2011 Kobalt Tools 500

2011 Kobalt Tools 500
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 35 of 36 in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date November 13, 2011 (2011-11-13)
Location Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Course Permanent racing facility
1 mi (1.6 km)
Distance 312 laps, 312 mi (502.115 km)
Weather Rain showers with a high temperature around 62.
Average speed 112.909 miles per hour (181.709 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Roush Fenway Racing
Time 26.258
Most laps led
Driver Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing
Laps 160
Winner
No. 4 Kasey Kahne Red Bull Racing Team
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree

The 2011 Kobalt Tools 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on November 13, 2011 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps, it was the thirty-fifth as well as the ninth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The race was won by Kasey Kahne for the Red Bull Racing Team. Carl Edwards finished second, and Tony Stewart clinched third.


Report

Background

Phoenix International Raceway, where the race was held.

Phoenix International Raceway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway.[4] The standard track at Phoenix International Raceway is a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long.[5] After the February race, PIR was significantly reconfigured. The first two turns are now banked from 10 to 11 degrees, while the final two turns are banked from 8 to 9 degrees.[6] The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at three degrees. The back stretch, nicknamed the 'dogleg', varies from 10 to 11 degree banking.[6] The racetrack has seats for 76,800 spectators.[5]

Before the race, Carl Edwards led the Drivers' Championship with 2,316 points, and Tony Stewart stood in second with 2,313 points. Kevin Harvick followed in third with 2,283 points, five ahead of Matt Kenseth and 16 ahead of Brad Keselowski in fourth and fifth. Jimmie Johnson, with 2,261 was 24 points ahead of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., as Jeff Gordon with 2,235 points, was six ahead of Kurt Busch, and 18 in front of Denny Hamlin.[7] Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman was eleventh and twelfth with 2,216 and 2,213 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 235 points, 52 ahead of Ford. Toyota, with 174 points, was 18 points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.[8] Edwards is the race's defending champion, after winning the race in 2010.[9]

Matt Kenseth earned his third pole position of the season with a time of 26.258 seconds

Practice and qualifying

Two 120 minute practice sessions were held before the race on Friday.[10] Jeff Burton was quickest with a time of 25.702 seconds in the first session, more than two-hundredths of a second faster than Kenseth.[11] David Ragan was just off Kenseth's pace, followed by Paul Menard, Newman, and David Reutimann. A. J. Allmendinger was seventh, still within a second of Burton's time.[11] Also in the session, Kyle Busch's team changed his car's engine after engine problems.[12] In the second practice session, Menard was fastest with a time of 25.510 seconds, seven-hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed Edwards.[13] Regan Smith took third place, ahead of Brian Vickers, Kyle Busch and Jamie McMurray. Stewart could only manage 36th place.[13]

Afterward, during qualifying, forty-six cars were entered, but only forty-three were able to race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[14] Kenseth clinched his third pole position during the season, with a time of 26.258 seconds.[3][15] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Allmendinger.[15] Marcos Ambrose qualified third, Mark Martin took fourth, and Martin Truex, Jr. started fifth.[15] Stewart, one of the drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, qualified eighth, while Edwards was scored ninth.[15] The three drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Scott Riggs, David Stremme, and Andy Lally.[15] Once the qualifying session completed, Kenseth commented, "Jimmy Fennig, had a strategy to go fast in the first practice to go out late. Even though we knew the temperature would be hotter he thought the track could be faster with more cars having run on it. A lot of people chose the opposite strategy and worked on race set-up in the first practice and did their qualifying stuff in the second practice to go out early."[3]

Results

Qualifying

Qualifying results
Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 17Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord26.258137.101
2 43A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsFord26.384136.446
3 9Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord26.411136.307
4 5Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26.455136.080
5 56Martin Truex Jr.Michael Waltrip RacingToyota26.455136.080
6 1Jamie McMurrayEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet26.469136.008
7 00David ReutimannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota26.473135.988
8 14Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet26.488135.911
9 99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord26.529135.701
10 4Kasey KahneRed Bull Racing TeamToyota26.534135.675
11 27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26.547135.609
12 2Brad KeselowskiPenske RacingDodge26.585135.415
13 6David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord26.588135.399
14 31Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26.608135.298
15 78Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet26.613135.272
16 48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26.618135.247
17 22Kurt BuschPenske RacingDodge26.622135.227
18 83Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota26.624135.216
19 84Cole WhittRed Bull Racing TeamToyota26.625135.211
20 7Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsDodge26.630135.186
21 51Landon CassillPhoenix RacingChevrolet26.631135.181
22 88Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26.634135.166
23 24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26.689134.887
24 46Scott SpeedWhitney MotorsportsFord26.694134.862
25 20Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26.696134.852
26 42Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet26.704134.811
27 29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26.715134.756
28 33Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet26.751134.574
29 16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord26.756134.549
30 39Ryan NewmanStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet26.764134.509
31 47Bobby LabonteJTG Daugherty RacingToyota26.793134.363
32 87Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsToyota26.837134.143
33 11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26.850134.078
34 18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota26.936133.650
35 66Michael McDowellHP RacingToyota26.979133.437
36 37Mike SkinnerMax Q MotorsportsFord27.023133.220
37 55Travis KvapilFront Row MotorsportsFord27.040133.136
38 13Casey MearsGermain RacingToyota27.062133.028
39 32Mike BlissFAS Lane RacingFord27.184132.431
40 36Geoffrey BodineTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet27.417131.305
41 38J. J. YeleyFront Row MotorsportsFord27.911128.981
42 34David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord29.252123.068
43 35Dave BlaneyTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet27.157132.562
Failed to qualify
44 23Scott RiggsR3 MotorsportsToyota27.336131.695
45 30David StremmeInception MotorsportsChevrolet27.355131.603
46 71Andy LallyTRG MotorsportsFord28.215127.592
Sources:[15][16][17]

Race results

Race results
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 104Kasey KahneRed Bull Racing TeamToyota31247
2 999Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFord31243
3 814Tony StewartStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet31243
4 1431Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31240
5 3039Ryan NewmanStewart-Haas RacingChevrolet31239
6 243A. J. AllmendingerRichard Petty MotorsportsFord31238
7 700David ReutimannMichael Waltrip RacingToyota31237
8 39Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord31236
9 1127Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31235
10 2833Clint BowyerRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31234
11 2520Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota31233
12 3311Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota31232
13 2916Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord31131
14 1648Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31130
15 2642Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet31129
16 45Mark MartinHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31128
17 61Jamie McMurrayEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet31127
18 122Brad KeselowskiPenske RacingDodge31127
19 2729Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet31125
20 556Martin Truex Jr.Michael Waltrip RacingToyota31124
21 3147Bobby LabonteJTG Daugherty RacingToyota31123
22 1722Kurt BuschPenske RacingDodge31123
23 1883Brian VickersRed Bull Racing TeamToyota31121
24 2288Dale Earnhardt, Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet31020
25 1984Cole WhittRed Bull Racing TeamToyota3100
26 3813Casey MearsGermain RacingToyota30918
27 4335Dave BlaneyTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet30917
28 4138J. J. YeleyFront Row MotorsportsFord30917
29 2151Landon CassillPhoenix RacingChevrolet3090
30 3932Mike BlissFAS Lane RacingFord3080
31 4234David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord30713
32 2324Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet30612
33 136David RaganRoush Fenway RacingFord29811
34 117Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord23811
35 207Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsDodge2189
36 3418Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota1888
37 4036Geoffrey BodineTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet1537
38 1578Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet626
39 2446Scott SpeedWhitney MotorsportsFord600
40 3566Michael McDowellHP RacingToyota464
41 3287Joe NemechekNEMCO MotorsportsToyota300
42 3637Mike SkinnerMax Q MotorsportsFord250
43 3755Travis KvapilFront Row MotorsportsFord200
Source:[18]

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Carl Edwards 2,359
2 Tony Stewart 2,356 (−3)
3 Kevin Harvick 2,308 (−51)
1 4 Brad Keselowski 2,294 (−65)
1 5 Jimmie Johnson 2,291 (−68)
Source:[19]
Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 239
2 Ford 189 (−50)
3 Toyota 183 (−56)
4 Dodge 159 (−80)
Source:[8]
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings.

References

  1. ↑ "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  2. ↑ Brown, Brian (November 9, 2011). "The Kobalt Tools 500 (k)". RotoWorld.com. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Kenseth takes pole at Phoenix". inRacingNews.com. November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Tracks". NASCAR. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  5. 1 2 "Phoenix International Raceway". NASCAR. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  6. 1 2 "PIR To Be Repaved after February Race". Phoenix International Raceway. February 9, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Pre-race Drivers' Championship Standings". NASCAR. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – 2011 Manufacturers Championship Standings". Jayski.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  9. ↑ "2009 Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500". Racing-Reference.info. November 14, 2010. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Jayski'sŽ NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski.com. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  12. ↑ "NASCAR — CUP: Burton Tops First Practice At Phoenix". Speedtv.com. November 11, 2011. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  13. 1 2 "Practice Two Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved November 11, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Qualifying Entry List". NASCAR. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Race Official Lineup". NASCAR. November 12, 2011. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Lineup Statistics". MotorRacingNetwork.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  17. ↑ "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site — Phoenix Sprint Cup Qualifying Order/Results, Lineup". Jayski.com. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  18. ↑ "2011 Official Race Results : Kobalt Tools 500". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  19. ↑ "2011 Official Driver Standings: Kobalt Tools 500". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
Previous race:
2011 AAA Texas 500		 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2011 season		 Next race:
2011 Ford 400
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