2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 63rd season of professional stock car racing in the United States and the 40th modern-era Cup series season. The season included 36 races and two exhibition races, beginning with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The final ten races were known as 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Tony Stewart, the 2011 Sprint Cup Series champion.
Carl Edwards finished second in the championship, losing the tie breaker to champion Tony Stewart.
Kevin Harvick finished third in the championship, 58 points back.
Andy Lally's car at Pocono Raceway, he won the Rookie of the Year.
The 2011 Daytona 500, the 53rd running of the event, was held on February 20, 2011 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida as the first race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. Trevor Bayne, driving for Wood Brothers Racing, won the race becoming the youngest Daytona 500 winner. Carl Edwards finished second, while David Gilliland, Bobby Labonte, and Kurt Busch rounded out the Top 5. Bayne had taken the lead shortly before the final restart and maintained it to win his first Cup Series race and Wood Brothers' fifth Daytona 500.
2011 Daytona 500
The tri-oval after the 2010-2011 repaving
Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole position.
Spectators at the race honoring the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt's death.
