NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville

Martinsville Speedway — April 3, 2011

Kevin Harvick
Winner
500
Laps
43
Entries
12
Leaders

Kevin Harvick won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville at Martinsville Speedway on April 3, 2011, leading 6 of 500 laps. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished second; Kyle Busch rounded out the podium. The race featured 12 different leaders.

Race Details
Date
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Season
2011
Winner
Leaders
12 drivers
Pos Start +/- Driver
1 9 +8 Kevin Harvick
2 26 +24 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
3 11 +8 Kyle Busch
4 27 +23 Juan Pablo Montoya
5 21 +16 Jeff Gordon
6 24 +18 Matt Kenseth
7 1 -6 Jamie McMurray
8 14 +6 David Ragan
9 15 +6 Clint Bowyer
10 12 +2 Mark Martin
11 17 +6 Jimmie Johnson
12 5 -7 Denny Hamlin
13 4 -9 Joey Logano
14 6 -8 A.J. Allmendinger
15 8 -7 David Reutimann
16 20 +4 Kurt Busch
17 13 -4 Brian Vickers
18 23 +5 Carl Edwards
19 22 +3 Brad Keselowski
20 2 -18 Ryan Newman
21 33 +12 Greg Biffle
22 39 +17 Ken Schrader
23 34 +11 Robby Gordon
24 32 +8 Jeff Burton
25 40 +15 Tony Raines
26 37 +11 Landon Cassill
27 7 -20 Bobby Labonte
28 42 +14 Hermie Sadler
29 19 -10 Marcos Ambrose
30 29 -1 Dave Blaney
31 10 -21 Regan Smith
32 35 +3 Michael McDowell
33 36 +3 David Gilliland
34 28 -6 Tony Stewart
35 25 -10 Trevor Bayne
36 30 -6 Casey Mears
37 31 -6 Travis Kvapil
38 16 -22 Paul Menard
39 3 -36 Kasey Kahne
40 18 -22 Martin Truex, Jr.
41 41 J.J. Yeley
42 38 -4 Mike Skinner
43 43 Joe Nemechek
Model Performance

How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 10 matched drivers, the model averaged 11.1 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average

Pos Driver Predicted Actual Delta
3 Kyle Busch 15.6 3 +12.6
11 Jimmie Johnson 17.7 11 +6.7
12 Denny Hamlin 6.8 12 -5.2
13 Joey Logano 12.1 13 -0.9
14 A.J. Allmendinger 18.3 14 +4.3
19 Brad Keselowski 12.0 19 -7.0
32 Michael McDowell 15.0 32 -17.0
36 Casey Mears 18.0 36 -18.0
40 Martin Truex, Jr. 13.8 40 -26.2
41 J.J. Yeley 28.1 41 -12.9

Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.

Historical Context

  • Kevin Harvick: has 64 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 14.1 avg finish (5 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
  • Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 47 career starts at Martinsville Speedway with a 9.2 avg finish (8 wins), finishing P12 on the day.
  • Kyle Busch: was the biggest surprise, finishing P3 vs predicted P16. Track history: 52 starts, 12.1 avg finish.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville?
Kevin Harvick won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville at Martinsville Speedway.
Where was the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville held?
The 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Martinsville was held at Martinsville Speedway on April 3, 2011.