Steve Moore's vehicle developed problems with its clutch that forced Moore out of the race on lap 32. Lake Speed blew his engine on lap 39 while Geoffrey Bodine did the same thing on lap 53. A haphazard valve sidelined Rick Wilson on lap 57. Lennie Pond would cause terminal damage to his vehicle on lap 66 while Dave Marcis blew his engine on the same lap. Elliott Forbes-Robinson would be relegated to the sidelines due to a nonworking engine on lap 73 while a problematic piston took Bill Scott out of the race on lap 75. Richard Petty had an issue with his vehicle's fuel pump that would knock him out of the race on lap 82 while transmission problems took out Bill Elliott on lap 100. Buddy Baker developed steering problems with his vehicle on lap 109; forcing his early exit from the race. An engine issue took out Joe Ruttman on lap 159 and John Anderson on lap 164. Terry Labonte took the championship lead after this race. Ferrel Harris would retire after this race with a 23rd-place finish. One-time NASCAR driver L.W. Wright would race his only professional stock car event on this day. Wright was a con artist who managed to swindle people into financing him getting a ride for this race; his credentials as a licensed NASCAR driver weren't asked for during the early 1980s.