2011 Budweiser Shootout
The 2011 Budweiser Shootout was a stock car race and the first exhibition event of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on February 12, 2011 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 75-lap race was won by Kurt Busch for the Penske Racing team. Jamie McMurray finished second and Ryan Newman came in third.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 2 exhibition races in the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
| Date | February 12, 2011 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 75 laps, 187.5 mi (301.8 km) | ||
| Average speed | 153.584 miles per hour (247.169 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 32 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 22 | Kurt Busch | Penske Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Broadcasting Network | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
Pole position driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. maintained his lead through the first corner, but Clint Bowyer, who started seventh on the grid, led the first lap. On the 25th lap, the first caution was given, as Jeff Burton became the leader. During the caution all the teams made a pit stop. Two laps later, an accident involving several racecars prompted the second caution to be given. On lap 63, Newman became the leader. He maintained the lead until the final lap, when Denny Hamlin passed him below the yellow line (out of bounds line), as Busch passed him on the other side. Hamlin passed Newman below the yellow line giving the win to Kurt Busch.
There were four cautions and 28 lead changes among ten different drivers throughout the course of the race. It was Busch's first win in the 2011 season, as well as his first win at a track that uses restrictor plates, such as Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway. A total of 80,000 people attended the race, while 7.8 million watched it on television.