2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Stewart Wins the Closest Title Fight

The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is widely remembered for the closest points battle in the sport's history. Stewart edged Carl Edwards on a tiebreaker in the final race, and five drivers won a Cup race for the first time that year.

The season is often considered one of the greatest and most exciting in Cup history, and the title was not settled until the last race.

What was the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?

The 2011 season was the 63rd of professional stock car racing in the United States. It ran 36 races plus two exhibition races, from the Daytona 500 to the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and its final ten races formed the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

There were 41 full-time teams that year, and eighteen different drivers won races, the most since 2002. The season was also the final one in which Cup cars ran carburettors, a design that dated back to 1949.

The fuel was switched to an ethanol blend called Sunoco Green E15, and the cars received a single molded front end in place of the old splitter braces. The changes were modest, but they were part of a busy year for the series.

A tiebreaker decided the closest title fight in the sport's history, and five drivers won their first Cup race along the way.

Who won the 2011 championships?

Tony Stewart won the Drivers' Championship on a tiebreaker over Carl Edwards, after the two finished tied on points. Stewart had five wins to Edwards' one, and Stewart-Haas Racing won the Owners' Championship. Chevrolet won its ninth consecutive Manufacturers' Championship with 248 points.

Stewart barely made the Chase and had no wins when the postseason began. He then won five of the final ten races and was the first owner-driver champion since Alan Kulwicki, back in 1992.

Edwards led the points for most of the year, but he had won only once, early in the season at Las Vegas. That gap made the final tiebreaker decisive.

Who were the first-time winners?

Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 in only his second career Cup race, the first of five first-time winners in 2011. Regan Smith, David Ragan, Paul Menard and Marcos Ambrose completed the group, with Ragan's win coming in the July race at Daytona.

Bayne was 20 years and 1 day old when he won the Daytona 500, the youngest winner the race had ever had. He had also been running half the season for Wood Brothers Racing.

Regan Smith won at Darlington for Furniture Row Racing, and David Ragan won at Daytona in July. Paul Menard won at Indianapolis, and Marcos Ambrose won at Watkins Glen, becoming the first Australian to win a Cup race.

What changed in the calendar and rules?

Kansas gained a race, the STP 400, on June 5, 2011, and Kentucky hosted its first Cup race on July 9. The Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta was discontinued, and the Chase races were moved so they did not clash with NFL games.

The Chase races also got later start times, so they would not clash with the opening of NFL games. Charlotte stayed on Saturday night, and Martinsville kept its earlier start because the track had no lights.

The points system gave the winner 43 points, with each position one point less than the one ahead. Bonus points were awarded for leading a lap, leading the most laps and winning the race.

Chase drivers had their base points reset at 2,000 instead of the earlier 5,000. Drivers could also compete for the championship in only one of the three national series, which mattered for drivers who raced in both the Cup and Nationwide series.

How did the preseason testing go?

Testing began on January 20, 2011 at Daytona, with a three-day programme to test the new nose and the new surface. NASCAR reduced the size of the restrictor plate opening, and John Darby said he did not expect to change it again.

Clint Bowyer was quickest in the first session, while David Reutimann had the highest speed in the second. Denny Hamlin was quickest in the afternoon fourth session, and Joey Logano led the fifth session.

Brad Keselowski was quickest in the final session. The third session on January 21 was canceled because of wet weather, and several drivers left after the fourth session.

How did the opening races unfold?

Trevor Bayne won the Daytona 500 after a restart penalty for David Ragan, and he became the youngest winner of the race. Jeff Gordon ended a 66-race winless streak at Phoenix after leading 138 laps. Kevin Harvick took his first win of the year at Auto Club Speedway.

The Budweiser Shootout was decided by a dispute. Hamlin crossed the line first, but he had passed below the yellow out-of-bounds line, so Kurt Busch was declared the winner.

At Bristol, Kyle Busch took his fifth consecutive victory there after winning the Nationwide race on the Saturday. At Texas, Matt Kenseth led 169 laps for his first win in 76 races.

At Auto Club Speedway, Kevin Harvick won for his first victory of 2011. Carl Edwards won the Kobalt Tools 400 at Atlanta after Tony Stewart, who had led the most laps, was penalised on pit road.

Which races were won at Martinsville and Talladega?

Harvick passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. with four laps to go at Martinsville. Jimmie Johnson edged Clint Bowyer at Talladega by .002 seconds, which tied the closest finish in series history. Kyle Busch dominated Richmond with 293 of 400 laps led, and Regan Smith took Darlington.

Kyle Busch dominated the spring race at Richmond, leading 293 of 400 laps for his second win of the season. Regan Smith held off points leader Carl Edwards at Darlington, and Matt Kenseth outran former teammate Mark Martin at Dover after a late two-tyre stop.

What happened at the Coca-Cola 600 and the summer races?

Kevin Harvick won the Coca-Cola 600 after Dale Earnhardt Jr. gambled on fuel and ran out on the backstretch. The race ran 402 laps, the longest in NASCAR history. It was a near miss for Earnhardt, who was still searching for a win that season.

Brad Keselowski won at Kansas for his second Cup victory, holding off Earnhardt on the final stretch. Kurt Busch dominated at Infineon Raceway and easily held off Jeff Gordon for his first road course win of the season.

At Pocono, Jeff Gordon beat Kurt Busch out of the pits to take his 84th Sprint Cup victory. That win tied Bobby Allison and Darrell Waltrip for third on the all-time list.

Kyle Busch won at Kentucky for his third win of the season. Ryan Newman won at Loudon for his first win of the year, and Paul Menard won the Brickyard for his first career Sprint Cup victory.

How did the late summer races go?

Brad Keselowski won at Pocono and at Bristol, while Kyle Busch took Michigan for his fourth win of 2011. Keselowski's Bristol win was his third of the year. Kevin Harvick took the final regular-season race, and Hamlin and Keselowski grabbed the closing wild-card spots.

A race at Atlanta was pushed to Tuesday, September 6, after Tropical Storm Lee dumped rain on the area. Jeff Gordon held off Jimmie Johnson there, a win that came after the race had been pushed back.

The final regular-season race was hotly contested, with several drivers needing a win to make the Chase. Kevin Harvick held off the field for his fourth win of 2011, while Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski took the last wild-card spots.

For the first time, Chicagoland Speedway hosted the Chase opener. The race was delayed until Monday by rain, and Tony Stewart held off Harvick on fuel to take his first win of 2011.

How did the Chase run at Dover, Kansas and New Hampshire?

Kurt Busch won at Dover for his second win of 2011, taking advantage of a restart to hold off Jimmie Johnson. Johnson then dominated at Kansas, and he held off Kasey Kahne on a green-white-checkered finish for his second win of the season.

At New Hampshire, the race came down to fuel mileage again. Tony Stewart passed Clint Bowyer with two laps to go and held on for his second straight win of the year.

How did the second half of the Chase unfold?

Matt Kenseth won at Charlotte for his third win of 2011, and Clint Bowyer won the fall race at Talladega for his second straight fall win there. Tony Stewart then took Martinsville and Texas on his way to the title.

At Talladega, the two-car draft dominated the race, and the Richard Childress Racing duo of Jeff Burton and Bowyer pulled away on a late restart. Bowyer passed Burton on the final lap and won by a fender.

At Martinsville, Stewart passed Jimmie Johnson on the final restart to take his third win of 2011 and keep his Chase hopes alive. At Texas, he passed Jeff Burton with five laps to go and held off points leader Carl Edwards for his fourth win of the year.

Carl Edwards was still the points leader heading into Texas, so Stewart's win there kept the title fight alive and cut the gap.

How did Phoenix and the finale decide the title?

Kasey Kahne held off Carl Edwards at Phoenix to snap an 81-race winless streak, while Stewart dominated the race. At the season finale, Stewart beat Edwards on the tiebreaker to take the title. Stewart had five wins to Edwards' one, which settled the tie.

Stewart and Edwards were tied in points after the finale. Stewart won the first tiebreaker, race wins, because he had five to Edwards' one from early in the season at Las Vegas.

Stewart's five wins all came during the Chase, and that was the title he needed to finish the job. The season was remembered for how close it was.

What were the headline results of 2011?