2011 NASCAR Cup Series (Simpsonverse)
The 2011 NASCAR Cup Series was the 63rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 40th modern-era Cup series season. The season included 37 races and two exhibition races, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
During the 2010 season, NASCAR announced several calendar changes, including race additions at Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway and Kentucky Speedway, and the removal of one race each from Atlanta Motor Speedway and Auto Club Speedway. Once the 2010 season had concluded, NASCAR also announced that the fuel changed from 76 unleaded to an ethanol blend called '76 Green E15'.
Stewart-Haas Racing won the Owners' Championship, while Jeff Burton won the Drivers' Championship. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 248 points. Landon Cassill won Rookie of the Year over Andy Lally and Terry Cook.
The 2011 season is considered one of the greatest, most exciting seasons of all time, with Burton winning the Drivers' Championship with a victory at the final race of the season in a tiebreaker over Brad Keselowski due to having nine wins on the season vs. Keselowski’s three wins. There were nineteen different race winners, the most since 2001. There were also five first time winners. In addition, the Amazing World of Gumball 400 at Nazareth Speedway tied for the closest finish in top-level history and six races were decided by a margin of 0.059 or fewer.
Teams and drivers
Complete schedule
Limited schedule
| Manufacturer | Team | No | Race driver | Crew chief | Rounds | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Curb-Agajanian Performance Group | 98 | Austin Dillon | Danny Stockman Jr. | 1 | 2010 Camaro |
| Inception Motorsports | 03 | David Stremme | Steven Lane | 23 | 2008 Corvette Z06 | |
| K-Automotive Motorsports | 92 | Brian Keselowski | Bob Keselowski | 6 | 2009 Impala | |
| Dennis Setzer | 3 | |||||
| Scott Riggs | 1 | |||||
| LTD Powersports, LLC | 50 | T. J. Bell | Jeff McClure | 8 | 2008 Impala | |
| Sinica Motorsports | 93 | Grant Enfinger | Allen Wellman | 1 | 2009 Corvette Z06 | |
| Tommy Baldwin Racing | 35 | Geoff Bodine | Kevin Buskirk 1 Tommy Baldwin Jr. 2 Joe Cipriano 10 |
5 | 2010 Impala | |
| Dave Blaney | 5 | |||||
| Stephen Leicht | 1 | |||||
| Whitney Motorsports | 81 | Scott Riggs | Butch Lamoreux 2 Mike Abner 7 |
8 | 2008 Impala | |
| Brian Simo | 1 | |||||
| Dodge | Robby Gordon Motorsports | 77 | Scott Wimmer] | Patrick Donahue | 2 | Challenger |
| P. J. Jones | 2 | |||||
| Robby Gordon | 1 | |||||
| Stratus Racing Group | 75 | Derrike Cope | Dave Fuge | 1 | 2010 Charger w/ Stratus nose | |
| Ford | FAS Lane Racing | 23 | Terry Labonte | Frank Stoddard | 1 | 2008 Fusion |
| Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Donnie Wingo | 17 | Mustang | |
| Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 1 | |||||
| Max Q Motorsports | 64 | Derrike Cope | Dave Fuge | 1 | 2009 Fusion | |
| TRG Motorsports | 77 | Andy Lally | Todd Anderson | 1 | 2010 Mustang | |
| T. J. Bell | Barry Boeckenstedt | 1 | ||||
| Front Row Motorsports | 26 | Jeff Green | Derrick Finley | 1 | Fusion | |
| J. J. Yeley | 11 | |||||
| Travis Kvapil | 6 | |||||
| Leavine Family Racing | 95 | David Starr | Wally Rogers | 8 | 2008 Fusion | |
| Toyota | LTD Powersports, LLC | 50 | T. J. Bell | Jeff McClure | 5 | 2009 Camry |
| Michael Waltrip Racing | 55 | Michael Waltrip | Bobby Kennedy | 4 | Camry | |
| NEMCO Motorsports | 67 | Kevin Conway | Mike Boerschinger 1 Scott Eggleston 3 |
4 | Camry | |
| Red Bull Racing Team | 84 | Cole Whitt | Randy Cox | 2 | Avalon | |
| R3 Motorsports | 23 | Scott Riggs | Greg Conner | 1 | 2009 Camry | |
| Rusty Wallace Racing | 77 | Steve Wallace | Chad Johnston | 1 | Camry | |
| Toyota Chevrolet |
Germain Racing | 65 | Todd Bodine | Buddy Sisco 7 Mike Abner 4 Tom Ackerman 18 |
2 | Camry
2010 Impala |
| Landon Cassill | 3 | |||||
| Mike Skinner | 23 | |||||
| Dave Blaney | 1 |
Schedule
On August 18, 2010, the final calendar was released containing 37 races, with the addition of two exhibition races. The schedule also includes two Gatorade Duels, which are the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.
| No. | Race title | Track | Date | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budweiser Shootout | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 12 | MGM | |
| Gatorade Duel | February 17 | MGM | ||
| 1 | Daytona 500 | February 20 | MGM | |
| 2 | Subway Fresh Fit 400 | Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham | February 27 | Fox |
| 3 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas, Nevada | March 6 | Fox |
| 4 | Jeff Byrd 500 presented by Food City | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | March 20 | Fox |
| 5 | Budweiser 400 | Riverside International Raceway, Moreno Valley | March 27 | MGM |
| 6 | Goody's Fast Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | April 3 | Fox |
| 7 | Samsung Mobile 500 | Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth | April 9 | Fox |
| 8 | Aaron's 499 | Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega | April 17 | Fox |
| 9 | Old Spice 400 | Gateway International Raceway, Madison | April 30 | CBS |
| 10 | The Amazing World of Gumball 400 | Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth | May 7 | Fox
Nickelodeon Cartoon Network |
| 11 | FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks | Dover International Speedway, Dover | May 15 | Fox |
| NASCAR Open | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | May 21 | Speed | |
| NASCAR All-Star Race XXVII | Speed | |||
| 12 | Coca-Cola 600 | May 29 | Fox | |
| 13 | Howard Johnson's 400 | Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain | June 5 | CBS |
| 14 | TNN 420 | Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville | June 12 | TNN |
| 15 | McDonald's 400 | Chicago Motor Speedway, Cicero | June 19 | TBS |
| 16 | GEICO 400 | Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet | June 26 | TBS |
| 17 | Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | July 2 | CBS |
| 18 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky Speedway, Sparta | July 9 | TBS |
| 19 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon | July 17 | TBS |
| 20 | Brickyard 400 presented by Big Machine Records.com | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway | July 31 | MGM |
| 21 | Good Sam RV Insurance 500 | Pocono Raceway, Long Pond | August 7 | MGM |
| 22 | Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen | August 15* | ESPN |
| 23 | Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn | August 21 | MGM |
| 24 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | August 27 | ABC |
| 25 | Showtime Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | September 6* | MGM |
| 26 | Wonderful Pistachios 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | September 10 | ABC |
| 27 | Jacob's Grand Prix | Brands Hatch, West Kingsdown, Kent, England | September 19* | MGM |
| 28 | Sega 350 | Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka | September 25 | ESPN |
| 29 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | October 2 | ESPN |
| 30 | Keystone Light 400 | Milwaukee Mile, West Allis | October 9 | MGM |
| 31 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City | October 15 | ESPN |
| 32 | Bank of America Roval 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord (Roval) | October 23 | TBS |
| 33 | Good Sam Club 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega | October 30 | TBS |
| 34 | Ford 400 | Homestead Miami Speedway, Homestead | November 6 | TBS |
| 35 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Infineon Raceway, Sonoma | November 13 | MGM |
| 36 | Kobalt Tools 500 | Phoenix International Raceway, Phoenix | November 20 | MGM |
| 37 | AdvoCare 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton | November 27 | MGM |
Results and standings