| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 34 of 36 in the2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 2011 AAA Texas 500 program cover | |||
| Date | November 6, 2011 (2011-11-06) | ||
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway inFort Worth, Texas | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1.5 miles (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 334 laps, 501 mi (806.3 km) | ||
| Weather | Sunny with a high around 71; wind out of the SE at 11 mph. | ||
| Average speed | 152.705 miles per hour (245.755 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Fenway Racing | ||
| Time | 27.873 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Tony Stewart | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 173 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart–Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick,Dale Jarrett andAndy Petree | ||
The2011 AAA Texas 500 was aNASCARSprint Cup Series event held on November 6, 2011 atTexas Motor Speedway inFort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps, the event was the eighth race in theChase for the Sprint Cup during the2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season.Tony Stewart led 173 of the 334 laps and won the race whileCarl Edwards andKasey Kahne finished second and third respectively. The race featured five cautions and twenty-three lead changes, while Stewart's win was his fourth of the season and second in a row after winning theprevious week's race as well. Before the race,Kyle Busch was suspended by NASCAR due to his actions in the2011 WinStar World Casino 350K.[2] He was replaced byMichael McDowell.
The race was filmed for footage for the British motor showTop Gear, where presenterRichard Hammond was shown walking around the Texas Motor Speedway campgrounds, being the honorary pace car driver, and being a pit crew member for Mark Martin's team. Afterwards, Hammond would get a ride with Kyle Petty for the Petty Racing Experience.[3]
*Qualified by time.
**Qualified by being Top 35 in Owner's Points.
For pre-race ceremonies, Dr. Roger Marsh from Texas Alliance Raceway Ministries gave the invocation. Showdog Recording artistTrace Adkins would sing the national anthem, with a singularB-52 Bomber from theBarksdale Air Force Base performing the flyover. The president of Texas' AAA branch at the time, Bob Bouttier, gave the command to start engines.
Honorary pace car driver, formerTop Gear host and now host ofThe Grand Tour,Richard Hammond would lead the field to green.[3]
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