2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Start Your Engines!)
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 63rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 40th modern-era Cup series season.
Teams and drivers
Complete schedule
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Cale Yarborough Motorsports | 98 | Shane Hmiel | |
| Earnhardt Childress Racing | 1 | Martin Truex Jr. | Kevin Manion | |
| 3 | Kevin Harvick | Gil Martin | ||
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Tony Eury Jr. | ||
| 30 | Clint Bowyer | Todd Berrier | ||
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Shane Wilson | ||
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chad Knaus | ||
| Furniture Row Racing | 78 | Regan Smith | Pete Rondeau | |
| Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | Jerry Nadeau | Lance McGrew | |
| 25 | Ricky Hendrick | Alan Gustafson | ||
| 35 | Landon Cassill | |||
| 50 | Brad Keselowski | Steve Letarte | ||
| Phoenix Racing | 51 | Bill Elliott | Nick Harrison | |
| Boris Said | ||||
| Mike Bliss | ||||
| PPI Motorsports | 32 | Boston Reid | ||
| Stewart-Haas Racing | 14 | Tony Stewart | Greg Zipadelli | |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Tony Gibson | ||
| 61 | Mark Martin | Darian Grubb | ||
| Tommy Baldwin Racing | 36 | Dave Blaney | Kevin Buskirk
Joe Williams Philippe Lopez | |
| Ron Fellows | ||||
| Mike Skinner | ||||
| Geoff Bodine | ||||
| TRG Motorsports | 71 | Andy Lally | Jay Guy
Paul Clapprood Doug Richert | |
| Hermie Sadler | ||||
| Mike Bliss | ||||
| Dodge | AK Racing | 7 | James Kulwicki | |
| Bill Davis Racing | 22 | Jeff Gordon | ||
| 23 | Bobby Labonte | |||
| 24 | Scott Wimmer | |||
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 40 | Jamie McMurray | ||
| 41 | Bryan Clauson | |||
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | |||
| Evernham Motorsports | 9 | Kasey Kahne | Kenny Francis | |
| 19 | Casey Elliott | Ernie Elliott | ||
| 91 | Casey Atwood | |||
| Kelman Racing | 86 | Ryan Kelman | Wally Rogers | |
| Moroso-Rudd Racing | 82 | Rob Moroso | ||
| 83 | Brendan Gaughan | |||
| Pacific Coast Racing | 60 | Chloe Johnson | Jed Luke | |
| 69 | Jenny Smith | Barry Baker | ||
| 80 | Tim Johnson | Charlie Davis | ||
| 85 | Belle Armstrong | Scott Smith | ||
| Penske Racing | 02 | Kurt Busch | ||
| 2 | Blaise Alexander | Paul Wolfe | ||
| 12 | Paul Menard | |||
| Petty Enterprises | 43 | John Andretti | Todd Parrott | |
| 44 | Chad McCumbee | |||
| 45 | Adam Petty | Greg Erwin | ||
| 46 | Austin Petty | Mike Shiplett | ||
| Robby Gordon Motorsports | 107 | Robby Gordon | Steven Lane
Samuel Stanley | |
| Johnny Sauter | ||||
| Reed Sorenson | ||||
| Whitney Motorsports | 146 | J. J. Yeley | Tony Furr | |
| Bill Elliott | ||||
| Andy Pilgrim | ||||
| Erik Darnell | ||||
| Brian Simo | ||||
| Ford | DGB-Medallion Racing | 09 | A.J. Allmendinger | |
| FAS Lane Racing | 65 | Terry Labonte | Frank Stoddard | |
| Mike Skinner | ||||
| Ken Schrader | ||||
| Mike Bliss | ||||
| Patrick Carpentier | ||||
| Jason White | ||||
| Andrew Ranger | ||||
| T. J. Bell | ||||
| Front Row Motorsports | 34 | David Gilliland | Peter Sospenzo | |
| 38 | Travis Kvapil | Bill Henderson
Derrick Finley Jay Guy | ||
| Tony Ave | ||||
| J. J. Yeley | ||||
| Terry Labonte | ||||
| Roush Fenway Racing | 6 | David Ragan | Drew Blickensderfer | |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Greg Erwin
Matt Puccia | ||
| 66 | Matt Kenseth | Jimmy Fennig | ||
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Bob Osborne | ||
| Steele Racing with Brett Favre | 15 | Tim Steele | ||
| 90 | Davey Allison | |||
| Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Trevor Bayne (R) | Donnie Wingo | |
| Yates Racing | 28 | Clifford Allison | ||
| 88 | Jeremy Mayfield | |||
| 96 | Scott Speed | |||
| Pontiac | Kennedy Racing | 03 | Melvin Kennedy | Mark Cutter |
| 04 | Louise Kennedy | |||
| Toyota | Germain Racing | 13 | Casey Mears | Bootie Barker |
| HP Racing | 166 | Michael McDowell | Gene Nead | |
| Todd Bodine | ||||
| Josh Wise | ||||
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Mike Ford | |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Dave Rogers | ||
| Michael McDowell | ||||
| 20 | Joey Logano | |||
| JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Frank Kerr
Brian Burns | |
| Michael Waltrip Racing | 00 | David Reutimann | Rodney Childers
Bobby Kennedy | |
| 55 | Brian Vickers | Pat Tryson
Chad Johnston Scott Miller | ||
| NEMCO Motorsports | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Philippe Lopez
Steven Gray Bill Wilburn | |
| Red Bull Racing | 4 | Kevin Grubb | ||
| 183 | Stephen Leicht (R) | Ryan Pemberton | ||
| Ford
Chevrolet |
Front Row Motorsports | 37 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Greg Conner
Mike Abner |
| Max Q Motorsports | Tony Raines | |||
| Chris Cook | ||||
| Jeff Green | ||||
| Erik Darnell | ||||
| Josh Wise | ||||
| Mike Skinner |
Changes
Rule changes
After the 2010 season, the catch can man, who caught excess fuel during pit stops and adjusts the track bar, is no longer needed, because of the addition of a self-venting fuel can. On January 11, 2011, NASCAR reported drivers can only be able to compete for the championship in one of NASCAR's three national racing series, which means the drivers who race in multiple series, most notably in the Cup and Nationwide Series, are able to compete in the races, but not for the championship.
The rule does not affect the exemption rule, as exemptions are determined by the top 35 in NASCAR car owner points. Drivers ineligible for Sprint Cup driver points earned Sprint Cup owner points for their team.
Other changes
The fuel for all major series in NASCAR changed from Sunoco unleaded to an ethanol blend called 'Sunoco Green E15'.