2011 Lenox Industrial Tools 301
# 2011 Lenox Industrial Tools 301

The 2011 Lenox Industrial Tools 301 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series motor race held on July 17, 2011 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Contested over 301 laps on the 1.058-mile (1.703 km) asphalt oval, it was the 19th race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season. The race was won by Ryan Newman of Stewart Haas Racing, his first win of 2011. Newman's teammate and owner, Tony Stewart finished second and Denny Hamlin clinched third.

There were 10 cautions and 21 lead changes among 14 different drivers throughout the race. Following the race, Carl Edwards led the Drivers' Championship with 652 points, seven ahead of Jimmie Johnson and eleven points ahead of Kurt Busch. Chevrolet led the Manufacturer Championship with 127 points, 17 ahead of Ford and 22 ahead of Toyota. A total of 95,000 people attended the race, while 4.6 million watched it on television.

## Report

### Background

New Hampshire Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and Darlington Raceway as well as Homestead Miami Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. The standard track at New Hampshire Motor Speedway is a four-turn oval track, 1.058 miles (1.703 km) long. The track's turns are banked at two to seven degrees, while the front stretch, the finish line, and the back stretch are banked at one degree.

Before the race, Kyle Busch led the Drivers' Championship with 624 points, and Carl Edwards stood in second with 620. Kevin Harvick was third in the Drivers' Championship with 614 points, eight ahead of Kurt Busch and nine ahead of Jimmie Johnson in fourth and fifth. Matt Kenseth with 602 was 49 ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., as Ryan Newman with 538 points, was nine ahead of Denny Hamlin, and eleven in front of Tony Stewart. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 118 points, 12 ahead of Ford. Toyota, with 99 points, was 27 points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.

### Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions are scheduled before the race; the first on Friday, which lasted 90 minutes. The second and third were both on Saturday afternoon, lasting 60 minutes each. Clint Bowyer was quickest with a time of 28.379 seconds in the first session, around two hundredths seconds faster than Stewart. Newman was just off Stewart's pace, followed by A. J. Allmendinger, Paul Menard, and Kurt Busch. Regan Smith was seventh, still within a second of Bowyer's time.

Forty-six cars were entered for qualifying, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Newman clinched the 47th pole position of his career, with a record time of 28.165 seconds. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Stewart. David Reutimann qualified third, Kurt Busch took fourth, and Brad Keselowski started fifth. Jeff Burton, Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Menard and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top ten. The three drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Tony Raines, Scott Riggs, and Dennis Setzer. Once the qualifying session completed, Newman commented, "This has been a track that's been really good for me for firsts and I'm looking for that first win again. It's extremely important here to start up front, it's a big track-position race, it's a relatively short race if you look at the mileage and the way the fuel stops work out. We've got a good start, we just need to have a good finish for the team. I want to get that victory on Sunday, that’s what I’m thinking about."

In the second practice session, Stewart was fastest with a time of 29.487 seconds, less than five-thousandths of a second quicker than second-placed Bowyer. Keselowski took third place, ahead of Gordon, Martin Truex Jr. and Hamlin. Burton was only quick enough for the seventh position. In the third and final practice, Johnson was quickest with a time of 29.391 seconds. Montoya followed in second, ahead of Newman and Burton. Keselowski was fifth quickest, with a time of 29.490 seconds. Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, Truex, Hamlin, and Kurt Busch rounded out the first ten positions.

### Race

The race, the 19th in the season, began at 1:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on TNT. The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, the air temperature at 71 °F (22 °C); clear skies were expected.

## Results

### Qualifying

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed | Grid |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.165 | 135.232 | 1 |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.200 | 135.064 | 2 |
| 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.263 | 134.763 | 3 |
| 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.352 | 134.340 | 4 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.392 | 134.150 | 5 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.398 | 134.122 | 6 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.408 | 134.075 | 7 |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.469 | 133.788 | 8 |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.471 | 133.778 | 9 |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 28.476 | 133.755 | 10 |
| 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 28.484 | 133.717 | 11 |
| 33 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.510 | 133.595 | 12 |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.541 | 133.450 | 13 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.545 | 133.431 | 14 |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.550 | 133.408 | 15 |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.560 | 133.361 | 16 |
| 43 | A. J. Allmendinger | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.613 | 133.114 | 17 |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.617 | 133.096 | 18 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.632 | 133.026 | 19 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.639 | 132.993 | 20 |
| 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 28.651 | 132.938 | 21 |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.658 | 132.905 | 22 |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 28.671 | 132.845 | 23 |
| 5 | Mark Martin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.697 | 132.725 | 24 |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.702 | 132.702 | 25 |
| 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.710 | 132.665 | 26 |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.739 | 132.531 | 27 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.767 | 132.402 | 28 |
| 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.804 | 132.232 | 29 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.826 | 132.131 | 30 |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Toyota | 28.827 | 132.126 | 31 |
| 51 | Landon Cassill | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 28.879 | 131.888 | 32 |
| 66 | Michael McDowell | HP Racing | Toyota | 28.985 | 131.406 | 33 |
| 34 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.986 | 131.401 | 34 |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 29.007 | 131.306 | 35 |
| 55 | Jeff Green | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.036 | 131.175 | 36 |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.080 | 130.977 | 37 |
| 38 | J. J. Yeley | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.086 | 130.950 | 38 |
| 60 | Mike Skinner | Germain Racing | Toyota | 29.128 | 130.761 | 39 |
| 46 | Eric Darnell | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.257 | 130.184 | 40 |
| 32 | Mike Bliss | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 29.303 | 129.980 | 41 |
| 7 | Scott Wimmer | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 29.694 | 128.268 | 42 |
| 71 | Andy Lally | TRG Motorsports | Ford | 29.318 | 129.913 | 43 |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||
| 37 | Tony Raines | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.368 | 129.692 | |
| 81 | Scott Riggs | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.499 | 129.116 | |
| 92 | Dennis Setzer | K-Automotive Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.521 | 129.020 | |
| Source: |||||||

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps Run | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 48 |
| 2 | 2 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 43 |
| 3 | 14 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 301 | 41 |
| 4 | 16 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 301 | 41 |
| 5 | 28 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 301 | 40 |
| 6 | 10 | 4 | Kasey Kahne | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 301 | 39 |
| 7 | 23 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 301 | 37 |
| 8 | 13 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 301 | 36 |
| 9 | 22 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 301 | 36 |
| 10 | 4 | 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | 301 | 35 |
| 11 | 7 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 301 | 34 |
| 12 | 17 | 43 | A. J. Allmendinger | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 301 | 32 |
| 13 | 15 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 301 | 32 |
| 14 | 26 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 301 | 30 |
| 15 | 27 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 301 | 29 |
| 16 | 6 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 28 |
| 17 | 12 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 28 |
| 18 | 20 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 301 | 27 |
| 19 | 3 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 301 | 25 |
| 20 | 30 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 301 | 24 |
| 21 | 18 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 23 |
| 22 | 24 | 5 | Mark Martin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 301 | 23 |
| 23 | 38 | 38 | J. J. Yeley | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 301 | 21 |
| 24 | 9 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 301 | 20 |
| 25 | 34 | 34 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 301 | 19 |
| 26 | 32 | 51 | Landon Cassill | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 0 |
| 27 | 42 | 7 | Scott Wimmer | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 300 | 0 |
| 28 | 43 | 71 | Andy Lally | TRG Motorsports | Ford | 300 | 17 |
| 29 | 37 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 15 |
| 30 | 8 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 14 |
| 31 | 25 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 300 | 14 |
| 32 | 41 | 32 | Mike Bliss | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 299 | 0 |
| 33 | 11 | 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 298 | 11 |
| 34 | 21 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 283 | 10 |
| 35 | 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 257 | 9 |
| 36 | 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 224 | 8 |
| 37 | 29 | 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Chevrolet | 159 | 0 |
| 38 | 31 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Toyota | 83 | 6 |
| 39 | 40 | 46 | Erik Darnell | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 72 | 0 |
| 40 | 33 | 66 | Michael McDowell | HP Racing | Toyota | 46 | 4 |
| 41 | 35 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 37 | 0 |
| 42 | 39 | 60 | Mike Skinner | Germain Racing | Toyota | 17 | 0 |
| 43 | 36 | 55 | Jeff Green | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 11 | 0 |
| Source: ||||||||

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 652 |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 645 |
| 3 | Kurt Busch | 641 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | 637 |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 632 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 127 |
| 2 | Ford | 110 |
| 3 | Toyota | 105 |
| 4 | Dodge | 76 |
