2011 Ford 400

2011 Ford 400
Race details[1][2]
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)
Official name 13th Annual Ford 400
Location Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Florida
Course Permanent racing facility
Course length 1.5 miles (2.414 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)[3]
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
Nielsen ratings 4.6
(6.799 million)[4]

The 2011 Ford 400, the 13th running of the event, was a stock car race that was held on November 20, 2011, at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. The race, which lasted 267 laps, was the thirty-sixth of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the tenth and final race of the season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup. Tony Stewart of the Stewart–Haas Racing team won the race from the fifteenth starting position. Roush Fenway Racing driver Carl Edwards finished second, and Martin Truex Jr. came in third for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Before the race, Stewart trailed Edwards by three points in the Drivers' Championship. Edwards won the pole position by recording the fastest lap time of qualifying and dominated the race, leading more laps than anyone else (119). Meanwhile, Stewart started in 15th and was relegated to the back of the field several times because of grille damage and slow pit stops. However, this did not deter Stewart, as he was able to make up the positions he lost and took the lead for the first time on lap 123. During a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Edwards came in for two tires on lap 201, while Stewart remained on-track for ten more laps in order to avoid pitting for the remainder of the race; he gained four fresh tires. A caution flag for brief rainfall forced Edwards to pit once more to top off on fuel. Although Edwards made his way up to second on the final restart, he was unable to overtake Stewart, who won the race.

There were eight cautions and a track record-breaking 26 lead changes between 15 drivers. Stewart's victory was the fifth of the season and the 44th of his career. It additionally earned him his third (and final) Drivers' Championship and the first title for Stewart–Haas Racing because of a tiebreaker that was determined by a countback of wins in the season. Behind the two title contenders, Kevin Harvick maintained third place and Matt Kenseth displaced Brad Keselowski and Jimmie Johnson for fourth place. The race attracted nearly seven million television viewers and is considered to be one of the best championship-deciding races in NASCAR history.

Background

The layout of Homestead–Miami Speedway, where the race was held.

The 2011 Ford 400 was the 36th and final race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as well as the last of the ten-race season-ending Chase for the Sprint Cup.[1][5] The race was held on Sunday, November 20, 2011, at Homestead–Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida over a distance of 267 laps and 400.5 mi (644.5 km).[2] Homestead–Miami Speedway was one of 14 intermediate tracks that hosted NASCAR events in 2011;[6] its standard layout is a 1.5 mi (2.4 km) asphalt oval track with variable banking of 18–20 degrees in each of its four turns. The front stretch (where the start/finish line is located) and back stretch also have three-degree banking.[7] The Sprint Cup Series held one race at the track every year since 1999. Beginning in 2002, the track hosted the championship weekend for the top three divisions of NASCAR (the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series).[1]

Heading into the season finale, Carl Edwards led the Drivers' Championship with 2,359 points, three more than Tony Stewart in second.[8] It was the closest deficit between the top-two drivers in the standings since the Chase for the Sprint Cup was introduced in 2004.[1] A maximum of 48 points were available for the final race,[9] which meant that Edwards needed to finish ahead of Stewart to win the championship.[10] In the event of a points tie, Stewart would clinch the title based on a countback of wins in the season.[1][11] Behind Edwards and Stewart, Kevin Harvick stood third with 2,308 points, followed by fourth-place Brad Keselowski with 2,294 points and fifth-place Jimmie Johnson with 2,291 points. Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon, and Kyle Busch rounded out the competitors of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.[8] Chevrolet had already won their 35th Manufacturers' Championship because of Johnson's win in the Hollywood Casino 400. They were 50 points ahead of their nearest rival, Ford, while Toyota was third on 183 points and Dodge was fourth on 159.[12]

Throughout the season, Edwards had only achieved one victory – the Kobalt Tools 400 in March – but his consistent top-ten finishes kept him in title contention; he came in second in the past two races, the AAA Texas 500 and Kobalt Tools 500, and finished no worse than 11th in the nine Chase for the Sprint Cup races. Stewart greatly underperformed in the season's first 26 races, earning only 11 top-ten results, but four wins in the Chase helped propel him to second in the standings.[13][14] Edwards, the defending race winner,[1] spoke on his and Stewart's emotions before the race: "We both are competitors and have that same desire to win and same amount of pressure that comes with that to go out and perform. The bad thing and good thing for both of us at the same time is that we both seem to be able to perform under that pressure. I truly believe this could come down to who wins this race is going to win this championship.”[15] Stewart believed that the experience of his two previous championships (2002 and 2005) gave him an advantage over Edwards, who had never won the series title.[16] During a press conference, he joked to a reporter: "I'll wreck my mom to win a championship. I'll wreck your mom to win a championship."[17]

Practice and qualifying

Two 80-minute practice sessions preceded the race on Sunday; they were both scheduled to begin on Friday afternoon,[18] but were moved to Saturday morning after Friday's schedule was washed out by rain.[19] In addition, the first practice session was extended to 90 minutes, and the second session was shortened to 45 minutes.[1] Earnhardt was fastest in the first practice session with a lap time of 31.179 seconds, outpacing Edwards, Kenseth, Newman, Johnson, Kasey Kahne, Landon Cassill, Gordon, Harvick, and Juan Pablo Montoya. The Chase drivers outside the top-ten were Hamlin (12th), Stewart (15th), Kyle Busch (18th), Keselowski (25th), and Kurt Busch (28th).[20] The session was stopped twice for Mike Skinner suffering an engine failure and a brief rain shower.[21]

Carl Edwards (pictured in 2010) earned his tenth career pole position.

The second practice session was led by Edwards, whose quickest lap time was 31.556 seconds. David Ragan was second, Cole Whitt third, A. J. Allmendinger fourth, and Cassill fifth, with Martin Truex Jr., Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Dave Blaney, and Keselowski completing the top-ten. Other Chase drivers include Gordon in 12th, Johnson in 14th, Kenseth in 15th, Kyle Busch in 16th, Harvick in 18th, Earnhardt in 23rd, Newman in 26th, Stewart in 28th, Kurt Busch in 29th, and Hamlin in 37th.[22] Debris on the track halted the session in its opening minutes.[23]

The qualifying session began on Saturday afternoon.[18] There were 48 cars entered for the session, but due to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, only 43 were allowed to race.[24] The order of the drivers was set by their times in the first practice session (with the slowest going on-track first and the fastest going last), and each driver was required to complete up to two timed laps, the quickest of which would determine their starting position.[24] With a time of 30.775 seconds,[25] Edwards claimed the third pole position of the season and the tenth of his career.[26] Truex, who held the pole until Edwards' lap, started alongside him on the grid's front row with a lap time that was 0.116 seconds slower.[27][28] Kahne took third, Kurt Busch fourth, and Keselowski fifth, followed by Kenseth, Gordon, Biffle, Johnson, and Hamlin.[25] The five Chase drivers that did not start in the top ten were 11th-place Earnhardt, 14th-place Newman, 15th-place Stewart, 19th-place Kyle Busch, and 21st-place Harvick.[27] Scott Speed, Reed Sorenson, Skinner, Scott Riggs, and Grant Enfinger failed to qualify for the race.[25] After qualifying, Edwards acknowledged that the pole brought a "morale boost" to his team, but still believed that "we still have to go run this race, and anything can happen."[29]

Qualifying results

Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord30.775175.467
2 56Martin Truex Jr.Michael Waltrip RacingToyota30.891174.808
3 4Kasey KahneRed Bull Racing TeamToyota30.931174.582
4 22Kurt BuschPenske RacingDodge30.942174.520
5 2Brad KeselowskiPenske RacingDodge30.947174.492
6 17Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord30.950174.475
7 24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30.957174.436
8 16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord31.015174.109
9 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.017174.098
10 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota31.040173.969
11 88Dale Earnhardt Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.051173.907
12 43A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsFord31.082173.734
13 6David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord31.092173.678
14 39Ryan NewmanStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet31.147173.371
15 14Tony StewartStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet31.154173.333
16 78Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet31.156173.321
17 33Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31.164173.277
18 9Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord31.165173.271
19 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota31.169173.249
20 21Trevor BayneWood Brothers RacingFord31.185173.160
21 29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31.186173.155
22 51Landon CassillPhoenix RacingChevrolet31.197173.094
23 27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31.199173.083
24 83Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota31.220172.966
25 5Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31.234172.889
26 1Jamie McMurrayEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet31.268172.701
27 42Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet31.276172.656
28 00David ReutimannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota31.318172.425
29 84Cole WhittRed Bull Racing TeamToyota31.324172.392
30 55J. J. YeleyFront Row MotorsportsFord31.397171.991
31 31Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31.428171.821
32 20Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota31.453171.685
33 66Michael McDowellHP RacingToyota31.568171.059
34 35Dave BlaneyTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet31.574171.027
35 47Bobby LabonteJTG Daugherty RacingToyota31.601170.881
36 30David StremmeInception MotorsportsChevrolet31.601170.881
37 87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsToyota31.657170.578
38 34David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord31.738170.143
39 13Casey MearsGermain RacingToyota31.778169.929
40 38Travis KvapilFront Row MotorsportsFord31.919169.178
41 32T. J. BellFAS Lane RacingFord32.199167.707
42 36Geoffrey BodineTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet33.161162.842
43 71Mike BlissTRG MotorsportsFord31.776169.940
Failed to qualify
44 46Scott SpeedWhitney MotorsportsFord31.853169.529
45 7Reed SorensonRobby Gordon MotorsportsDodge31.885169.359
46 37Mike SkinnerMax Q MotorsportsFord32.031168.587
47 92Scott RiggsK-Automotive MotorsportsChevrolet32.186167.775
48 93Grant EnfingerSinica MotorsportsChevrolet32.568165.807
Source:[27]

Race

Laps 1–131

Weather conditions towards the beginning of the 267-lap race were windy, with air temperatures at around 75 °F (24 °C).[30] In the United States, the race was broadcast live on ESPN, with commentary from Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree.[1] Pre-race ceremonies began with an invocation from Pastor Scott Claunch of the Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale and a performance of the national anthem from American Idol finalist Pia Toscano.[1] Michelle Obama, the First Lady of the United States, and Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden, commanded the drivers to start their engines.[31] Their presence was met with scattered boos from the spectators.[32]

The race began with a standard rolling start at 3:20 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (UTC−05:00). Edwards led the field into turn one as Stewart dove to the inside line to race three-abreast with two other cars.[30] By leading the first lap,[2] Edwards gained a bonus point, which meant that Stewart needed to finish at least four positions ahead of him if he failed to lead a lap.[10] Kenseth had moved up to third place by the third lap. Kurt Busch pulled into the garage on the next lap with a broken drive shaft (he eventually returned to the track on lap 51). By lap five, Earnhardt moved up to seventh place. Stewart improved to eleventh place that same lap, and made his way into the top ten five laps later.[30] Edwards' 0.791-second lead over Truex was diminished when the first yellow flag of the race was issued on the 14th lap for light rainfall in the second turn.[2][30] All of the leaders made pit stops during the caution period for right-side tires. Montoya exceeded the speed limit on pit road and was forced to enter pit road as a result.[30] Travis Kvapil and Joe Nemechek stayed on-track to lead three laps each before they came in for their stops.[2]

Kevin Harvick (pictured in 2019) finished third in the championship standings.

As jet dryers cleaned the slippery track surface, Stewart made two additional pit stops to replace the fencing on his front grille, which his team suspected had been damaged from hitting pieces of Kurt Busch's transmission. He was dropped from eighth to 40th place when the race was resumed on lap 22, with Edwards leading Truex and Earnhardt.[30][33] Over the next 13 laps, Johnson moved to fourth place, as did his teammate Gordon to sixth, while Earnhardt challenged Truex for the second position and briefly claimed the position from him on the 25th lap. Stewart also made up 13 positions.[30] The second caution was waved on lap 35 for a spin in turn four involving Blaney.[2] Pit stops were made for four tires and adjustments to the leaders' cars. Stewart's stop was elongated as his team taped his grille in place; despite the setback, he remained confident that he could move up to the front, relaying to his team that the field was going to feel "bad".[30][34]

Montoya remained on the track to take the lead on lap 36, but Keselowski, who only pitted for right-side tires, passed him at the restart two laps later.[2][30] Harvick and Edwards quickly displaced Montoya and battled for the second position, with Edwards overtaking Harvick on the 46th lap. A lap later, Stewart continued his charge towards the lead by passing four cars to take 19th. On lap 48, Gordon moved up to third as Edwards took the lead from Keselowski. The gap between the two leaders was 0.676 seconds by lap 53. Meanwhile, Hamlin passed Johnson for tenth on lap 50, only to lose the position to Johnson four laps later. On the 56th lap, Gordon overtook Keselowski for second, but was unable to challenge for the lead, as Edwards had amassed a lead of over two seconds. Several drivers towards the rear of the field gave way for the faster Stewart, who was already in 12th by lap 68.[30]

The first cycle of green-flag pit stops commenced on lap 76. Stewart came in for a stop on the 79th lap, as did leader Edwards one lap later.[30] Kenseth led the 81st lap before coming in, and Johnson remained on-track for an additional two laps prior to his stop, after which he handed the lead back to Edwards.[2] On lap 84, Ragan's engine blew and leaked oil on the track, bringing out the race's third caution flag.[2][30] Bowyer and a handful of other drivers made their stops during the caution, with Mike Bliss being sent to the rear of the field by NASCAR officials for speeding at the exit of pit road.[30] Ahead of the lap-88 restart,[2] the top-five drivers were Edwards, Gordon, Truex, Earnhardt, and Harvick. Within the next 13 laps, Stewart moved up from tenth to sixth and began closing in on Johnson, who eventually came into pit road on the 105th lap with engine problems, while Harvick drove to third place. Edwards, who led by 0.966 seconds, was instructed by his team to drive his car carefully after two cars that were powered by Roush-Yates Engines (RYE) – Ragan and Marcos Ambrose – developed engine issues throughout the race.[30]

Another rainstorm forced NASCAR officials to throw the caution for the fourth time on lap 109.[2][33] The red flag was issued shortly thereafter to allow the track to dry.[30] At this point in the race, Edwards had a 12-point advantage over Stewart in the championship.[35] After a delay that lasted one hour and 14 minutes,[36] the track was deemed suitable to race on, and so the red flag was withdrawn for the yellow flag.[30] More pit stops were made for all of the leaders, including Edwards, who lost two positions to Harvick and Gordon. During the lap-117 restart, Gordon overtook Harvick for the lead, while Stewart moved from fourth to second place and Edwards settled into third place. Stewart pulled alongside Gordon on the 121st lap and claimed the lead for the first time two laps later. On lap 124, Kyle Busch and Earnhardt battled for the seventh position, with the former holding off the latter exiting the fourth corner. Six laps later, Edwards took the second position from Gordon.[30]

Laps 132–267

Trevor Bayne contacted the turn-four wall on the 132nd lap.[30] The debris that expelled from his car necessitated the fifth caution flag three laps later.[2] During the pit stops, Stewart dropped eight positions because his team struggled to screw off his lug nuts. Harvick, who only took two fresh tires rather than four, led at the restart on lap 139. Stewart fell two further places to 11th after steering out of line with the other drivers as Edwards drove to Newman's bumper to attempt a pass for second place.[30] Four laps later, David Gilliland spun Johnson at the fourth turn to bring out the caution for the sixth time,[2] by which point Truex moved into second, Newman was demoted to fourth, and Stewart reclaimed ninth. During the caution, Johnson lost a lap to the leaders, none of whom elected to make a stop.[30] Truex swerved to the inside line to claim the lead from Harvick at the lap-147 restart.[2] Edwards did not fire off as quick as his fellow competitors and fell to seventh, while Stewart quickly moved to second place by the 152nd lap. He then passed Truex for the lead before the seventh caution was flown three laps later for Cassill spinning into Whitt and Bayne.[2][30]

Stewart was again set back by a blunder during pit stops, this time because a lug nut got stuck in the socket as the right-rear tire was being placed, and dropped to ninth place. Jeff Burton and Earnhardt stayed on-track to assume the top-two positions for the restart on lap 161. Kenseth quickly passed them both for the lead; behind him, Stewart ran four-wide to take the seventh position and Edwards moved to fifth place. By lap 165, Edwards and Stewart found themselves in third and fourth, respectively. Stewart bumped into the rear of Edwards' car, prompting a warning from NASCAR officials. The two championship contenders reeled in Truex for the second position and Edwards even made an attempt to pass him on lap 169. Truex was able to defend his spot until the 174th lap.[30]

Tony Stewart (pictured in 2016) earned his third Sprint Cup Series championship by winning the race.

On the next lap, Kenseth let his teammate Edwards by for the lead. Stewart moved to third place on lap 176 and overtook Kenseth for second four laps later, though he trailed Edwards by 1.449 seconds. On lap 183, Stewart made up two tenths of a second on Edwards' lead as he almost lost control of his car in turn four. Three laps later, Edwards secured an additional bonus point for leading the most laps in the race. The second cycle of green-flag pit stops began on the 190th lap, with Biffle pulling in three laps later for an engine failure, the third RYE-powered car to endure this problem. Edwards finally came in for his stop on lap 202.[30] Stewart thus inherited the lead, but was instructed to drive more conservatively by his crew chief Darian Grubb in order to complete the race with one less stop than Edwards.[34][37] By the time Stewart came into pit road for fuel and four new tires on the 212th lap, his car had nearly ran out of fuel.[36][37]

The caution was thrown for the eighth (and final) time on lap 214 for another rain shower.[2] Edwards had already picked up the lead,[30] but because he was predicted to run out of fuel with seven laps left, he entered pit road to fill up his fuel tank and two fresh tires.[38][39] Edwards' team raised concerns over whether he would make it without having to stop again, but the concerns were negated as the caution lasted 17 laps while NASCAR officials waited to determine if the track was dry enough.[30][37][40] At this point in the race, Edwards' championship advantage over Stewart had dwindled to just two points.[41] The race resumed on lap 231 with Kyle Busch and Keselowski in the top-two, as neither of them chose to pit under caution,[30] with Stewart in third, Bowyer fourth, and Edwards fifth.[36][40] The title contenders immediately charged towards the front, with Stewart driving alongside Busch and Keselowski in turn two to take the lead, while Edwards improved to third and eventually second on the inside line in turn two on lap 235.[30]

During the final 37-lap stint to the checkered flag, Stewart drove on the high side of the track and nearly slid into the wall in the process.[30] His and Edwards' lap times were nearly identical, but the slower lapped cars ahead of Stewart allowed Edwards to reel him in to as low as eight tenths of a second.[37] However, all of Edwards' attempts to overtake Stewart were in vain, as he drove away to his third win at Homestead, his fifth of the season – all in the Chase for the Sprint Cup – and the 44th of his career.[34] In addition, Stewart won his third Drivers' Championship on account of a tiebreaker, the first in Sprint Cup Series history,[42] that was determined by wins in the season: Stewart won five races and Edwards won only one.[40] He became the first owner–driver to win the Sprint Cup Series title since Alan Kulwicki in 1992.[43] He made a total of 118 passes on his competitors throughout the race.[40] Truex took third place, Kenseth fourth, and Gordon fifth; Bowyer, Kahne, Harvick, Hamlin, and Burton completed the top-ten.[37] During the course of the race, the lead was changed 26 times between 15 different drivers, both of which were record-highs for the series at Homestead–Miami Speedway.[42] Edwards led 119 laps, more than any other driver, while race winner Stewart led four times for a total of 65 laps.[2]

Post-race

"Are you kidding me? We said all week we'd just go out and win the race and didn't have to worry about what (Edwards) did. If this doesn't go down as one of the greatest championship battles in history, I don't know what will."

— Tony Stewart after earning his third Sprint Cup Series title.[44]

As rain fell over the track again, three-time Sprint Cup Series titlist Stewart celebrated his race victory, which earned him $341,258, with his team in victory lane in front of a crowd of 73,000 people.[1][2] He said of his championship in a press conference, "I would have lost every bet in the world if people would have said, hey, when you got in the Chase, that we were going to win a race or we were going to win five races and win this thing; I would have bet against us. And I learned a big lesson with our organization and, you know, how strong a program we have and people-wise. I mean, everybody has good cars and good equipment, but you know, I'm sure Darian (Grubb)'s mentioned it, it's the people you have that make the difference."[45]

Stewart's crew chief Grubb, who had been informed five weeks prior that he was fired from the Stewart–Haas Racing team, addressed his status for the 2012 season: "I’m not sure what’s going to happen. But I was told early in the Chase before Charlotte that next year I was not going to be here. We just kept fighting and doing everything we had to do every week."[46] Despite guiding Stewart–Haas Racing to the championship, he did not return to the team the next year and was instead hired by Joe Gibbs Racing as Hamlin's crew chief.[47] A disappointed Edwards congratulated Stewart on his title, "I just have to say congratulations to Tony. Those guys earned it. They won half the races in the Chase and he is the champion and did a good job. My guys did a great job. We pushed him to the end and that is all I got. That is as hard as I can drive."[37] He added: "So I told my wife, if I can't win this thing I'll be the best loser NASCAR has ever had."[48]

Kurt Busch (pictured in 2017) verbally abused a reporter in the garage area and was fined by NASCAR as a result.

Kurt Busch was extremely frustrated with his early mechanical issues, so much so that he gave the finger to a track official as he drove to the garage, which was caught on the ESPN broadcast of the race.[49][50] ESPN reporter Jerry Punch approached him at his garage stall to obtain a live interview, which only annoyed him further.[51] When Punch mentioned that pieces of Busch's car possibly damaged Stewart's grille, Busch sarcastically responded, "That just makes me feel a lot better, Doctor," before directing an expletive-laden rant at Punch and an ESPN cameraman.[52][53] They both eventually walked away without conducting the interview.[51] The incident was recorded on a fan's cellphone camera and uploaded to YouTube.[52] Busch's team, Penske Racing, issued an apology to Punch and reprimanded Busch for his "inappropriate actions," while he released his own apology several hours later, explaining: "In my frustration with the loss of my transmission early in the race, I let my emotions get the better of me."[52][54] NASCAR fined Busch $50,000 for "poor judgment in making an inappropriate hand gesture" and showing "disrespect to a media member".[51]

The race was instantly lauded as one of the best title-deciders in NASCAR history by members of the media and fans, along with the season as a whole. Mike Hembree of Speed Channel wrote of a race that "will be remembered as one of the most riveting in the sport’s history,"[55] while fellow Speed Channel journalist Tom Jensen believed that the 2011 season would be compared to other historic seasons such as 1967, 1990, and 1992.[56] Former crew chief Larry McReynolds stated: "I think we are going to have a number of years pass before we can truly and fully appreciate what we witnessed this season."[57] Stewart's childhood idol, four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A. J. Foyt, said that "Tony drove the best race of his life," a compliment which nearly brought Stewart to tears.[58] On Twitter, three-time Sprint Cup champion Darrell Waltrip declared that Stewart went "from hero to legend" with his third title.[59] In 2023, the race was included in NASCAR's list of their 75 Greatest Races in honor of the sport's 75th anniversary.[60]

The season ended with Stewart and Edwards sharing the Drivers' Championship lead on 2,403 points each,[2] but Stewart was declared the champion by virtue of earning more wins than Edwards in the 2011 season.[58] Harvick remained in third place with 2,345 points, 15 more than Kenseth in fourth place and 26 more than fifth-placed Keselowski.[2] Because of his engine issues, Johnson was demoted to sixth in the standings with 2,304 points, the first time in his career that he finished a season outside of the top-five.[61] Earnhardt came in seventh place (2,290 points), followed by Gordon (2,287), Hamlin and Newman (both on 2,284), Kurt Busch (2,262), and Kyle Busch (2,246).[2] Chevrolet concluded their season with 248 points, widening their gap over Ford to 53 points. Toyota came in third with 187 points, and Dodge was fourth on 162.[62] 6.799 million people watched the race on television in the United States, marking the largest viewership for a Sprint Cup Series broadcast on ESPN.[4] The race took three hours and 29 minutes to complete, and the margin of victory was 1.306 seconds.[2]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
11514Tony StewartStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet2674713
2199Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord2674412
3256Martin Truex Jr.Michael Waltrip RacingToyota267421
4617Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord267411
5724Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet267401
61733Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26738
734Kasey KahneRed Bull Racing TeamToyota26737
82129Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet267371
91011Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26735
103131Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet267351
111188Dale Earnhardt Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26733
121439Ryan NewmanStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet26732
131678Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet26731
14261Jamie McMurrayEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet26730
151243A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsFord26729
162327Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26728
172483Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota26727
182800David ReutimannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota26726
193220Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26725
2052Brad KeselowskiPenske RacingDodge266251
214371Mike BlissTRG MotorsportsFord26604
224038Travis KvapilFront Row MotorsportsFord26604
231918Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota266221
24255Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26620
252021Trevor BayneWood Brothers RacingFord26604
263913Casey MearsGermain RacingToyota26618
273547Bobby LabonteJTG Daugherty RacingToyota26617
283435Dave BlaneyTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet26516
294132T. J. BellFAS Lane RacingFord26515
304236Geoffrey BodineTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet26314
312742Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet261141
32948Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet261131
333834David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord245121
34422Kurt BuschPenske RacingDodge22010
35816Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord190101
362251Landon CassillPhoenix RacingChevrolet15304
372984Cole WhittRed Bull Racing TeamToyota15304
38136David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord816
39189Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord725
403787Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsToyota2904
413055J. J. YeleyFront Row MotorsportsFord253
423630David StremmeInception MotorsportsChevrolet142
433366Michael McDowellHP RacingToyota131
Source:[2][63]
1 Includes one bonus point for leading a lap
2 Includes one bonus point for leading the most laps
3 Includes three bonus points for winning the race
4 Deemed ineligible to earn points in the Sprint Cup Series

Standings after the race

References

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  3. ↑ "Weather History for Homestead, FL". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
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  14. ↑ Kimm, Bill (November 19, 2011). "Qualifying the Chasers: Homestead-Miami". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2026.
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