2011 GEICO 400

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2011 GEICO 400
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 27 of 36 in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date September 19, 2011 (2011-09-19)
Location Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Illinois
Course Permanent racing facility
1.500 mi (2.414 km)
Distance 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.5 km)
Weather Few rain showers with a high temperature around 74 °F (23 °C); wind out of the SSE at 10 mph (16 km/h).
Pole position
Driver Roush Fenway Racing
Time 29.469
Most laps led
Driver Kurt Busch Penske Racing
Laps 46
Winner
No. 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree

The 2011 GEICO 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was scheduled to be held on September 18, 2011 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. However, because of wet track conditions, the race was postponed until September 19, 2011. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.500-mile (2.414 km) asphalt oval, it was the 27th race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the first race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season. Tony Stewart of Stewart Haas Racing won the race, while Kevin Harvick finished second, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. clinched third.

This was Stewart's first win in the 2011 season, and the 40th of his career. The result advanced Stewart to second in the Drivers' Championship, seven points behind Harvick and three ahead of Carl Edwards. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, thirty points ahead of Ford and thirty-eight ahead of Toyota, with nine races remaining in the season. A total of 95,000 people attended the race, while 3.68 million watched it on television.

Report[edit]

Background[edit]

Chicagoland Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

Chicagoland Speedway is one of ten intermediate to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Charlotte Motor 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 Chicagoland Speedway is a four-turn tri-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[5] The track's turns are each banked at 18 degrees and have a turn width of 55 feet.[5] The racetrack has a grandstand capacity of 75,000.[5]

Before the race, Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick each led the Drivers' Championship with 2,012 points, with Jeff Gordon in third place with 2,009. Matt Kenseth had a total of 2,006 points, while Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman were tied for fifth place with 2,003 points. Tony Stewart, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Brad Keselowski, and Denny Hamlin rounded out the first 12 positions with 2,000 points each.[6] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 171 points, 27 points ahead of Ford. Toyota, with 139 points, was 21 points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third place.[7] David Reutimann was the race's defending champion.[8]

Practice and qualifying[edit]

Matt Kenseth won the pole position for the Roush Fenway Racing team

Two practice sessions were held in preparation for the race; both on Friday. The first session lasted 90 minutes long, while the second was 60 minutes long.[9] Reutimann was quickest with a time of 29.486 seconds in the first session, 28 milliseconds faster than Clint Bowyer.[10] Mark Martin was just off Bowyer's pace, followed by Kyle Busch, Trevor Bayne, and Newman. Some Chase for the Sprint Cup participants were not scored high in the first practice, such as Johnson and Hamlin, who were 36th and 40th in the session.[10]

In the second and final practice, Brian Vickers was quickest with a time of 29.304 seconds. Kasey Kahne followed in second, ahead of Kenseth and Paul Menard. Harvick was fifth quickest, with a time of 29.455 seconds. Gordon, Greg Biffle, Johnson, David Stremme, and Edwards rounded out the first ten positions. Kyle Busch, who was third in the first session, could only manage forty-fourth.[11]

Forty-seven cars were entered for qualifying, but only forty-three could race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[12] Kenseth clinched his sixth pole position in the Sprint Cup Series, with a time of 29.469 seconds.[13] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Menard.[13] Kurt Busch qualified third, Newman took fourth, and Edwards started fifth.[13] Johnson, one of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, qualified twelfth, while Harvick was scored thirtieth.[13] The four drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Travis Kvapil, David Starr, Stephen Leicht and Mike Skinner (T. J. Bell was gonna enter the race but withdrew).[13]

Once qualifying concluded Kenseth said, "I think starting up front is nice, having a good pit stall. Hopefully, you can get a good start and get a bonus point for leading a lap and try to keep up with the track a little better. We've been qualifying a lot better, if you throw Richmond out, but we've been slipping a little at the end of the race. I'm really happy to be on the pole, but it's just a starting position, and we've got to work really hard on the race, keeping up with our adjustments and that type of thing."[3]

Race[edit]

The race, the twenty-seventh of the season, was scheduled to begin at 2:00 p.m. EDT on September 18, but wet track conditions postponed the race to September 19, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.[14] The race was televised live in the United States on ESPN.[1] The first caution was the competition caution on lap 31. The next 2 cautions came out for debris on laps 72 and 146. The 4th caution came out on lap 165 when Jamie McMurray blew an engine. On lap 205, the 5th caution came out when J. J. Yeley crashed in turn 3. The final caution came out for debris on lap 214. Towards the end of the race, a majority of cars ran out of fuel. Tony Stewart was able to hold on for his first win of the season.

Results[edit]

Qualifying[edit]

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time (s) Speed Grid
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 29.469 183.243 mph (294.901 km/h) 1
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.488 183.125 mph (294.711 km/h) 2
22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 29.503 183.032 mph (294.561 km/h) 3
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 29.507 183.007 mph (294.521 km/h) 4
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 29.522 182.914 mph (294.372 km/h) 5
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 29.531 182.859 mph (294.283 km/h) 6
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 29.565 182.648 mph (293.943 km/h) 7
83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Toyota 29.575 182.587 mph (293.845 km/h) 8
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.615 182.309 mph (293.398 km/h) 9
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.620 182.309 mph (293.398 km/h) 10
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 29.634 182.223 mph (293.259 km/h) 11
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.667 182.020 mph (292.933 km/h) 12
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 29.690 181.879 mph (292.706 km/h) 13
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 29.696 181.843 mph (292.648 km/h) 14
6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 29.729 181.641 mph (292.323 km/h) 15
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 29.752 181.500 mph (292.096 km/h) 16
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 29.752 181.500 mph (292.096 km/h) 17
43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 29.767 181.409 mph (291.949 km/h) 18
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.784 181.305 mph (291.782 km/h) 19
56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 29.787 181.287 mph (291.753 km/h) 20
33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.790 181.269 mph (291.724 km/h) 21
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.790 181.269 mph (291.724 km/h) 22
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.807 181.165 mph (291.557 km/h) 23
4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Toyota 29.812 181.135 mph (291.509 km/h) 24
5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.822 181.074 mph (291.410 km/h) 25
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 29.828 181.038 mph (291.352 km/h) 26
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.879 180.729 mph (290.855 km/h) 27
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 29.894 180.638 mph (290.709 km/h) 28
00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 29.900 180.602 mph (290.651 km/h) 29
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.913 180.524 mph (290.525 km/h) 30
51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 29.973 180.162 mph (289.943 km/h) 31
38 J. J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.980 180.120 mph (289.875 km/h) 32
66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 29.990 180.060 mph (289.778 km/h) 33
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 29.991 180.054 mph (289.769 km/h) 34
46 Scott Speed Whitney Motorsports Ford 30.000 180.000 mph (289.682 km/h) 35
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 30.016 179.904 mph (289.527 km/h) 36
7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 30.039 179.766 mph (289.305 km/h) 37
34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 30.196 178.832 mph (287.802 km/h) 38
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 30.228 178.642 mph (287.496 km/h) 39
71 Andy Lally (R) TRG Motorsports Ford 30.238 178.583 mph (287.401 km/h) 40
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 30.262 178.442 mph (287.175 km/h) 41
32 Mike Bliss FAS Lane Racing Ford 30.313 178.141 mph (286.690 km/h) 42
37 Josh Wise Max Q Motorsports Ford 30.136 179.188 mph (288.375 km/h) 43
Failed to Qualify
55 Travis Kvapil Front Row Motorsports Ford
95 David Starr Leavine Family Racing Ford
35 Stephen Leicht Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
60 Mike Skinner Germain Racing Chevrolet
Source:

Race results[edit]

Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Run Points
1 26 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 47
2 30 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 42
3 19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 41
4 5 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 41
5 6 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 267 40
6 3 22 Kurt Busch Penske Racing Dodge 267 40
7 21 33 Clint Bowyer Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 37
8 4 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 267 37
9 25 5 Mark Martin Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 35
10 12 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 267 35
11 15 6 David Ragan Roush Fenway Racing Ford 267 33
12 24 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Toyota 267 32
13 8 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Racing Toyota 267 31
14 16 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 267 30
15 22 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 29
16 10 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 267 28
17 13 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 267 27
18 20 56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 267 27
19 17 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 267 25
20 2 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 267 24
21 1 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 266 24
22 9 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 266 23
23 28 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 266 0
24 23 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 265 20
25 42 32 Mike Bliss FAS Lane Racing Ford 265 0
26 7 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 265 18
27 18 43 A. J. Allmendinger Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 265 17
28 40 71 Andy Lally (R) TRG Motorsports Ford 265 16
29 41 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Toyota 265 15
30 31 51 Landon Cassill Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 264 0
31 27 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 264 13
32 29 00 David Reutimann Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 263 12
33 39 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 263 11
34 32 38 J. J. Yeley Front Row Motorsports Ford 263 11
35 35 46 Scott Speed Whitney Motorsports Ford 260 0
36 38 34 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 259 8
37 11 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daughtery Racing Toyota 236 7
38 14 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 163 6
39 37 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 77 5
40 36 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 45 0
41 34 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 44 3
42 43 37 Josh Wise Max Q Motorsports Ford 41 0
43 33 66 Michael McDowell HP Racing Toyota 25 1
Source:

Standings after the race[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 20, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  2. ^ Brown, Brian. "The Geico 400". September 13, 2011. RotoWorld.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Sporting News Wire Service (September 17, 2011). "Kenseth kicks Chase off with Chicagoland pole — Sep 17, 2011 - NASCAR.COM". NASCAR. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  4. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Archived from the original on August 11, 2010. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  5. ^ a b c "NASCAR Tracks—The Chicagoland Speedway". Chicagoland Speedway. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  6. ^ "Driver's Championship Classification". NASCAR. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Manufacturers' Championship Classification". Jayski.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  8. ^ "2010 LifeLock.com 400". racing-reference.com. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  9. ^ "Jayski'sŽ NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski.com. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  11. ^ "Practice Two Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  12. ^ "Qualifying Order". NASCAR. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Race Lineup: Chicagoland". NASCAR. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  14. ^ Hembree, Mike (September 18, 2011). "NASCAR — CUP: Weather Postpones Chase Opener To Monday". Speedtv.com. Retrieved September 18, 2011.


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