2011 Bank of America 500

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2011 Bank of America 500
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 31 of 36 in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2011 Bank of America 500 program cover, featuring an Oktoberfest style party. Artwork by Sam Bass. The painting is called "Octoberfast!"
The 2011 Bank of America 500 program cover, featuring an Oktoberfest style party. Artwork by Sam Bass. The painting is called "Octoberfast!"
Date October 15, 2011 (2011-10-15)
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806 km)
Weather Clear with temperatures around 72 °F (22 °C), wind WNW at 8 mph.
Average speed 146.194 miles per hour (235.276 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Stewart Haas Racing
Time 28.131
Most laps led
Driver Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps 110
Winner
No. 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree

The 2011 Bank of America 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on October 15, 2011, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval, it was the 31st race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the fifth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season. The race was won by Matt Kenseth for the Roush Fenway Racing team. Kyle Busch finished second, and Carl Edwards clinched third.

Report[]

Background[]

Charlotte Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[4] The standard track at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[5] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is five degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also had a five degree banking.[5] The racetrack has seats for 140,000 spectators.[5]

Heading into the fifth race of the Chase for the Sprint Cup, Ford driver Carl Edwards was leading the Drivers' Championship with 2,161 points; Chevrolet driver Kevin Harvick was second with 2,160 points, one point behind Edwards.[6] Behind Edwards and Harvick in the Drivers' Championship, Jimmie Johnson was third with 2,157 points in a Chevrolet, and Brad Keselowski was fourth with 2,150 points. Matt Kenseth was fifth with 2,149, four points ahead of Kurt Busch.[6] Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jeff Gordon rounded out the first ten positions in the Drivers' Championship.[6] Chevrolet had already secured the Manufacturer's Championship one week earlier after the Hollywood Casino 400, and entered the race on 204 points, 43 points ahead of Ford on 161 points and 50 points ahead of Toyota.[7] Jamie McMurray was the race's defending winner.[8]

Practice and qualifying[]

Tony Stewart qualified on the pole position for Stewart Haas Racing

Three practice sessions were held before the race; the first on Thursday, which lasted 90 minutes. The second and third were both on Friday afternoon. The first Saturday practice lasted 45 minutes, while the second lasted 60.[9] Kasey Kahne was quickest with a time of 28.205 seconds in the first session, 0.018 seconds faster than Paul Menard.[10] Greg Biffle was just off Busch's pace, followed by Mark Martin, Regan Smith, and Marcos Ambrose. Denny Hamlin was seventh, still within two-tenths of a second of Edwards's time.[10]

Forty-six cars were entered for qualifying, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[11] Stewart clinched the 13th pole position of his career, with a time of 28.131 seconds.[12] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Kenseth.[12] Edwards qualified third, A. J. Allmendinger took fourth, and Biffle started fifth.[12] Ryan Newman, Menard, Kahne, Johnson and Trevor Bayne rounded out the first ten positions. The three drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Geoffrey Bodine, Scott Speed, and Josh Wise.[12]

Once the qualifying session completed, Stewart commented, "I was watching guys' lap times, and looking at the sheet to seeing what they practiced, and it wasn't as much [of an increase] as what we've seen. I think, obviously, we've had a lot of cloud cover today and cool temperatures here the last couple of days, so I don't think the track changed as much and got as hot during the day as what we typically see here. I think that's the reason that we didn't have the big pick-ups. But you still anticipate that, at night, the guys are going to pick up speed. It just seems like the air's a little muggier right now. I don't know whether that hurt horsepower or even created more drag and kind of evened everything out."[13]

In the second practice session, Keselowski was fastest with a time of 28.810 seconds, less than a tenth of a second quicker than second-placed Kahne. Newman took third place, ahead of Kurt Busch, Stewart and Kyle Busch. Johnson was only quick enough for the 10th position.[14] In the third and final practice, Kahne remained quickest with a time of 28.700 seconds. Menard followed in second, ahead of Biffle and Johnson. Jeff Burton was fifth quickest, with a time of 28.855 seconds. Newman, Ambrose, Gordon, Allmendinger, and Kurt Busch rounded out the first ten positions.[15]

Race[]

Results[]

Qualifying[]

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.131 191.959 1
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.137 191.918 2
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.144 191.870 3
43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.159 191.768 4
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.163 191.741 5
39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.186 191.585 6
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.204 191.462 7
4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 28.214 191.394 8
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.222 191.340 9
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.234 191.259 10
6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.272 191.002 11
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.272 191.002 12
5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.287 190.900 13
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.288 190.894 14
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.297 190.833 15
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.299 190.820 16
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.302 190.799 17
56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.326 190.638 18
33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.330 190.611 19
22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 28.336 190.570 20
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.357 190.429 21
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 28.383 190.255 22
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.420 190.007 23
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 28.462 189.727 24
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.490 189.540 25
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 28.493 189.520 26
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.511 189.401 27
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.559 189.082 28
00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.583 188.923 29
51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 28.594 188.851 30
83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 28.606 188.772 31
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.613 188.725 32
34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.632 188.600 33
55 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.682 188.271 34
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.687 188.239 35
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 28.736 187.918 36
66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 28.807 187.454 37
38 J. J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.818 187.383 38
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 28.829 187.311 39
77 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Ford 28.930 186.657 40
71 Hermie Sadler TRG Motorsports Ford 29.083 185.676 41
32 Mike Bliss FAS Lane Racing Ford 29.120 185.440 42
7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 28.985 186.303 43
Failed to Qualify
35 Geoffrey Bodine Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.994 186.245
46 Scott Speed Whitney Motorsports Ford 29.000 186.207
37 Josh Wise Max Q Motorsports Ford 29.129 185.382
Source:[12][16][17]

Race results[]

Matt Kenseth won the race.
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Points
1 2 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 334 47
2 25 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 334 44
3 3 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 334 42
4 8 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 334 40
5 12 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 334 39
6 14 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 334 38
7 4 43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 334 37
8 1 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 334 37
9 17 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 334 35
10 6 39 Ryan Newman Stewart Haas Racing Chevrolet 334 35
11 11 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 334 34
12 16 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 334 32
13 20 22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 334 31
14 32 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 334 31
15 5 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 334 30
16 26 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 333 28
17 7 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 333 27
18 28 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 333 26
19 15 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 333 25
20 31 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 333 24
21 23 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 333 23
22 38 38 J. J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford 333 23
23 18 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 332 21
24 19 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 332 20
25 21 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 332 19
26 29 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 332 18
27 27 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 332 17
28 30 51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 332 0
29 22 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 331 15
30 42 32 Mike Bliss FAS Lane Racing Ford 331 0
31 10 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 329 0
32 24 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 323 12
33 41 71 Hermie Sadler TRG Motorsports Ford 322 0
34 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 316 11
35 35 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 292 9
36 33 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 289 8
37 13 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 287 7
38 43 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 33 6
39 37 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 30 5
40 34 55 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 27 0
41 36 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 22 3
42 40 77 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Ford 20 0
43 39 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 11 0
Source:[18]

Standings after the race[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  2. ^ Brown, Brian. "The Bank of America 500". October 11, 2011. RotoWorld.com. Archived from the original on October 12, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  3. ^ "Stewart claims pole at Charlotte". inRacingNews.com. October 14, 2011. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  4. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on April 2, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "NASCAR Tracks—The Charlotte Motor Speedway". Charlotte Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on September 28, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c "Pre-race Drivers' Championship Standings". NASCAR. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – 2011 Manufacturers Championship Standings". Jayski.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  8. ^ "2010 Bank of America 500". Racing-Reference.info. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  9. ^ "Jayski'sŽ NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski.com. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  11. ^ "Qualifying Entry List". NASCAR. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d e "Race Official Lineup". Nascar.Com. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  13. ^ "Stewart scores Charlotte Cup pole, his first of '11". Sporting News Wire Service. NASCAR. October 13, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  14. ^ "Practice Two Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  15. ^ "Practice Three Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  16. ^ "Lineup Statistics". Motor Racing Network. International Speedway Corporation. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  17. ^ "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site — Indianapolis Sprint Cup Qualifying Order/Results, Lineup". Jayski.com. Archived from the original on October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  18. ^ "Bank of America 500 Race Results". Motor Racing Network. International Speedway Corporation. October 15, 2011. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2011.


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2011 Hollywood Casino 400 		Sprint Cup Series
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2011 Good Sam Club 500
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