2011 AAA Texas 500
# 2011 AAA Texas 500

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. 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.

## Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops, Arctic Cat |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | Red Bull |
| 5 | Mark Martin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Carquest, GoDaddy.com |
| 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | UPS My Choice |
| 7 | Reed Sorenson | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | Speed Energy, MAPEI |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | DeWalt |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Office |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Toyota | GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Office Depot "We Do Printing.", Mobil 1 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Scotch Blue Painter's Tape |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Crown Royal |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | M&M's |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | The Home Depot |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |
| 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | AAA |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Drive to End Hunger, AARP |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Quaker State, Menards |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | Inception Motorsports |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 32 | Mike Bliss | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | Street King |
| 33 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cheerios, Hamburger Helper |
| 34 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 35 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Big Red |
| 36 | Geoff Bodine | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Luke & Associates |
| 37 | Mike Skinner | Max Q Motorsports | Ford | Max Q Motorsports |
| 38 | Travis Kvapil | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Quicken Loans, Carrier Classic |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Target |
| 43 | A.J. Allmendinger | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | "Immortals", Best Buy |
| 46 | Scott Speed | Whitney Motorsports | Ford | Green Stuff Absorbent |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Wounded Warrior Project |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | MyLowe's |
| 51 | Landon Cassill | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Security Benefit, Thank A Teacher Today |
| 55 | J.J. Yeley | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Ingersoll Rand |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 66 | Michael McDowell | HP Racing | Toyota | HP Racing |
| 71 | Andy Lally | TRG Motorsports | Ford | TRG Motorsports |
| 77 | T.J. Bell | TRG Motorsports | Ford | TRG Motorsports |
| 77 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | Speed Energy |
| 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | Furniture Row, Denver Mattress |
| 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | Red Bull |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Chevrolet | AM FM Energy, Pellet & Wood Stoves |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | National Guard Trained by Tradition, AMP |
| 95 | David Starr | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | AdvoCare |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Aflac |

## Qualifying

| Pos. | # | Driver | Make | Team | Time | Avg. Speed (mph) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 27.873 | 193.736 |
| 2 | 6 | David Ragan | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 27.874 | 193.729 |
| 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 27.884 | 193.659 |
| 4 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 27.916 | 193.437 |
| 5 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Stewart-Haas Racing | 27.942 | 193.257 |
| 6 | 00 | David Reutimann | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | 27.953 | 193.181 |
| 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 27.969 | 193.071 |
| 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | Penske Racing | 27.976 | 193.023 |
| 9 | 4 | Kasey Kahne | Toyota | Red Bull Racing Team | 27.987 | 192.947 |
| 10 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | Furniture Row Racing | 27.995 | 192.892 |
| 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 27.998 | 192.871 |
| 12 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports | 28.006 | 192.816 |
| 13 | 21 | Trevor Bayne* | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | 28.039 | 192.589 |
| 14 | 22 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | Penske Racing | 28.056 | 192.472 |
| 15 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | 28.072 | 192.362 |
| 16 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 28.106 | 192.130 |
| 17 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 28.107 | 192.123 |
| 18 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 28.107 | 192.123 |
| 19 | 56 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | 28.127 | 191.986 |
| 20 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Red Bull Racing Team | 28.137 | 191.918 |
| 21 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 28.177 | 191.646 |
| 22 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | 28.188 | 191.571 |
| 23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 28.189 | 191.564 |
| 24 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | Stewart-Haas Racing | 28.210 | 191.421 |
| 25 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 28.228 | 191.299 |
| 26 | 43 | A.J. Allmendinger | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports | 28.235 | 191.252 |
| 27 | 55 | J.J. Yeley* | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | 28.262 | 191.069 |
| 28 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | 28.273 | 190.995 |
| 29 | 51 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | Phoenix Racing | 28.326 | 190.638 |
| 30 | 5 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | 28.356 | 190.436 |
| 31 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | 28.363 | 190.389 |
| 32 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | JTG Daugherty Racing | 28.388 | 190.221 |
| 33 | 13 | Casey Mears | Toyota | Germain Racing | 28.388 | 190.221 |
| 34 | 34 | David Gilliland | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | 28.418 | 190.020 |
| 35 | 66 | Michael McDowell* | Toyota | HP Racing | 28.460 | 189.740 |
| 36 | 35 | Dave Blaney* | Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing | 28.475 | 189.640 |
| 37 | 32 | Mike Bliss | Ford | FAS Lane Racing | 28.586 | 188.904 |
| 38 | 37 | Mike Skinner* | Ford | Max Q Motorsports | 28.586 | 188.904 |
| 39 | 46 | Scott Speed* | Ford | Whitney Motorsports | 28.620 | 188.679 |
| 40 | 87 | Joe Nemechek* | Toyota | NEMCO Motorsports | 28.632 | 188.600 |
| 41 | 38 | Travis Kvapil** | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | 28.711 | 188.081 |
| 42 | 36 | Geoffrey Bodine** | Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing | 29.646 | 182.149 |
| 43 | 71 | Andy Lally* | Ford | TRG Motorsports | 28.643 | 188.528 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 44 | 30 | David Stremme | Chevrolet | Inception Motorsports | 28.669 | 188.357 |
| 45 | 95 | David Starr | Ford | Leavine Family Racing | 28.671 | 188.344 |
| 46 | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | Robby Gordon Motorsports | 28.849 | 187.182 |
| WD | 77 | T.J. Bell | Ford | TRG Motorsports | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| WD | 77 | Robby Gordon | Dodge | Robby Gordon Motorsports | 0.000 | 0.000 |

*Qualified by time.

**Qualified by being Top 35 in Owner's Points.

## 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

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Team | Sponsor | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet | Stewart-Haas Racing | Office Depot "We Do Printing.", Mobil 1 | 334 | 173 | running | 48 | $484,783 |
| 2 | 7 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | Aflac | 334 | 14 | running | 43 | $361,566 |
| 3 | 9 | 4 | Kasey Kahne | Toyota | Red Bull Racing Team | Red Bull | 334 | 5 | running | 42 | $231,883 |
| 4 | 3 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | Crown Royal | 334 | 87 | running | 41 | $227,461 |
| 5 | 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | Scotch Blue Painter's Tape | 334 | 23 | running | 40 | $196,125 |
| 6 | 23 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Drive to End Hunger, AARP | 334 | 0 | running | 38 | $190,661 |
| 7 | 16 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | National Guard Trained by Tradition, AMP | 334 | 0 | running | 37 | $144,475 |
| 8 | 19 | 56 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | NAPA Auto Parts | 334 | 0 | running | 36 | $134,325 |
| 9 | 18 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | Cheerios, Hamburger Helper | 334 | 0 | running | 35 | $164,433 |
| 10 | 26 | 43 | A.J. Allmendinger | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports | "Immortals", Best Buy | 334 | 0 | running | 34 | $157,736 |
| 11 | 12 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports | DeWalt | 334 | 0 | running | 33 | $140,366 |
| 12 | 2 | 6 | David Ragan | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | UPS My Choice | 334 | 0 | running | 32 | $116,625 |
| 13 | 21 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | Rheem | 334 | 0 | running | 31 | $150,511 |
| 14 | 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | MyLowe's | 334 | 1 | running | 31 | $151,011 |
| 15 | 4 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | Quaker State, Menards | 334 | 1 | running | 30 | $108,200 |
| 16 | 24 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | Stewart-Haas Racing | Quicken Loans, Carrier Classic | 334 | 4 | running | 29 | $140,100 |
| 17 | 13 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | Wood Brothers Racing | Motorcraft, Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center | 334 | 0 | running | 0 | $98,550 |
| 18 | 15 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Target | 334 | 0 | running | 26 | $135,533 |
| 19 | 30 | 5 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | Hendrick Motorsports | Carquest, GoDaddy.com | 334 | 0 | running | 25 | $105,725 |
| 20 | 28 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | FedEx Office | 333 | 0 | running | 24 | $143,075 |
| 21 | 20 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Red Bull Racing Team | Red Bull | 333 | 0 | running | 23 | $124,364 |
| 22 | 6 | 00 | David Reutimann | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | Aaron's Dream Machine | 333 | 0 | running | 22 | $124,683 |
| 23 | 10 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevrolet | Furniture Row Racing | Furniture Row, Denver Mattress | 333 | 0 | running | 21 | $122,820 |
| 24 | 8 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | Penske Racing | Miller Lite | 333 | 2 | running | 21 | $121,633 |
| 25 | 33 | 13 | Casey Mears | Toyota | Germain Racing | GEICO | 333 | 0 | running | 19 | $96,400 |
| 26 | 29 | 51 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | Phoenix Racing | Security Benefit, Thank A Teacher Today | 332 | 0 | running | 0 | $110,083 |
| 27 | 31 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | Richard Childress Racing | Caterpillar | 332 | 24 | running | 18 | $104,375 |
| 28 | 32 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | JTG Daugherty Racing | Wounded Warrior Project | 332 | 0 | running | 16 | $121,020 |
| 29 | 43 | 71 | Andy Lally | Ford | TRG Motorsports | TRG Motorsports | 332 | 0 | running | 15 | $101,475 |
| 30 | 14 | 22 | Kurt Busch | Dodge | Penske Racing | AAA | 331 | 0 | running | 14 | $137,340 |
| 31 | 41 | 38 | Travis Kvapil | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Long John Silver's | 331 | 0 | running | 0 | $103,708 |
| 32 | 34 | 34 | David Gilliland | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Front Row Motorsports | 331 | 0 | running | 12 | $100,872 |
| 33 | 17 | 18 | Michael McDowell | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | M&M's | 331 | 0 | running | 11 | $139,916 |
| 34 | 37 | 32 | Mike Bliss | Ford | FAS Lane Racing | Street King | 329 | 0 | running | 0 | $90,925 |
| 35 | 36 | 35 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Big Red | 316 | 0 | running | 9 | $90,725 |
| 36 | 22 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Bass Pro Shops, Arctic Cat | 295 | 0 | running | 8 | $129,114 |
| 37 | 25 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | The Home Depot | 258 | 0 | engine | 7 | $93.800 |
| 38 | 42 | 36 | Geoffrey Bodine | Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Luke & Associates | 215 | 0 | vibration | 6 | $90,100 |
| 39 | 39 | 46 | Scott Speed | Ford | Whitney Motorsports | Green Stuff Absorbent | 30 | 0 | rear-gear | 0 | $89,900 |
| 40 | 35 | 66 | Josh Wise | Toyota | HP Racing | HP Racing | 23 | 0 | rear-gear | 0 | $89,700 |
| 41 | 38 | 37 | Mike Skinner | Ford | Max Q Motorsports | Max Q Motorsports | 19 | 0 | brakes | 0 | $89,475 |
| 42 | 40 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | NEMCO Motorsports | AM FM Energy, Pellet & Wood Stoves | 14 | 0 | clutch | 0 | $89,275 |
| 43 | 27 | 55 | J.J. Yeley | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Ingersoll Rand | 10 | 0 | fuel-pressure | 1 | $89,561 |
| Failed to qualify, driver change, or withdrew ||||||||||||
| 44 | | 30 | David Stremme | Chevrolet | Inception Motorsports | Inception Motorsports | | | | | |
| 45 | | 95 | David Starr | Ford | Leavine Family Racing | AdvoCare | | | | | |
| 46 | | 7 | Reed Sorenson | Dodge | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Speed Energy, MAPEI | | | | | |
| DC | | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | M&M's | | | | | |
| DC | | 66 | Michael McDowell | Toyota | HP Racing | HP Racing | | | | | |
| WD | | 77 | T.J. Bell | Ford | TRG Motorsports | TRG Motorsports | | | | | |
| WD | | 77 | Robby Gordon | Dodge | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Speed Energy | | | | | |
