nine races and finished 32nd in points. Fans voted him as NASCAR's Most Popular Driver. 1980s Pearson raced for Hoss Ellington during the 1980 season. He won the 1980 CRC Chemicals Rebel 500 at Darlington for his final Cup win. He started nine times to finish 37th in season points. Pearson qualified on the pole position at Charlotte for his eleventh straight time and he had started on the front row in fifteen straight races between 1972 and 1980. In 1981, he raced in six races for four owners. His season was highlighted by winning the pole position for Kennie Childers at Dover and two Top 10 finishes at Darlington. Bobby Hawkins hired Pearson to race in six events during 1982. He started on the pole position at Charlotte and Darlington and had top five finishes at the July Daytona race and Charlotte. He ended the 30-race season in 37th place in the point standings. Pearson entered his first NASCAR Busch Grand National (now Xfinity Series) race that season. He won the pole position for that race at Bristol and he finished second. Pearson raced in two more Busch races that season (Dover, North Carolina), starting second and first; he finished fifth and first. The North Carolina win was his only Busch victory. Pearson raced in ten events for Hawkins in 1983. He had four top ten finishes, including eighth and third-place finishes at Daytona, and finished 33rd in points. He started from the pole position for his final Busch Grand National race at Dover; it resulted in a twelfth-place finish. In 1984, Pearson raced in eleven events for Hawkins and finished 41st in the season points. He had three top ten finishes, all ninth-place finishes, at the Daytona 500, World 600, and the Miller 400. Pearson raced in twelve races during 1985, the first eight for Hoss Ellington and the final four for himself. He had an average start of 9.2, but ten DNFs resulted in an average finish over 30th place. He had one top ten finish at the July Daytona race and finished 36th in points. 1986 was Pearson's final season in NASCAR. Pearson drove his own car in two events. After a DNF at Charlotte, he finished tenth in his final race at the August Michigan event. After a three-year hiatus, Pearson planned to come out of retirement in 1989, replacing the injured Neil Bonnett in