Contested over 301 laps on the 1.058-mile (1.703 km) asphalt oval, it was the 19th race of the 2011 Sprint Cup Series season.

Newman's teammate and owner, Tony Stewart finished second and Denny Hamlin clinched third.

[5] Before the race, Kyle Busch led the Drivers' Championship with 624 points, and Carl Edwards stood in second with 620.

[11] Jeff Burton, Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Menard and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top ten.

The three drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Tony Raines, Scott Riggs, and Dennis Setzer.

Joey Logano, Brian Vickers, Truex, Hamlin, and Kurt Busch rounded out the first ten positions.

[13] The race, the 19th in the season, began at 1:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on TNT.

[1] The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, the air temperature at 71 °F (22 °C); clear skies were expected.