The 65th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 24, 1981. The race is widely considered one of the most controversial races in Indy history.[1] Bobby Unser took the checkered flag as the winner, with Mario Andretti second. After the conclusion of the race, USAC officials ruled that Unser had passed cars illegally while exiting the pit area during a caution on lap 149. Unser was subsequently issued a one-position penalty. The next morning, the official race results were posted, and Unser was dropped to second place. Mario Andretti was elevated to first place and declared the race winner.
After a lengthy protest and appeals process, the penalty was rescinded, and Unser was reinstated the victory on October 9. Officially, it became Unser's third-career Indy 500 victory and his final win in Indy car competition. Unser stepped out of the car at the end of the season, and ultimately retired from driving.
The race was officially part of the 1981–82 USAC season. However, most of the top entrants participated in the 1981 CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Championship points for the 1981 Indy 500 were not awarded towards the CART title.
The hectic month of May 1981 was interrupted several times by rain. Pole qualifying stretched over three days due to inclement weather, and several days of practice were cut short or lost due to rain. The 1981 race is also remembered for the horrifying crash of Danny Ongais, and a major pit fire involving Rick Mears. Ongais was seriously injured, and Mears suffered burns, but both drivers would recover. Another major pit fire occurred later in the season at the Michigan 500, prompting new rules and standards to be put in place regarding the safety of fueling rigs. Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981_Indianapolis_500
Starting Lineup:
| Row | Inside | Middle | Outside |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Bobby Unser (W) |
Mike Mosley |
A.J. Foyt (W) |
| 2 | Gordon Johncock (W) |
Johnny Rutherford (W) |
 Josele Garza (R) |
| 3 | Bill Alsup (R) |
Gordon Smiley |
Al Unser (W) |
| 4 | Pancho Carter |
Gary Bettenhausen |
Kevin Cogan (R) |
| 5 | Bob Lazier (R) |
Tom Bigelow |
 Geoff Brabham (R) |
| 6 | Tony Bettenhausen, Jr. (R) |
Steve Krisiloff |
Vern Schuppan |
| 7 | Larry Dickson |
Tom Sneva |
Danny Ongais |
| 8 | Rick Mears (W) |
Sheldon Kinser |
Pete Halsmer (R) |
| 9 | Michael Chandler (R) |
Don Whittington |
Bill Whittington |
| 10 | Dennis Firestone |
Scott Brayton (R) |
Tom Klausler (R) |
| 11 | Jerry Karl |
Mario Andretti (W) |
Tim Richmond |
Other Drivers on Entry List:
| Bill Engelhart |
| Bill Tempero |
| Billy Vukovich, Jr. |
| Bob Frey |
| Bob Harkey |
| Bobby Fisher |
| Bubby Jones |
| Chip Mead |
| Dale Whittington |
| Dick Ferguson |
| Dick Simon |
| Earle Canavan |
| Frank Weiss |
| George Snider |
| Greg Leffler |
| Harry MacDonald |
| Herm Johnson |
| Jerry Miller |
| Jerry Sneva |
| Jim Buick |
| Jim Hurtubise |
| Jim McElreath |
| Joe Saldana |
| John Mahler |
| John Martin |
| Johnny Parsons |
| Ken Hamilton |
| Larry Cannon |
| Larry Rice |
| Pat Bedard |
| Phil Caliva |
| Phil Krueger |
| Phil Threshie |
| Rich Vogler |
| Roger Mears |
| Roger Rager |
| Spike Gehlhausen |
| Steve Ball |
| Steve Chassey |
| Steve Kinser |
| Tom Bagley |
| Wally Dallenbach |
Lap-by-Lap Summery:
Green Flag: Bobby Unser Leads lap 1
Lap 5: Caution #1:Debris on the track
Lap 7: Green Flag
Lap 22: Johnny Rutherford Took the lead
Lap 25: Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 26: Caution #2: Car #1 Johnny Rutherford Tow-In; Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 29: Green Flag
Lap 33: Caution #3: Car #91 Don Whittington Crashed on the Backstretch; Tom Sneva Took the lead
Lap 43: Green Flag
Lap 57: Rick Mears Took the lead
Lap 58: Gordon Smiley Took the lead
Lap 59: Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 60: Danny Ongais Took the lead
Lap 64: Gordon Johncock Took the lead
Lap 67: Caution #4 Car #25 Danny Ongais's Huge Crash in Turn 3
Lap 81: Green Flag
Lap 92: Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 96: Gordon Johncock Took the lead
Lap 97: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 99: Josele Garza Took the lead
Lap 105: Gordon Johncock Took the lead
Lap 113: Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 119: Gordon Johncock Took the lead
Lap 123: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 126: Josele Garza Took the lead
Lap 130: Caution #5 Car #79 Pete Halsmer Crashed in Turn 3
Lap 133: Gordon Johncock Took the lead
Lap 136: Green Flag
Lap 140: Caution #6 Car #55 Josele Garza Crashed Between Turns 3 and 4
Lap 141: Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 142: Mario Andretti Took the lead
Lap 144: Green Flag
Lap 146: Caution #7 Car #60 Gordon Smiley Crashed in Turn 3
Lap 149: Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 151: Green Flag
Lap 152: Caution #8 Car #90 Bill Whittington Tow-In
Lap 156: Green Flag
Lap 162: Caution #9 Car #56 Tom Bigelow Tow-In
Lap 165: Green Flag
Lap 179: Gordon Johncock Took the lead
Lap 180: Caution #10 Car #14 A.J. Foyt Tow-In
Lap 182: Bobby Unser Took the lead
Lap 184: Green Flag
Lap 185: Caution #11 Debris on the Track
Lap 188: Green Flag
Lap 200: Checkered Flag: Bobby Unser Wins his Third Indy 500
Race Results:
| Finish | Driver | Laps | Status | Prize Money |
| 1 | Bobby Unser | 200 | 139.184 | $299,124 |
| 2 | Mario Andretti | 200 | 139.029 | $128,974 |
| 3 | Vern Schuppan | 199 | Running | $87,974 |
| 4 | Kevin Cogan | 197 | Running | $59,024 |
| 5 | Geoff Brabham | 197 | Running | $55,684 |
| 6 | Sheldon Kinser | 195 | Running | $44,754 |
| 7 | Tony Bettenhausen Jr. | 195 | Running | $44,064 |
| 8 | Steve Krisiloff | 194 | Running | $39,986 |
| 9 | Gordon Johncock | 194 | Engine | $62,501 |
| 10 | Dennis Firestone | 193 | Engine | $36,376 |
| 11 | Bill Alsup | 193 | Running | $35,632 |
| 12 | Michael Chandler | 192 | Running | $34,116 |
| 13 | A.J. Foyt | 191 | Running | $35,795 |
| 14 | Tim Richmond | 191 | Running | $33,612 |
| 15 | Jerry Karl | 189 | Running | $35,480 |
| 16 | Scott Brayton | 173 | Engine | $32,176 |
| 17 | Al Unser | 166 | Running | $31,600 |
| 18 | Larry Dickson | 165 | Piston | $30,652 |
| 19 | Bob Lazier | 154 | Engine | $33,732 |
| 20 | Tom Bigelow | 152 | Engine | $30,140 |
| 21 | Bill Whittington | 146 | Stalled | $31,243 |
| 22 | Gordon Smiley | 141 | Accident | $29,240 |
| 23 | Josele Garza | 138 | Accident | $40,282 |
| 24 | Pete Halsmer | 123 | Accident | $30,702 |
| 25 | Tom Sneva | 96 | Clutch | $38,000 |
| 26 | Gary Bettenhausen | 69 | Rod | $27,976 |
| 27 | Danny Ongais | 64 | Accident | $30,380 |
| 28 | Pancho Carter | 63 | Compression | $27,712 |
| 29 | Tom Klausler | 60 | Gearbox | $27,972 |
| 30 | Rick Mears | 58 | Pit fire | $28,560 |
| 31 | Don Whittington | 32 | Accident | $28,743 |
| 32 | Johnny Rutherford | 25 | Fuel pump | $29,620 |
| 33 | Mike Mosley | 16 | Radiator | $31,392 |
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