2011 Gatorade Duels
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2.5 mi (4 km)
60 laps, 150 mi (240 km)
Race 2:
62 laps, 155 mi (249.4 km)
| Race details[1][2][3] | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 17, 2011 |
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Distance | Race 1: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) Race 2: 62 laps, 155 mi (249.4 km) |
| Avg Speed | Race 1: 159.794 miles per hour (257.164 km/h) Race 2: 136.571 miles per hour (219.790 km/h) |
| Weather | Temperatures up to 78 °F (26 °C); wind speeds up to 11.39 miles per hour (18.33 km/h)[4] |
| Race 1 | |
| Pole position | Dale Earnhardt Jr. – Hendrick Motorsports |
| Most laps led | Kevin Harvick – Richard Childress Racing – (20) |
| Winner | Kurt Busch – Penske Racing |
| Race 2 | |
| Pole position | Jeff Gordon – Hendrick Motorsports |
| Most laps led | Jeff Burton – Richard Childress Racing – (17) |
| Winner | Jeff Burton – Richard Childress Racing |
| Television | |
| Network | Speed |
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds |
| Nielsen ratings |
|
The 2011 Gatorade Duels were a pair of stock car races held on February 17, 2011, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 62 and 60-lap races, held before a crowd of 80,000 people, were the qualifying events for the 2011 Daytona 500, the premier event of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The first race was won by Kurt Busch for the Penske Racing team. Regan Smith finished second, and Kevin Harvick came in third. Afterward, the second race was won by Jeff Burton. Clint Bowyer followed in the second position, ahead of third-placed Michael Waltrip.
During the first race, Ryan Newman was the leader at the start. However, by the end of the lap Paul Menard became the leader. Afterward, the first caution was given after Newman spun sideways. On the 11th lap, Harvick moved to the first position. Twenty laps later, Busch became the leader. With four laps remaining, Michael McDowell's engine failed, prompting the second caution to be given. At the restart, Matt Kenseth was the leader, but he was passed by Busch one lap later. Busch remained in the first position to win the first Gatorade Duel. There were two cautions and 20 lead changes among nine drivers during the first race.
During the second race, Jeff Gordon was the leader at the start, but after one lap he was passed by Bowyer. On the third lap, Casey Mears' engine failed, prompting the first caution of the race to be given. After the restart, Kyle Busch became the leader. On lap 13, Edwards passed Busch to move into the first position. On the 15th lap, the second caution of the race was given, after Joey Logano collided into the wall. At the restart, Edwards remained the leader, ahead of Kyle Busch. At the end of the race, Burton had assistance from Bowyer to win the race. There were a record-breaking 22 lead changes among seven drivers and five caution periods in the second event.
Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races.[6] Its standard track is a four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway.[7] Daytona's turns are banked at 31 degrees and the front stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at 18 degrees.[7] The defending winners of the races were Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne.[8][9]
In the early years, qualifying for the Daytona 500 had varying formats: from one timed lap, to the average of two laps, to the better of two laps. The idea of having two individual races to establish the starting lineup of the Daytona 500 dates back to the first race in 1959. The first of the 100-mile (160 km) qualifying races consisted of Convertible division cars and the second of Grand National cars.[10] Between 1960 and 1967, the races were 100 miles (160 km) and were increased to 125 miles (201 km) in 1969.[11] Prior to 1971, the races yielded points to the Drivers' Championship.[12] Large well-established teams approach the races as practice sessions for the Daytona 500 while a successful qualification into the Daytona 500 for smaller less-established teams would allow them to enter future NASCAR events during the season. An unsuccessful qualification meant the team would risk closing down until sponsorship was found.[13] Corporate sponsors purchased naming rights to qualifying races; between 1981 and 1984, Uno cards was the title sponsor for the "Uno Twin 125's" qualifying events. In 1985 they became known as "7-Eleven Twin 125's";[11] no sponsors funded the 1988, 1989 and 1990 qualifying events and the races were called "Daytona Twin Qualifiers".[12] Gatorade became the sponsor of the dual qualifying events in 1991 and the races were increased to 150 miles (240 km) as it became known as the "Gatorade Duels" in 2005. The races were rebranded as the "Budweiser Duels" in 2013 and became known as the "Can-Am Duels" in 2016.[11]
The top 35 drivers were assigned to Gatorade Duel races based upon their qualifying positions in the previous year's Daytona 500. Drivers who qualified in odd-number positions competed in the first Duel along with the winner of the 2011 Daytona 500 pole. Competitors who qualified in even-numbered places took part in the second Duel. The drivers' finishing positions in both Duels determined their starting positions in the Daytona 500. Positions 40 to 42 were filled with the quickest drivers who did not qualify in the top 35. 43rd place was occupied by an eligible past champion. In the event a past champion was not available, the 43rd position would be filled by the next-fastest driver. Two drivers outside the top 35 qualifying positions were eligible for two transfer spots in each Duel which allowed them to qualify for the Daytona 500.[14]
Practice and qualifying
Two practice sessions were held prior to the races on February 16, 2011.[1] The first practice session ran for 90 minutes, while the second lasted 55 minutes after rain delays.[15] In the first practice session, which was delayed because of rain,[15] Kyle Busch was quickest with a time of 44.943 seconds. He was followed by Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, and Juan Pablo Montoya in the next four positions.[16] Also in the session, Earnhardt, along with Martin Truex Jr., collided together, and into the wall. Both sustained major damages to their car, which prompted them to move to back-up cars, meaning Earnhardt had to forfeit the pole position for the race and in the Daytona 500.[1] During the second practice, Kahne was quickest with a time of 44.985 seconds, only one-thousandth of a second faster than Joey Logano. Jeff Gordon followed in the third position, ahead of David Ragan and Kyle Busch.[17]
The qualifying grids were chosen by how they qualified in Daytona 500 pole position qualifying, giving the pole position to Earnhardt in the first race. He was joined on the grid's front row by Paul Menard, with Ryan Newman in third. Mark Martin and Tony Stewart started in fourth and fifth positions.[18] Gordon started from first place in the second event and was joined by Trevor Bayne in second place with Clint Bowyer third. Jeff Burton started fourth, and was followed by Biffle in fifth.[19]
