Wikipedia

2011 Ford 400

The 2011 Ford 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series motor race that was held on November 20, 2011, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. It was the thirty-sixth and final race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.[2] The event aired on ESPN and Motor Racing Network. Carl Edwards entered the event with a three-point lead over Tony Stewart in the championship standings. Edwards won the pole and finished second, while Stewart won the race. This left the two drivers tied atop the standings, and Stewart was awarded the title on the tiebreaker of most wins (five to one).

2011 Ford 400
Race details[1]
Race 36 of 36 in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2011 Ford 400 program cover, featuring Carl Edwards.
The 2011 Ford 400 program cover, featuring Carl Edwards.
Date November 20, 2011 (2011-11-20)
Location Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching an average of 77.3 °F (25.2 °C); wind speeds up to 15 miles per hour (24 km/h)
Average speed 114.976 miles per hour (185.036 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Roush Fenway Racing
Time 30.775
Most laps led
Driver Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing
Laps 119
Winner
No. 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree

This race also marked Geoffrey Bodine's final career start. This was also the final race for Red Bull Racing Team.

Map of Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gray dashed lines are other courses. Grey solid line is another pit road option.

Background

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Entry list
# Driver Team Make Sponsor
00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota Aaron's Dream Machine
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Boats
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge Miller Lite
4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota Red Bull
5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Quaker State
6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford UPS My Choice
7 Reed Sorenson Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge Speed Energy, MAPEI
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Stanley Tools, DeWalt Tools
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota FedEx Express
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota Hard Rock Vodka
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet Office Depot, Mobil 1
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 3M Novec
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford Crown Royal
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Interstate Batteries
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota The Home Depot
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center
22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge Shell, Pennzoil
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Drive to End Hunger, AARP
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Menards, Duracell
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Budweiser
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet Inception Motorsports
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Caterpillar
32 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford Green Smoke
33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Cheerios, Hamburger Helper
34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford Front Row Motorsports
35 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet Golden Corral
36 Geoff Bodine Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet Luke & Associates, Inc.
37 Mike Skinner Max Q Motorsports Ford Koma Unwind
38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford Long John Silver's "We Speak Fish"
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet U.S. Army
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Target
43 A.J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford Best Buy
46 Scott Speed Whitney Motorsports Ford Green Stuff Absorbent, Anchor Texts
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota Reese Towpower
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Lowe's
51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet Security Benefit, Thank a Teacher Today
55 J.J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford Ingersoll Rand
56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota NAPA Auto Parts
66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota HP Racing
71 Mike Bliss TRG Motorsports Chevrolet School Media
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet Furniture Row, Denver Mattress
83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota Red Bull
84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Racing Team Toyota Kangaroo Express
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet AM FM Energy, Pellet & Wood Stoves
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet National Guard, AMP Energy
92 Scott Riggs K-Automotive Motorsports Chevrolet BBI Waste Industries, Melling Engine Parts
93 Grant Enfinger Sinica Motorsports Chevrolet Hewes Concrete Polishing
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford Aflac

Race report

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Practice and qualifying

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Two practice sessions were held. They were originally scheduled for the afternoon of Friday, November 18, but were moved to Saturday morning after Friday's schedule was washed out by rain.[3] The first practice session was paced by Dale Earnhardt Jr. with a quick lap of 31.179 seconds for an average speed of 173.193 miles per hour (278.727 km/h). Championship contenders Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart were second and fifteenth on the chart, respectively.[4] The second session was led by Edwards, whose quickest lap of the session was 31.556 seconds or 171.124 miles per hour (275.397 km/h). Stewart managed only 28th, over a half second slower than Edwards.[5]

Qualifying was held Saturday afternoon.[3] Edwards claimed the pole position with a lap of 30.775 seconds or 175.467 miles per hour (282.387 km/h). Martin Truex Jr. qualified second, while Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top five. Stewart was ranked 15th.[6]

Race summary

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After pre-race ceremonies and pace laps, the green flag waved to start the race at 3:20 p.m. ET. Edwards immediately took the lead, claiming a bonus point toward the championship, while Stewart began working his way through the field, moving into the top ten by lap 11. The caution flag waved for the first time on lap 13 as a light rain began falling. During the ensuing round of pit stops, both Edwards and Stewart took two tires; Edwards retained the lead, while Stewart came out of the pits in eighth place. Three laps later, Stewart returned to pit road for repairs to his car's grille, leaving him in 40th place for the restart on lap 22. Stewart worked his way up to 27th within seven laps, and when a debris caution waved on lap 34, bragged over the radio that he was going to come back and win the race. The field hit pit road, and Edwards slipped to third position while Stewart's crew took extra time to work his car, sacrificing many of the positions gained since the first restart.[7]

The race was restarted on lap 37, and Edwards returned to the lead on lap 48, while Stewart charged through the field, working his way up to 12th by lap 68. During this run, the car of Edwards's Roush Fenway Racing teammate, Marcos Ambrose, developed engine problems, losing a cylinder. Green-flag pit stops began on lap 76. Steward pitted on lap 79, and Edwards hit pit road one lap later. Both took four tires and adjustments. The caution flew again on lap 83 as David Ragan, Edwards's teammate at Roush Fenway Racing, blew his engine. Edwards retook the lead when the final pitstops of the cycle were made under yellow, while Stewart took the lap 87 restart in 10th place.[7] Stewart climbed to fifth by the time the race was stopped for rain after 109 laps.[8]

The rain delay lasted slightly over an hour, and the race resumed under the yellow flag at approximately 6:00 pm ET. After pit stops, Edwards restarted third, with Stewart right beside him in fourth. Stewart immediately took second and moved into the lead six laps later, claiming the lap leader bonus point for himself as well. The caution waved for debris on lap 133, and both championship contenders lost positions on pit stops. After a restart and another quick caution, Edwards restarted third, Stewart from ninth. Edwards dropped back and was passed by Stewart one lap later. On lap 142, the caution flew again when Jimmie Johnson spun at turn 4. Stewart took the lead by the time the caution waved again on lap 154. A slow pit stop dropped Stewart to ninth on the restart, and he quickly began moving back up. Stewart bumped Edwards as the two were racing for third position, prompting NASCAR officials to tell Stewart to cut it out. Edwards moved back into the lead on lap 176 as Stewart moved into third. By the time green-flag pit stops began on lap 190, Edwards had clinched a second bonus point for leading the most laps.[7]

Edwards pitted on lap 202, while Stewart gambled on fuel mileage by not pitting until lap 212, hoping to make that his last stop. One lap later, the yellow flew again for rain with Edwards in the lead. Edwards pitted again under the yellow, taking two tires and topping off his fuel tank so that he too could go the rest of the way. Officials finally declared the track dry and restarted the race on lap 231 with Stewart in third place. With fresher tires than the cars in front of him, Stewart needed only one lap to retake the lead. Edwards moved into second three laps later, but could not catch Stewart as a result of Stewart having fresher left-side tires.[7] Stewart won the race, with Edwards second, Truex Jr. third, Matt Kenseth fourth, and Jeff Gordon fifth.[8]

Results

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Qualifying

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Carl Edwards scored the pole position.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 30.775 175.467 1
56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 30.891 174.808 2
4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 30.931 174.582 3
22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 30.942 174.520 4
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 30.947 174.492 5
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 30.950 174.475 6
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.957 174.436 7
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.015 174.109 8
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.017 174.098 9
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.040 173.969 10
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.051 173.907 11
43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 31.082 173.734 12
6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 31.092 173.678 13
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 31.147 173.371 14
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 31.154 173.333 15
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 31.156 173.321 16
33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.164 173.277 17
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 31.165 173.271 18
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.169 173.249 19
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 31.185 173.160 20
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.186 173.155 21
51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 31.197 173.094 22
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.199 173.083 23
83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 31.220 172.966 24
5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 31.234 172.889 25
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 31.268 172.701 26
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 31.276 172.656 27
00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 31.318 172.425 28
84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 31.324 172.392 29
55 J. J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford 31.397 171.991 30
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 31.428 171.821 31
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 31.453 171.685 32
66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 31.568 171.059 33
35 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 31.574 171.027 34
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 31.601 170.881 35
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 31.601 170.881 36
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 31.657 170.578 37
34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 31.738 170.143 38
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 31.778 169.929 39
38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 31.919 169.178 40
32 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford 32.199 167.707 41
36 Geoffrey Bodine Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 33.161 162.842 42
71 Mike Bliss TRG Motorsports Ford 31.776 169.940 43
Failed to qualify
46 Scott Speed Whitney Motorsports Ford 31.853 169.529
7 Reed Sorenson Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 31.885 169.359
37 Mike Skinner Max Q Motorsports Ford 32.031 168.587
92 Scott Riggs K-Automotive Motorsports Chevrolet 32.186 167.775
93 Grant Enfinger Sinica Motorsports Chevrolet 32.568 165.807
Source:[6]

Race results

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Tony Stewart won the race and his third Cup Series championship title.
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 15 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 47
2 1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 44
3 2 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 267 42
4 6 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 41
5 7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 40
6 17 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 38
7 3 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 267 37
8 21 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 37
9 10 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 35
10 31 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 35
11 11 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 33
12 14 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 32
13 16 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 267 31
14 26 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 267 30
15 12 43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 267 29
16 23 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 28
17 24 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 267 27
18 28 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 267 26
19 32 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 25
20 5 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 266 25
21 43 71 Mike Bliss TRG Motorsports Ford 266 0
22 40 38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 266 0
23 19 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 266 22
24 25 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 266 20
25 20 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 266 0
26 39 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 266 18
27 35 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 266 17
28 34 35 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 265 16
29 41 32 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford 265 15
30 42 36 Geoffrey Bodine Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 263 14
31 27 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 261 14
32 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 261 13
33 38 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 245 12
34 4 22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 220 10
35 8 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 190 10
36 22 51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 153 0
37 29 84 Cole Whitt Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 153 0
38 13 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 81 6
39 18 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 72 5
40 37 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 29 0
41 30 55 J. J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford 25 3
42 36 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 14 2
43 33 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 13 1
Source:[9]

Standings after the race

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References and notes

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  1. ^ Weather information for the 2011 Ford 400at The Old Farmers' Almanac. Accessed 2013-06-21. 2013-07-05.
  2. ^ NASCAR.COM - Big changes coming for Sprint Cup schedule August 6, 2010
  3. ^ a b Rodman, Dave. "Rain keeps Cup off track; practices rescheduled". NASCAR. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  4. ^ "Practice 1 Speeds". NASCAR. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  5. ^ "Practice 2 Speeds". NASCAR. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Race Lineup". NASCAR. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d "Lap-by-Lap: Homestead". NASCAR. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  8. ^ a b "Homestead comeback completes Chase comeback". NASCAR. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  9. ^ "2011 Official Race Results : Ford 400". NASCAR. November 20, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  10. ^ "2011 Official Driver Standings: Ford 400". NASCAR. November 20, 2011. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved November 25, 2011.
  11. ^ "2011 Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR. Retrieved November 25, 2011.


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2011 Kobalt Tools 500 		Sprint Cup Series
2011 season 		Next race:
2012 Daytona 500
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