2011 AAA Texas 500
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report
| Type = NAS
| Race Name = AAA Texas 500
| Fulldate = {{Start date|2011|11|6}}
| Year = 2011
| Race_No = 34
| Season_No = 36
| Image = 2011_AAA_Texas_500_program_cover.png
| image-size = 200px
| image-alt =
| Caption = 2011 AAA Texas 500 program cover
| Location = Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas
| Course_mi = 1.5
| Course_km = 2.4
| Distance_laps = 334
| Distance_mi = 501
| Distance_km = 806.3
| Weather = Sunny with a high around 71; wind out of the SE at 11 mph.
| Avg = {{convert|152.705|mi/h|km/h}}
| Pole_Driver = Greg Biffle
| Pole_Team = Roush Fenway Racing
| Pole_Time = 27.873
| Most_Driver = Tony Stewart
| Most_Team = Stewart-Haas Racing
| Most_laps = 173
| Car = 14
| First_Driver = Tony Stewart
| First_Team = Stewart-Haas Racing
| Network = ESPN
| Announcers = Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree
}}
File:TexasMotorSpeedway.svg, the venue where the race was held.]]
The 2011 AAA Texas 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event held on November 6, 2011 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps, the event was the eighth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Tony Stewart led 173 of the 334 laps and won the race while Carl Edwards and Kasey Kahne finished second and third respectively. The race featured five cautions and twenty-three lead changes, while Stewart's win was his fourth of the season and second in a row after winning the previous week's race as well. Before the race, Kyle Busch was suspended by NASCAR due to his actions in the 2011 WinStar World Casino 350K.{{cite web|url=http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/7192453/kyle-busch-not-allowed-race-sprint-cup-nationwide-weekend-texas-motor-speedway|title=Kyle Busch parked for weekend|date=November 6, 2011|work=ESPN.com|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=May 16, 2018}} He was replaced by Michael McDowell.
The race was filmed for footage for the British motor show Top Gear, where presenter Richard Hammond was shown walking around the Texas Motor Speedway campgrounds, being the honorary pace car driver, and being a pit crew member for Mark Martin's team. Afterwards, Hammond would get a ride with Kyle Petty for the Petty Racing Experience.{{Citation|title=Hammond Survives NASCAR w/Kyle Petty {{!}} Top Gear|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtcbsi8itHw|language=en|access-date=2021-07-01}}
Entry list
| class="wikitable"
!Driver !Team !Make !Sponsor |
| 00
|David Reutimann |Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 1
|Jamie McMurray |Bass Pro Shops, Arctic Cat |
| 2
|Brad Keselowski |Ford |Miller Lite |
| 4
|Kasey Kahne |Red Bull |
| 5
|Mark Martin |Carquest, GoDaddy.com |
| 6
|David Ragan |Ford |UPS My Choice |
| 7
|Reed Sorenson |Speed Energy, MAPEI |
| 9
|Marcos Ambrose |Ford |DeWalt |
| 11
|Denny Hamlin |FedEx Office |
| 13
|Casey Mears |GEICO |
| 14
|Tony Stewart |Office Depot "We Do Printing.", Mobil 1 |
| 16
|Greg Biffle |Ford |Scotch Blue Painter's Tape |
| 17
|Matt Kenseth |Ford |Crown Royal |
| 18
|Kyle Busch |M&M's |
| 20
|Joey Logano |The Home Depot |
| 21
|Trevor Bayne |Ford |Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |
| 22
|Kurt Busch |AAA |
| 24
|Jeff Gordon |Drive to End Hunger, AARP |
| 27
|Paul Menard |Quaker State, Menards |
| 29
|Kevin Harvick |Rheem |
| 30
|David Stremme |
| 31
|Jeff Burton |Caterpillar |
| 32
|Mike Bliss |Ford |Street King |
| 33
|Clint Bowyer |Cheerios, Hamburger Helper |
| 34
|David Gilliland |Ford |
| 35
|Dave Blaney |Big Red |
| 36
|Geoff Bodine |Luke & Associates |
| 37
|Mike Skinner |Ford |
| 38
|Travis Kvapil |Ford |Long John Silver's |
| 39
|Ryan Newman |Quicken Loans, Carrier Classic |
| 42
|Juan Pablo Montoya |Target |
| 43
|A.J. Allmendinger |Ford |"Immortals", Best Buy |
| 46
|Scott Speed |Ford |Green Stuff Absorbent |
| 47
|Bobby Labonte |Wounded Warrior Project |
| 48
|Jimmie Johnson |MyLowe's |
| 51
|Landon Cassill |Security Benefit, Thank A Teacher Today |
| 55
|J.J. Yeley |Ford |Ingersoll Rand |
| 56
|Martin Truex Jr. |NAPA Auto Parts |
| 66
|Michael McDowell |
| 71
|Andy Lally |Ford |
| 77
|T.J. Bell |Ford |
| 77
|Robby Gordon |Speed Energy |
| 78
|Regan Smith |Furniture Row, Denver Mattress |
| 83
|Brian Vickers |Red Bull |
| 87
|Joe Nemechek |AM FM Energy, Pellet & Wood Stoves |
| 88
|Dale Earnhardt Jr. |National Guard Trained by Tradition, AMP |
| 95
|David Starr |Ford |AdvoCare |
| 99
|Carl Edwards |Ford |Aflac |
Qualifying
| class="wikitable"
|+ !# !Driver !Make !Team !Time !Avg. Speed (mph) |
| 1
|16 |Ford |27.873 |193.736 |
|---|
| 2
|6 |Ford |27.874 |193.729 |
| 3
|17 |Ford |27.884 |193.659 |
| 4
|27 |27.916 |193.437 |
| 5
|14 |27.942 |193.257 |
| 6
|00 |27.953 |193.181 |
| 7
|99 |Ford |27.969 |193.071 |
| 8
|2 |27.976 |193.023 |
| 9
|4 |27.987 |192.947 |
| 10
|78 |27.995 |192.892 |
| 11
|48 |27.998 |192.871 |
| 12
|9 |Ford |28.006 |192.816 |
| 13
|21 |Ford |28.039 |192.589 |
| 14
|22 |28.056 |192.472 |
| 15
|42 |28.072 |192.362 |
| 16
|88 |28.106 |192.130 |
| 17
|18 |28.107 |192.123 |
| 18
|33 |28.107 |192.123 |
| 19
|56 |28.127 |191.986 |
| 20
|83 |28.137 |191.918 |
| 21
|29 |28.177 |191.646 |
| 22
|1 |28.188 |191.571 |
| 23
|24 |28.189 |191.564 |
| 24
|39 |28.210 |191.421 |
| 25
|20 |28.228 |191.299 |
| 26
|43 |Ford |28.235 |191.252 |
| 27
|55 |Ford |28.262 |191.069 |
| 28
|11 |28.273 |190.995 |
| 29
|51 |28.326 |190.638 |
| 30
|5 |28.356 |190.436 |
| 31
|31 |28.363 |190.389 |
| 32
|47 |28.388 |190.221 |
| 33
|13 |28.388 |190.221 |
| 34
|34 |Ford |28.418 |190.020 |
| 35
|66 |28.460 |189.740 |
| 36
|35 |28.475 |189.640 |
| 37
|32 |Ford |28.586 |188.904 |
| 38
|37 |Ford |28.586 |188.904 |
| 39
|46 |Ford |28.620 |188.679 |
| 40
|87 |28.632 |188.600 |
| 41
|38 |Ford |28.711 |188.081 |
| 42
|36 |29.646 |182.149 |
| 43
|71 |Ford |28.643 |188.528 |
| colspan="7" |Failed to qualify or withdrew |
| 44
|30 |Chevrolet |28.669 |188.357 |
| 45
|95 |Ford |28.671 |188.344 |
| 46
|7 |Dodge |28.849 |187.182 |
| WD
|77 |Ford |0.000 |0.000 |
| WD
|77 |Dodge |0.000 |0.000 |
Race recap
= Pre-race =
For pre-race ceremonies, Dr. Roger Marsh from Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries gave the invocation. Showdog Recording artist Trace Adkins would sing the national anthem, with a singular B-52 Bomber from the Barksdale Air Force Base performing the flyover. The president of Texas' AAA branch at the time, Bob Bouttier, gave the command to start engines.
Honorary pace car driver, former Top Gear host and now host of The Grand Tour, Richard Hammond would lead the field to green.
Race results
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Fin{{Cite web|title=2011 AAA Texas 500 - The Third Turn|url=https://www.thethirdturn.com/wiki/2011_AAA_Texas_500|access-date=2021-07-02|website=www.thethirdturn.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=2011 AAA Texas 500 race results|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2011_AAA_Texas_500/W/|url-status=live|website=Racing-Reference|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428001825/https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/2011_AAA_Texas_500/W/ |archive-date=2021-04-28 }} !St !# !Driver !Make !Team !Sponsor !Laps !Led !Status !Pts !Winnings |
| 1
|5 |14 |Office Depot "We Do Printing.", Mobil 1 |334 |173 |running |48 |$484,783 |
|---|
| 2
|7 |99 |Ford |Aflac |334 |14 |running |43 |$361,566 |
| 3
|9 |4 |Toyota |Red Bull |334 |5 |running |42 |$231,883 |
| 4
|3 |17 |Ford |Crown Royal |334 |87 |running |41 |$227,461 |
| 5
|1 |16 |Ford |Scotch Blue Painter's Tape |334 |23 |running |40 |$196,125 |
| 6
|23 |24 |Drive to End Hunger, AARP |334 |0 |running |38 |$190,661 |
| 7
|16 |88 |National Guard Trained by Tradition, AMP |334 |0 |running |37 |$144,475 |
| 8
|19 |56 |NAPA Auto Parts |334 |0 |running |36 |$134,325 |
| 9
|18 |33 |Cheerios, Hamburger Helper |334 |0 |running |35 |$164,433 |
| 10
|26 |43 |Ford |"Immortals", Best Buy |334 |0 |running |34 |$157,736 |
| 11
|12 |9 |Ford |DeWalt |334 |0 |running |33 |$140,366 |
| 12
|2 |6 |Ford |UPS My Choice |334 |0 |running |32 |$116,625 |
| 13
|21 |29 |Rheem |334 |0 |running |31 |$150,511 |
| 14
|11 |48 |MyLowe's |334 |1 |running |31 |$151,011 |
| 15
|4 |27 |Quaker State, Menards |334 |1 |running |30 |$108,200 |
| 16
|24 |39 |Quicken Loans, Carrier Classic |334 |4 |running |29 |$140,100 |
| 17
|13 |21 |Ford |Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |334 |0 |running |0 |$98,550 |
| 18
|15 |42 |Target |334 |0 |running |26 |$135,533 |
| 19
|30 |5 |Carquest, GoDaddy.com |334 |0 |running |25 |$105,725 |
| 20
|28 |11 |FedEx Office |333 |0 |running |24 |$143,075 |
| 21
|20 |83 |Red Bull |333 |0 |running |23 |$124,364 |
| 22
|6 |00 |Aaron's Dream Machine |333 |0 |running |22 |$124,683 |
| 23
|10 |78 |Furniture Row, Denver Mattress |333 |0 |running |21 |$122,820 |
| 24
|8 |2 |Miller Lite |333 |2 |running |21 |$121,633 |
| 25
|33 |13 |GEICO |333 |0 |running |19 |$96,400 |
| 26
|29 |51 |Security Benefit, Thank A Teacher Today |332 |0 |running |0 |$110,083 |
| 27
|31 |31 |Caterpillar |332 |24 |running |18 |$104,375 |
| 28
|32 |47 |Wounded Warrior Project |332 |0 |running |16 |$121,020 |
| 29
|43 |71 |Ford |TRG Motorsports |332 |0 |running |15 |$101,475 |
| 30
|14 |22 |AAA |331 |0 |running |14 |$137,340 |
| 31
|41 |38 |Ford |Long John Silver's |331 |0 |running |0 |$103,708 |
| 32
|34 |34 |Ford |Front Row Motorsports |331 |0 |running |12 |$100,872 |
| 33
|17 |18 |M&M's |331 |0 |running |11 |$139,916 |
| 34
|37 |32 |Ford |Street King |329 |0 |running |0 |$90,925 |
| 35
|36 |35 |Big Red |316 |0 |running |9 |$90,725 |
| 36
|22 |1 |Bass Pro Shops, Arctic Cat |295 |0 |running |8 |$129,114 |
| 37
|25 |20 |The Home Depot |258 |0 |engine |7 |$93.800 |
| 38
|42 |36 |Luke & Associates |215 |0 |vibration |6 |$90,100 |
| 39
|39 |46 |Ford |Green Stuff Absorbent |30 |0 |rear-gear |0 |$89,900 |
| 40
|35 |66 |HP Racing |23 |0 |rear-gear |0 |$89,700 |
| 41
|38 |37 |Ford |Max Q Motorsports |19 |0 |brakes |0 |$89,475 |
| 42
|40 |87 |AM FM Energy, Pellet & Wood Stoves |14 |0 |clutch |0 |$89,275 |
| 43
|27 |55 |Ford |Ingersoll Rand |10 |0 |fuel-pressure |1 |$89,561 |
| colspan="12" |Failed to qualify, driver change, or withdrew |
| 44
| |30 |Inception Motorsports ! colspan="5" rowspan="7" | |
| 45
| |95 |Ford |AdvoCare |
| 46
| |7 |Speed Energy, MAPEI |
| DC
| |18 |M&M's |
| DC
| |66 |HP Racing |
| WD
| |77 |Ford |TRG Motorsports |
| WD
| |77 |Speed Energy |
References
{{reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race|
|Series = Sprint Cup Series
|Season = 2011
|Previous_race = 2011 Tums Fast Relief 500
|Next_race = 2011 Kobalt Tools 500
}}
{{2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup |state=collapsed}}
Category:2010s in Fort Worth, Texas