2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350
# 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350

The 2011 Toyota/Save Mart 350 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 26, 2011, at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Contested over 110 laps, it was the sixteenth race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season and the first of two road course competitions on the schedule. The race was won by Kurt Busch for the Penske Racing team. Jeff Gordon finished second, and Carl Edwards clinched third.

There were five cautions and 13 lead changes among 9 different drivers throughout the course of the race, Kurt Busch's first win of the season. The result moved Kurt Busch to the fourth position in the Drivers' Championship. He remained 34 points behind first place driver Edwards and three ahead of Kyle Busch in seventh. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 108 points, 15 points ahead Ford and 24 ahead of Toyota. Dodge was fourth on 67 points with 20 races remaining in the season.

## Report

### Background

Prior to the race, Carl Edwards led the Drivers' Championship with 532 points, and Kevin Harvick stood in second with 512 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third in the Drivers' Championship with 505 points in a Chevrolet, Kyle Busch was fourth with 503 points, and Jimmie Johnson was in fifth also with 503 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 102 points, 13 points ahead of Ford. Toyota, with 81 points, was 23 ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.

Infineon Raceway is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Watkins Glen International. The standard road course at Infineon Raceway is a 12-turn course that is 2.52 miles (4.06 km) long; the track was modified in 1998, adding the Chute, which bypassed turns 5 and 6, shortening the course to 1.95 miles (3.14 km). The Chute was only used for NASCAR events such as this race, and was criticized by many drivers, who preferred the full layout. In 2001, it was replaced with a 70-degree turn, 4A, bringing the track to its current dimensions of 1.99 miles (3.20 km).

Entry list :

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | McDonald's |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | Red Bull |
| 5 | Mark Martin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance, GoDaddy |
| 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | UPS "We Love Logistics" |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | Speed Energy, GNC |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Stanley Tools, DeWalt |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Freight |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Toyota | GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Office Depot, Mobil 1 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3M |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Crown Royal |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | M&M's Pretzel |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | The Home Depot |
| 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | Shell, Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Menards, Duracell |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | RheemTankless.com |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 32 | Terry Labonte | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | C&J Energy Services |
| 33 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cheerios, Hamburger Helper |
| 34 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Taco Bell |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Big Red |
| 37 | Chris Cook | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Rise of the Planet of the Apes |
| 38 | Tony Ave | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Haas Automation |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Cottonelle |
| 43 | A. J. Allmendinger | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Best Buy |
| 46 | Andy Pilgrim | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | Red Line Oil |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Clorox, Kleenex |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's, Jimmie Johnson Foundation |
| 51 | Boris Said | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Security Benefit, Thank A Teacher Today |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 60 | Mike Skinner | Germain Racing | Toyota | Big Red |
| 66 | David Mayhew* | HP Racing | Toyota | Motor Racing Outreach |
| 71 | Andy Lally | TRG Motorsports | Ford | Interstate Moving Services |
| 77 | P. J. Jones | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | Speed Energy, GNC |
| 81 | Brian Simo | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | ARMA Energy |
| 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | Red Bull |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | Hostetler Almonds |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Amp Energy, National Guard |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Scotts Ortho |

*Driver changed to Michael McDowell.

### Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday, and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes. The Saturday afternoon session lasted 45 minutes, and the evening session lasted 75 minutes. In the first practice session, Kurt Busch was the quickest, leading Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, and Martin Truex Jr., who were in second, third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. During qualifying, forty-four cars were entered, but only forty-three were able to race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Joey Logano clinched his second career pole position, with a time of 1:16.82. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Jamie McMurray. Paul Menard qualified third, Hamlin took fourth, and Ryan Newman started fifth. The driver that failed to qualify was Tony Ave.

In the second practice session, McMurray was the fastest with a fastest lap time of 1:17.62, less than two-tenths of a second quicker than second-placed Kurt Busch. Clint Bowyer took third place, ahead of fourth-placed Kyle Busch and A. J. Allmendinger. The Saturday evening session was held around the same time of day the race would start. Brad Keselowski was the quickest, posting a time of 1:18.10, narrowly faster than both McMurray in second and Kurt Busch in third. Juan Pablo Montoya and Bowyer, rounded out the top five positions.

## Results

### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Speed | Time |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 93.256 | 1:16.82 |
| 2 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 93.223 | 1:16.85 |
| 3 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 93.176 | 1:16.89 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 93.081 | 1:16.96 |
| 5 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 93.062 | 1:16.98 |
| 6 | 4 | Kasey Kahne | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 92.936 | 1:17.09 |
| 7 | 43 | A. J. Allmendinger | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 92.935 | 1:17.09 |
| 8 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 92.918 | 1:17.10 |
| 9 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 92.830 | 1:17.17 |
| 10 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 92.720 | 1:17.27 |
| 11 | 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | 92.616 | 1:17.35 |
| 12 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92.561 | 1:17.40 |
| 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92.553 | 1:17.40 |
| 14 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 92.545 | 1:17.41 |
| 15 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 92.447 | 1:17.49 |
| 16 | 5 | Mark Martin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92.439 | 1:17.50 |
| 17 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 92.411 | 1:17.52 |
| 18 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92.372 | 1:17.56 |
| 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 92.348 | 1:17.58 |
| 20 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 92.184 | 1:17.71 |
| 21 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 92.157 | 1:17.74 |
| 22 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 92.096 | 1:17.79 |
| 23 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 92.076 | 1:17.81 |
| 24 | 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 92.022 | 1:17.85 |
| 25 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 91.987 | 1:17.88 |
| 26 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 91.818 | 1:18.02 |
| 27 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Toyota | 91.764 | 1:18.07 |
| 28 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 91.751 | 1:18.08 |
| 29 | 34 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 91.689 | 1:18.13 |
| 30 | 51 | Boris Said | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 91.603 | 1:18.21 |
| 31 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 91.406 | 1:18.38 |
| 32 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 91.388 | 1:18.39 |
| 33 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 91.315 | 1:18.45 |
| 34 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 91.255 | 1:18.51 |
| 35 | 77 | P. J. Jones | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 91.223 | 1:18.53 |
| 36 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 91.214 | 1:18.54 |
| 37 | 60 | Mike Skinner | Germain Racing | Toyota | 90.781 | 1:18.92 |
| 38 | 66 | David Mayhew | HP Racing | Toyota | 90.561 | 1:19.11 |
| 39 | 32 | Terry Labonte | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 90.504 | 1:19.16 |
| 40 | 81 | Brian Simo | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 90.346 | 1:19.30 |
| 41 | 71 | Andy Lally | TRG Motorsports | Ford | 90.303 | 1:19.33 |
| 42 | 37 | Chris Cook | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 90.285 | 1:19.35 |
| 43 | 46 | Andy Pilgrim | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89.885 | 1:19.70 |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||
| 44 | 38 | Tony Ave | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 89.717 | 1:19.85 |
| Source: |||||||

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | Dodge | 110 | 48 |
| 2 | 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 42 |
| 3 | 23 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 110 | 41 |
| 4 | 9 | 33 | Clint Bowyer | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 41 |
| 5 | 8 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 110 | 39 |
| 6 | 1 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 110 | 39 |
| 7 | 12 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 37 |
| 8 | 14 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 110 | 36 |
| 9 | 26 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 36 |
| 10 | 15 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 110 | 34 |
| 11 | 19 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 110 | 33 |
| 12 | 29 | 34 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 110 | 33 |
| 13 | 7 | 43 | A. J. Allmendinger | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 110 | 31 |
| 14 | 33 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 110 | 30 |
| 15 | 2 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 29 |
| 16 | 24 | 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 29 |
| 17 | 3 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 27 |
| 18 | 28 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 110 | 26 |
| 19 | 16 | 5 | Mark Martin | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 25 |
| 20 | 6 | 4 | Kasey Kahne | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 110 | 24 |
| 21 | 25 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 23 |
| 22 | 17 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 23 |
| 23 | 22 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 110 | 21 |
| 24 | 32 | 00 | David Reutimann | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 110 | 20 |
| 25 | 5 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 19 |
| 26 | 43 | 46 | Andy Pilgrim | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 18 |
| 27 | 42 | 37 | Chris Cook | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 110 | 17 |
| 28 | 30 | 51 | Boris Said | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 16 |
| 29 | 34 | 6 | David Ragan | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 110 | 15 |
| 30 | 38 | 66 | Michael McDowell | HP Racing | Toyota | 110 | 14 |
| 31 | 36 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 13 |
| 32 | 39 | 32 | Terry Labonte | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 110 | 12 |
| 33 | 40 | 81 | Brian Simo | Whitney Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 11 |
| 34 | 27 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Toyota | 108 | 10 |
| 35 | 41 | 71 | Andy Lally | TRG Motorsports | Ford | 104 | 9 |
| 36 | 10 | 83 | Brian Vickers | Red Bull Racing Team | Toyota | 103 | 8 |
| 37 | 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 99 | 8 |
| 38 | 21 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 91 | 6 |
| 39 | 20 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 88 | 6 |
| 40 | 31 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 66 | 0 |
| 41 | 18 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 45 | 3 |
| 42 | 37 | 60 | Mike Skinner | Germain Racing | Toyota | 10 | 0 |
| 43 | 35 | 77 | P. J. Jones | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 5 | 1 |
| Source: ||||||||

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - |
| 1 | Carl Edwards | 573 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 548 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 540 |
| 4 | Kurt Busch | 539 |
| 5 | Kyle Busch | 536 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 108 |
| 2 | Ford | 93 |
| 3 | Toyota | 84 |
| 4 | Dodge | 67 |
