2011 Goody's Fast Relief 500

Report

Background

Martinsville Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races. The standard track at Martinsville Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.526 mi long. The track's turns are banked at eleven degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at zero degrees. The back stretch also has a zero degree banking. The racetrack had seats for 63,000 spectators.

Before the race, Carl Edwards led the Drivers' Championship with 187 points, and Ryan Newman stood in second with 178. Kurt Busch followed in third with 177 points, one ahead of Kyle Busch and four ahead of Jimmie Johnson in fourth and fifth. Tony Stewart with 170 was six points ahead of Paul Menard, as Juan Pablo Montoya with 161 points, was four ahead of Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth in ninth and tenth. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Toyota, Chevrolet and Ford were in the first three positions with 31 points, 14 ahead of Dodge in fourth. Denny Hamlin was the race's defending champion after winning it in 2010.

Practice and qualifying

Two practice sessions were held in preparation for the race; both on Friday. The first session lasted 80 minutes long, while the second was 90 minutes long. Kyle Busch was quickest with a time of 19.804 seconds in the first session, 0.001 seconds faster than Joey Logano. Harvick was just off Logano's pace, followed by Brad Keselowski, Jamie McMurray, and Jeff Burton. Menard was seventh, still within a second of Busch's time.

In the second and final practice, David Ragan was quickest with a time of 19.670 seconds. Jeff Gordon followed in second, ahead of Keselowski and David Reutimann. Kasey Kahne was fifth quickest, with a time of 19.764 seconds. Ryan Newman, Bobby Labonte, Marcos Ambrose, Brian Vickers, and A. J. Allmendinger rounded out the first ten positions. Kyle Busch, who was first in the first session, could only manage 23rd. The second session also had cautions because of spins. The drivers involved were Logano and Dennis Setzer.

Forty-four cars are entered for qualifying, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. McMurray clinched his first pole position of the season, with a time of 19.621 seconds. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Newman.

Results

Qualifying

Race

Standings after the race

;Drivers' Championship standings

;Manufacturers' Championship standings

• Note: Only the top five positions are included for the Drivers' Championship.

References

References

1. "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". [[ESPN.com.
2. (March 30, 2011). "The Goody's Fast Relief 500". NBC Sports Digital.
3. "2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". ESPN Internet Ventures.
4. "NASCAR Race Tracks". [[Turner Sports.
5. "About the Track — Martinsville Speedway". Martinsville Speedway.
6. "Driver's Championship Classification". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
7. "2011 Manufactures' Championship". ESPN Internet Ventures.
8. "2010 Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500".
9. "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". ESPN Internet Ventures.
10. "Practice Speeds: Goody's Fast Relief 500 (Practice 1)". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
11. (April 1, 2011). "Spinning out in Martinsville – April 01, 2011 – NASCAR.COM Video". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
12. "Practice Speeds: Goody's Fast Relief 500 (Practice 2)". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
13. "Qualifying Order: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
14. "Race Lineup: Goody's Fast Relief 500". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
15. (April 2, 2011). "McMurray earns his first pole of '11 at Martinsville". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
16. "Qualifying/Grid page for the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway". ESPN Internet Ventures.
17. "2011 Official Race Results : Goody's Fast Relief 50". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..
18. "2011 Official Driver Standings: Goody's Fast Relief 500". Turner Sports Interactive, Inc..