Random Recap: The 2011 Quaker State 400.
Welcome to Random Recaps, a weekly feature at From The Marbles. In this space, we’ll recap a random race from the past at the track the where Sprint Cup Series is racing next. There have only been four races at Kentucky, so there wasn’t much to choose from. This week’s race is the 2011 Quaker State 500, the first Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky. And as always, Random Recap is truly random thanks to Random.org.
Kyle Busch is the first Sprint Cup Series winner at Kentucky.
Busch led the last 11 laps of the race and survived a two-lap sprint to the finish after Clint Bowyer’s crash with five laps to go. Bowyer cut a tire in turn two and slammed the wall.
Busch, who led a race-high 125 laps, chose the high line over second-place Jimmie Johnson and pulled away off turn two on the penultimate lap. Johnson didn’t get a chance to challenge after that.
David Reutimann finished second as Johnson fell to third on the final lap. Reutimann had the lead for seven laps before he was passed by Busch on lap 257.
The win also gives Busch the points lead over Carl Edwards by four. Edwards, who entered the race with a five point lead over Busch, finished fifth.
There isn’t much else to write about the race, either. It was kind of a snoozer. Jeff Gordon said it was extremely hard to pass on the track’s bumpy surface.
Bruton Smith, the chairman of Speedway Motorsports Inc., the company that owns the track, said an estimated 15,000 fans didn’t make the race because of heavy traffic that marred the track’s Cup Series debut.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
