2011 Jeff Byrd 500

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2011 Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 4 of 36 in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2011 Jeff Byrd 500 program cover, celebrating the 50th anniversary since the track first opened and started hosting races.
2011 Jeff Byrd 500 program cover, celebrating the 50th anniversary since the track first opened and started hosting races.
Date March 20, 2011 (2011-03-20)
Official name The Jeff Byrd 500
Location Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Weather A few showers with a high around 68; wind out of the ESE at 6 mph.[4]
Pole position
Driver
Roush Fenway Racing
Time 14.989
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 164
Winner
No. 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds
The logo for the 2011 Jeff Byrd 500.

The 2011 Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on March 20, 2011, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps, it was the fourth race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The race was won by Kyle Busch, for the Joe Gibbs Racing team. Carl Edwards finished second, and Jimmie Johnson clinched third.

There were ten cautions and 17 lead changes among eight different drivers throughout the course of the race. It was Busch's first win of the 2011 season, and the 20th of his career.

Report[]

Background[]

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

As a tribute to the late president of the Speedway who died in 2010, longtime race title sponsor K-VA-T Food City, which celebrated the 20th year of race sponsorship in 2011 (as of 2013, the longest continuous sponsorship deal in NASCAR for a race), named the race in his memory, henceforth the Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City.[5]

The track, Bristol Motor Speedway, is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races, the others being Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway.[6] The standard track at Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long.[7] The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked from six to ten degrees. The back stretch also has banking from six to ten degrees.[7]

Carl Edwards scored the pole position.

Before the race, Tony Stewart was leading the Drivers' Championship with 113 points, tied with Kyle Busch in second. Carl Edwards and Juan Pablo Montoya followed in third and fourth with 106 points, three ahead of Ryan Newman and ten ahead of Paul Menard in fifth and sixth. Martin Truex, Jr. in seventh had 95, the same number of points as Denny Hamlin in eighth. They were one point ahead of A. J. Allmendinger in ninth, while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was tenth with 91.[8] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford was leading with 21 points, three ahead of Toyota in second. Chevrolet was placed in third with 16 points, while Dodge followed with 11.[9] Jimmie Johnson was the race's defending winner from 2010.[10]

Practice and qualifying[]

Three practice sessions were held before the race; the first on Friday, which lasted 90 minutes. The second and third were both on Saturday afternoon, and lasted 45 minutes each.[11] Edwards was quickest with a time of 14.912 seconds in the first session, 0.076 seconds faster than Johnson.[12] Greg Biffle was just off Johnson's pace, followed by Kasey Kahne, Menard, and David Ragan. Kyle Busch was seventh, still within a second of Edwards' time.[12]

Forty-four cars were entered for qualifying,[13] but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Edwards clinched the 9th pole position of his career, with a time of 14.989 seconds.[14] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Biffle.[14] Regan Smith qualified third, Menard took fourth, and Ragan started fifth.[14] Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Truex, Mark Martin and Kahne rounded out the top ten.[14] The driver that failed to qualify for the race was Ken Schrader.[14] Once the qualifying session concluded, Edwards stated, "I'm enjoying this. I'm having fun. I'm hoping it lasts, and I'm going to keep driving the way I'm driving until we win a championship, or this car won't go as fast."[15]

In the second practice session, Stewart was fastest with a time of 15.364 seconds, more than six hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed Reutimann. Martin took third place, ahead of Jamie McMurray, Kurt Busch and Jeff Burton.[16] In the third and final practice, Martin was quickest with a time of 15.472 seconds. Brian Vickers followed in second, ahead of Hamlin and Joey Logano. Stewart, who was first in the second practice, was fifth quickest, with a time of 15.570 seconds. Montoya, Gordon, Truex, Menard, and Kurt Busch rounded out the first ten positions.[17]

Race[]

Kyle Busch won the race.

The race, the fourth of the season, began at 1:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on Fox.[1] The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, the air temperature at 60 °F (16 °C); mostly cloudy skies were expected.[18] Mike Rife, reverend of the Vansant Church of Christ, began pre-race ceremonies with the invocation. Actor and country music singer Billy Ray Cyrus performed the national anthem, while Claudia Byrd, Christian Byrd and Belton Caldwell gave the command for drivers to start their engines.[18]

Results[]

Qualifying[]

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 14.989 128.014 1
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.035 127.622 2
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 15.040 127.580 3
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.045 127.537 4
6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.055 127.453 5
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.059 127.419 6
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.076 127.275 7
56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.104 127.039 8
5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.108 127.006 9
4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 15.115 126.947 10
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.121 126.896 11
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.123 126.880 12
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.129 126.829 13
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 15.131 126.812 14
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.150 126.654 15
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 15.152 126.637 16
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.171 126.478 17
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.171 126.478 18
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 15.174 126.453 19
22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 15.181 126.395 20
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.181 126.395 21
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.191 126.312 22
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 15.215 126.112 23
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.216 126.104 24
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.219 126.079 25
00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.228 126.005 26
33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.233 125.963 27
43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 15.257 125.765 28
34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.258 125.757 29
83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 15.276 125.609 30
09 Bill Elliott Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 15.325 125.207 31
60 Landon Cassill Germain Racing Toyota 15.336 125.117 32
7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Toyota 15.371 124.832 33
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 15.414 124.484 34
38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.436 124.307 35
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.437 124.299 36
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.462 124.098 37
46 J. J. Yeley Whitney Motorsports Chevrolet 15.473 124.010 38
66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 15.475 123.993 39
92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge 15.565 123.277 40
37 Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.616 15.616 41
71 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Chevrolet 15.869 120.915 42
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 15.610 122.921 43
Failed to Qualify
32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 15.660 122.529
Source:[14][19][20]

Race results[]

Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Points
1 12 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 500 47
2 1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 500 43
3 6 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 43
4 11 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 500 40
5 4 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 40
6 15 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 39
7 20 22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 500 37
8 2 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 500 36
9 10 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 500 35
10 21 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 500 35
11 22 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 33
12 9 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 32
13 16 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 500 31
14 7 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 30
15 14 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 500 29
16 5 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 500 28
17 8 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 500 28
18 23 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 500 26
19 13 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 500 25
20 17 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 498 24
21 24 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 498 23
22 3 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 498 22
23 18 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 497 21
24 36 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 497 20
25 37 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 497 19
26 35 38 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford 496 0
27 29 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 495 18
28 41 37 Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Ford 494 16
29 31 09 Bill Elliott Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 493 15
30 26 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 493 14
31 28 43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 493 13
32 42 71 Andy Lally TRG Motorsports Ford 491 12
33 25 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 488 11
34 19 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 482 0
35 27 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 456 9
36 30 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Team Toyota 441 8
37 43 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 427 7
38 40 92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Chevrolet 336 0
39 33 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 127 5
40 38 46 J. J. Yeley Whitney Motorsports Ford 97 4
41 34 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 72 0
42 32 60 Landon Cassill Germain Racing Toyota 36 0
43 39 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 35 1
Source:[3][21]

Standings after the race[]

Kurt Busch led the point standings after the race with a total of 150 (pictured in 2015).
Drivers' Championship standings[22]
Pos Driver Points
1 Kurt Busch 150
2 Carl Edwards 149
3 Tony Stewart 138
4 Ryan Newman 138
5 Paul Menard 136
Manufacturers' Championship standings[23]
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Ford 27
2 Toyota 25
3 Chevrolet 22
4 Dodge 14
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings.

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
  2. ^ "Edwards claims Bristol Cup pole". inRacing. March 18, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011.
  3. ^ a b "2011 Official Race Results: Jeff Byrd 500". NASCAR. Archived from the original on March 24, 2011.
  4. ^ "The Jeff Byrd 500". Rotoworld. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  5. ^ Hinton, Ed (March 19, 2011). "Jeff Byrd 500 a fitting tribute to the man". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  6. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on April 2, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks—The Bristol Motor Speedway". Bristol Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on March 8, 2011. Retrieved March 12, 2011.
  8. ^ "2011 Official Drivers' Standings: Kobalt Tools 400". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  9. ^ "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site – 2011 Manufacturers Championship Standings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on May 17, 2011. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  10. ^ "2010 Food City 500". Racing-reference. Yardbarker. Retrieved March 15, 2011.
  11. ^ "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Practice One Speeds". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  13. ^ "Qualifying Entry List". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Race Lineup: Jeff Byrd 500". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
  15. ^ "Edwards lights up Bristol with sub-15-second pole". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
  16. ^ "Practice Two Speeds". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  17. ^ "Practice Three Speeds". NASCAR. NASCAR Media Group. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
  18. ^ a b "Lap-by-Lap: Bristol". NASCAR. Archived from the original on December 28, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  19. ^ "Lineup Statistics". Motor Racing Network. International Speedway Corporation. Archived from the original on October 8, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  20. ^ "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site — Bristol Sprint Cup Qualifying Order/Results, Lineup". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
  21. ^ "Jeff Byrd 500 Race Results". Motor Racing Network. International Speedway Corporation. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011.
  22. ^ "2011 Official Driver Standings: Jeff Byrd 500". NASCAR. Archived from the original on October 13, 2012.
  23. ^ "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site – 2011 Manufacturers Championship Standings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved September 21, 2014.


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