win driving a Buick. Bruce Hill's Cup career ends with a even 100 starts. @13 Actually he won three more races for the family team in 1983. 22. RoninDragon posted: 09.18.2017 - 3:22 pm Rate this comment: (1) (0) Incredible how this race saw 65 lead changes. Even the June Race saw a modest 47. Nowadays they can barely top 15 or 20. 23. Tom B posted: 06.21.2018 - 2:55 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Wasn't this race rained delayed? 24. Eric posted: 01.21.2020 - 7:38 am Rate this comment: (1) (1) Sounds like Morgan Shepherd indeed flip in his wreck 25. Jeff posted: 04.21.2020 - 2:15 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) First caution was for Jody Ridley spinning in Turn 2. Second caution was for the #98 and #02 crashing in Turn 3. Third caution was for the #98 spinning in Turn 2. Final caution was for Labonte spinning in Turn 2. 26. Anonymous posted: 04.26.2020 - 5:29 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Last laps James Hylton lead in a cup series race. 27. Jimmie4life posted: 01.02.2021 - 5:54 pm Rate this comment: (0) (0) Caution 4: Oil from Tim Richmond blowing up. Caution 5: James Hylton slow on track. Caution 6: Lake Speed, Ron Bouchard, and Joe Millikan crash in turn 1. Caution 7: Lake Speed spins in turn 4. Caution 8: Kyle Petty and Joe Ruttman spin in turn 1. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Post a comment:* Your comment may not appear immediately - all comments must be approved by the moderator. Name: Comment: