Matt McLaughlin’s Thinkin’ Out Loud: 2011 Las Vegas Race Recap
On the final pit stop, Carl Edwards was able to take two tires and the lead heading into the homestretch at Las Vegas.
On the final pit stop, Carl Edwards was able to take two tires and the lead heading into the homestretch at Las Vegas.
Trevor Bayne’s week of wonder came to a crashing end at Phoenix after last week’s fairytale Daytona 500 victory.
They said with the new surface and rules, this Daytona 500 was going to be unpredictable. Well, it was all that and then some.
Stick glue up each nostril, inhale deeply and come up with the most ridiculous set of rules you can. NASCAR’s actual Daytona 500 qualifying is more insane.
If NASCAR folks didn’t know that speeds with the new cars and surface were going to be north of 200 mph at Daytona, they must have been partying with JC France.
When Martin Truex Jr. fell off the pace at Homestead, Carl Edwards lost the only competition that could keep him honest and drove on to an easy win.
With 47 laps left, Carl Edwards passed Denny Hamlin to take a lead he’d never relinquish at Phoenix.
Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin squared off in a three-lap shootout at the end of the race that had the fans at home and in the stands at Texas on their feet.
Juan Pablo Montoya pushed Clint Bowyer past Kevin Harvick just as the caution lights illuminated at Talladega, freezing the field on the last lap of the race.
After the two of them were running side-by-side for a dozen laps at Martinsville, Denny Hamlin finally passed Kevin Harvick for the lead on lap 471.