1981 Pocono 500

1981 Pocono 500

Race details
2nd round of the 1981 USAC Championship Car season
Date	June 21, 1981
Official name	1981 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500
Location	Long Pond, Pennsylvania
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi / 4.023 km
Distance	122 laps 305 mi / 490.849 km
Weather	Temperatures up to 78 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 18 miles per hour (29 km/h)[1]
Pole position
Driver	A. J. Foyt (A. J. Foyt Racing)
Podium
First	A. J. Foyt (A. J. Foyt Racing)
Second	Geoff Brabham (Josele Garza)
Third	Tom Bigelow (Richard Hammond)

The 1981 Pocono 500, the 11th running of the event, was held at the Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, June 21, 1981. Branded as the 1981 Van Scoy Diamond Mine 500 for sponsorship reasons, the race was part of the 1981–82 USAC Gold Crown Championship season. The event is notable as it was the 67th and final Indy car race victory for A. J. Foyt. The race was ended after 122 laps (305 miles) due to rain.

The race is particularly noteworthy for its role in the confrontation ("Split") between Indy car sanctioning bodies, USAC and CART. Most teams from the CART series boycotted the event, and the field was filled mostly by USAC series regulars. Several of the entries were older chassis, but this still resulted in a smaller than normal field. In order to fill the grid with more cars, converted dirt cars from the USAC Silver Crown Series were invited to participate. The race essentially ran as a two-class race, with the front-engine Silver Crown cars running about 30-40 mph slower than the Indy cars.