2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500: Jeff Gordon Ends a Long Wait for a Win at Phoenix

The 2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500 ran for 312 laps at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, on February 27, 2011, as part of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar. Jeff Gordon won it for Hendrick Motorsports, with Kyle Busch second and Jimmie Johnson third. The victory was Gordon's first in more than 60 races, and it came after a 13-driver crash in the middle of the race.

What happened in the 2011 Subway Fresh Fit 500?

Gordon took the lead from Kyle Busch with nine laps to run and held on for the win. The race produced 29 lead changes among 12 drivers and eight cautions. It was round two of the 2011 season, and the result lifted Gordon up the standings.

From pole, Carl Edwards was the first leader, but Kurt Busch, who started second, was in front by the end of that lap. Kyle Busch then passed his brother for the lead, and the race was caution free until the debris caution on lap 29.

A 13-driver crash, eight cautions and a late pass that ended more than 60 races without a win for Jeff Gordon.

What was the racing surface like at Phoenix?

Phoenix is a four-turn short track one mile (1.6 km) long, and its turns are banked from 9 to 11 degrees. The front stretch, where the finish line sits, is banked at 3 degrees. The track seats 76,800 spectators and is one of five short tracks on the NASCAR schedule.

Ryan Newman was the defending winner. Before the 2011 race Carl Edwards led the drivers' championship with 42 points, while David Gilliland and Bobby Labonte were level on 41 points.

How did practice and qualifying go?

Practice produced early hints, with Kurt Busch quickest in the first session and Kyle Busch fastest in the second. Carl Edwards then took the pole at 26.224 seconds, a new track record and his eighth career pole. Kurt Busch qualified second, and Kasey Kahne was third.

The first practice session lasted 80 minutes, and Kurt Busch set the pace at 26.366 seconds with Jeff Burton close behind. In the second session Kyle Busch was fastest at 26.454 seconds, a margin of one-hundredth of a second over David Ragan. Trevor Bayne hit the wall in practice and had to switch to a back-up car.

Forty-four cars entered qualifying, and only forty-three could race under NASCAR's procedure. Brian Keselowski did not make the field, with a time of 27.431 seconds.

What happened before the start?

The start time was 3:00 p.m. EST, and Fox carried the broadcast live. The air temperature was 54 degrees Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius) with dry conditions on the grid. Chaplain Ken Bowers gave the invocation, Emmy Rossum performed the national anthem, and Apolo Anton Ohno, an Olympian, called for the engines to be started.

A competition caution had been scheduled for a later lap before the race began, so the race had a planned stoppage built into it.

How did the race unfold in the early laps?

Kurt Busch led at the end of the first lap, but Kyle Busch passed Edwards and then his brother to take the lead. Kurt Busch had slipped to third by the time the field reached lap eight, behind Edwards and Kyle Busch. The early order was fluid, and several drivers moved up and down the top ten.

The debris caution on lap 29 brought the leaders down pit road. Robby Gordon then spun sideways, which brought out a second caution and replaced the scheduled competition caution. Carl Edwards was back in front at the lap 38 restart, ahead of Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch.

Trevor Bayne hit the wall and brought out a third caution, and most drivers pitted during it. Bayne's car sustained major damage in the impact.

What caused the big crash in the middle of the race?

A crash involving 13 drivers came in the middle of the race, bringing a caution and then a red flag so that officials could clear the debris. Denny Hamlin led the restart on lap 72, ahead of Newman and Menard.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had to restart at the back after a penalty for speeding on pit row. Gordon moved past Newman for the lead in the middle stint, and the leaders kept changing through the middle of the race. Gordon reclaimed first place on lap 125, and two laps later Ragan hit the wall to bring out the sixth caution.

At the lap 133 restart Stewart led, with Gordon, Johnson, Kurt Busch and Harvick behind him. Gordon passed Stewart for the lead six laps later, and Vickers returned to the race in the same period. Hamlin had fallen to eleventh by lap 160, and Allmendinger was tenth.

How did the lead change hands at the end?

Johnson moved into second and then took the lead eight laps later, and Logano's engine failure on lap 218 triggered the seventh caution. The closing laps were a fight between the leaders as the pit stops came and went.

Johnson had restarted ninth on lap 225 after an 18-second pit stop, but he climbed back to fifth by lap 236. Andy Lally then collided with the wall and caused the eighth caution on lap 284. At the restart Stewart led ahead of Kyle Busch, Gordon and Johnson.

Gordon passed Kyle Busch for the lead with nine laps to go and held on to win by 1.137 seconds.

Why did Gordon's win matter?

The win was Gordon's first of the 2011 season and his first in more than 60 races. It was also his second Sprint Cup victory at Phoenix. Gordon said the reaction from the fans in victory lane made the wait worthwhile, and that he had never experienced anything quite like it.

Kyle Busch finished second and said Gordon had been on a mission that day, adding that he had always admired him. Edwards was frustrated with his own accident and said he had been left with nothing after the contact. Hendrick said that a champion can still win even when people overlook him, and that Gordon had been close for a while without quite finding that edge. He also expected the win to bring momentum to the team. Gordon described the push truck carrying him along the frontstretch as a moment he would remember.

What did the race mean for the standings?

After the race Kyle Busch led the drivers' championship with 80 points, and Kurt Busch was second with 77 after finishing eighth. Gordon moved into sixth, 15 points behind Kyle Busch, and Bobby Labonte was seventh, one point behind him.

Ford still led the manufacturers' title on 12 points, and Dodge sat four points behind the top three.

Race facts at a glance