2011 STP 400
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{NASCAR race season infobox
| Type = NAS
| Race Name = STP 400
| Details ref = {{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/schedule/_/year/2011 |title=Sprint Cup Series Schedule |location=ESPN |access-date=5 June 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120034554/http://espn.go.com/racing/schedule/_/year/2011 |archive-date=20 January 2012 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nas/38019/229/the-stp-400 |title=The STP 400 |publisher=Rotoworld.com |access-date=5 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604045203/http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nas/38019/229/the-stp-400 |archive-date=4 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/kurt-busch-takes-surprise-pole/ |title=Kurt Busch takes surprise pole |publisher=inRacingNews.com |access-date=5 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110610163622/http://www.iracing.com/inracingnews/nascar-news/nascar/kurt-busch-takes-surprise-pole/ |archive-date=10 June 2011 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web|title=Race Information|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/cup/raceTrax?gameId=20110605055&state=RACE|publisher=Fox Sports|access-date=5 June 2011}}
| Fulldate = {{Start date|2011|06|05}}
| Year = 2011
| Race_No = 13
| Season_No = 36
| Location = Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kansas
| Image = Kansas Speedway diagram.svg
| Course_mi = 1.5
| Course_km = 2.4
| Distance_laps = 267
| Distance_mi = 400.5
| Distance_km = 644.5
| Weather = Sunny with a high of 88; wind out of the South at 8 mph.
| Avg = {{convert|137.186|mi/h}}
| Pole_Driver = Kurt Busch
| Pole_Team = Penske Racing
| Pole_Time = 30.901
| Most_Driver = Kurt Busch
| Most_Team = Penske Racing
| Most_laps = 152
| Car = 2
| First_Driver = Brad Keselowski
| First_Team = Penske Racing
| Network = Fox Broadcasting Company
| Announcers = Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds
}}
The 2011 STP 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series motor race held on June 5, 2011 at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt D-oval, it was the 13th race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season. Brad Keselowski of Penske Racing won the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, and Denny Hamlin finished third.
Report
=Background=
File:The Kansas Speedway.jpg, the race track where the race was held.]]
Kansas Speedway is one of ten intermediate to hold NASCAR races.{{cite web|title=NASCAR Race Tracks |url=http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ |access-date=10 June 2011 |location=NASCAR |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603231316/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ |archive-date=3 June 2011 |url-status=dead }} The standard track at Kansas Speedway is a four-turn D-shaped oval track that is {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} long.{{cite web|title=NASCAR Tracks—The Kansas Speedway|url=http://www.kansasspeedway.com/Track-Info/Track-Facts.aspx|publisher=Kansas Speedway|access-date=10 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713134848/http://www.kansasspeedway.com/Track-Info/Track-Facts.aspx|archive-date=2011-07-13|url-status=dead}} The track's turns are banked at fifteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is 10.4 degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, is at only five degrees. The racetrack has seats for 82,000 spectators.
Before the race, Carl Edwards led the Drivers' Championship with 445 points, and Kevin Harvick stood in second with 409. Jimmie Johnson was third in the Drivers' Championship with 408 points, six ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and sixteen ahead of Kyle Busch in fourth and fifth. Kurt Busch with 377 was three ahead of Matt Kenseth, as Clint Bowyer with 365 points, was nine ahead of Tony Stewart, and twelve in front of Ryan Newman.{{cite web|title=Driver's Championship Classification|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2011/12/data/standings_official.html|location=NASCAR|access-date=10 June 2011}} In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 83 points, six ahead of Ford. Toyota, with 64 points, was 24 points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.{{cite web|title=Manufactures' Championship Classification|url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2011/manu2011.htm|location=Jayski.com|access-date=10 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616013427/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2011/manu2011.htm|archive-date=16 June 2011|url-status=dead}}
=Practice and qualifying=
File:TSM350 - Kurt Busch 2 - 2015 - Stierch.jpg (pictured in 2015) won the pole position, after having the fastest time of 30.901 seconds.]]
Two practice sessions were held before the race on Friday. The first session lasted 80 minutes long, while the second was 90 minutes long.{{cite web|url=http://jayski.com/news/races/2011/story?id=6142712#prac |title=Jayski'sŽ NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page |publisher=Jayski.com |access-date=10 June 2011}} Greg Biffle was quickest with a time of 31.917 seconds in the first session, less than one-tenth of a second faster than Edwards.{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2011/13/data/practice1_speeds.html |title=Practice One Timing and Scoring |publisher=NASCAR |access-date=10 June 2011}} Kasey Kahne was third, followed by Stewart, Jeff Gordon, and Earnhardt Jr. Bobby Labonte was seventh, still within a second of Biffle's time. In the second practice session, Joey Logano was fastest with a time of 31.732 seconds, only one-hundredth of a second quicker than second-placed Gordon.{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2011/13/data/practice2_speeds.html |title=Practice Two Timing and Scoring |publisher=NASCAR |access-date=10 June 2011}} Brian Vickers took third place, ahead of Mark Martin, Paul Menard and Landon Cassill. Kyle Busch only managed 7th place.
Forty-five cars were entered for qualifying, but only forty-three raced because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2011/13/data/qual_order.html |title=Qualifying Entry List |publisher=NASCAR |access-date=10 June 2011}} Kurt Busch clinched his 13th pole position during his career, with a time of 30.901 seconds.{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2011/13/data/lineup.html |title=Race Official Lineup |publisher=NASCAR |access-date=10 June 2011}} He was joined on the front row of the grid by Juan Pablo Montoya. Kyle Busch qualified third, Vickers took fourth, and Logano started fifth. Jamie McMurray, Edwards, Martin Truex Jr., Menard, and Harvick rounded out the first ten positions. The two drivers who failed to qualify for the race were Tony Raines and T. J. Bell, who had times of 31.820 and 31.846 seconds.
Results
=Qualifying=
=Race results=
File:Brad Keselowski at Las Vegas 2012.jpg won the race, his first with Penske Racing.]]
Standings after the race
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings{{cite web|title=2011 Official Driver Standings: STP 400|url=http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2011/13/data/standings_official.html|publisher=NASCAR|access-date=11 June 2011}}
| class="sortable wikitable " style="font-size: 95%;" |
| Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 485 |
| 2
| style="text-align:center;"| 445 |
| 3
| style="text-align:center;"| 444 |
| 4
| style="text-align:center;"| 442 |
| 5
| style="text-align:center;"| 425 |
{{col-2}}
;Manufacturers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| Pos
! Manufacturer ! Points |
|---|
| 1
| style="text-align:right;"| 89 |
| 2
| Ford | style="text-align:right;"| 80 |
| 3
| Toyota | style="text-align:right;"| 68 |
| 4
| Dodge | style="text-align:right;"| 49 |
- Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race
| Season = 2011
| Series = Sprint Cup Series
| Previous_race = 2011 Coca-Cola 600
| Next_race = 2011 5-hour Energy 500
}}
{{2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup |state=collapsed}}