The 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was the seventeenth season of the third highest stock car racing in the United States. The season included twenty-five races, beginning with the NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona International Speedway and ending with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. During the 2010 season, NASCAR announced a few notable calendar changes, including a race addition at Kentucky Speedway and the removal of Gateway International Raceway from the schedule. DeLana Harvick won the owners' championship, while Austin Dillon of Richard Childress Racing won the drivers' championship with a tenth-place finish at the final race of the season. Chevrolet won the manufacturers' championship with 193 points.
Teams and drivers
Complete schedule
Part-time schedule
Note: A driver designated with a (R) next to their name indicates that they are contenders for the 2011 Rookie of the Year award.
Team changes
Began operations
- Texas businessmen Bob Leavine and Lance Fenton have formed Leavine Fenton Racing. Fenton ran a partial schedule in the No. 95 Ford.
- Virginia native Joe Denette started his own race team, Joe Denette Motorsports. Denette is a NASCAR fan who won the Virginia Lottery Mega Million in May 2009 after being laid off four months prior. He has teamed with fellow Virginian Hermie Sadler to start his own team with assistance from Kevin Harvick, Inc. Jason White joined the team for the 2011 season.
Discontinued operations
Driver changes
- Mike Skinner parted ways with Randy Moss Motorsports after the 2010 season due to a lack of chemistry. In an interview with Sirius Speedway, Skinner said that he had talked to a few teams and would prefer to remain with Toyota. On February 11, Skinner announced that he would drive the No. 45 of Eddie Sharp Racing at Daytona and potentially at Phoenix.
Changed teams
Entered the series
- Joey Coulter drove full-time this season with Richard Childress Racing, as a teammate to Austin Dillon. He drove the No. 22 Silverado and had veteran Harold Holly as crew chief.
- Fourth-generation driver Jeffrey Earnhardt ran for ROTY with Rick Ware Racing. However, he was released after 3 races when Fuel Doctor decided to leave.
- Johanna Long moved up to full-time status for 2011 with her Panhandle Motorsports team.
- Former Renault F1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. drove for Kevin Harvick, Inc. full-time this season.
- With Eddie Sharp Racing having purchased Team Gill Racing, 2010 ARCA runner-up Craig Goess drove the No. 46 Toyota full-time in 2011.
- Brazilian driver Miguel Paludo drove Red Horse Racing's No. 7 Toyota full-time.
- Vision Aviation Racing teammates Dusty Davis and Justin Johnson moved up from the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West to drive the No. 15 and No. 51 Toyotas respectively. They were not approved to run at Daytona International Speedway, so Michael Waltrip and Aric Almirola drove the No. 15 and #51.
- Chris Eggleston attempted to run for ROTY with Winfield Motorsports.
- Red Bull development driver Cole Whitt, after spending a season in the K&N Pro Series East, ran for ROTY with Stacy Compton's Turn One Racing.
- Chase Mattioli, son of Pocono Raceway owner Joseph Mattioli, formed his own team, Chase Mattioli Racing and ran the full 2011 season. Mattioli was unable to start at Daytona due to a gastrointestinal infection and had Chad McCumbee drive. The team used Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing's owner points from 2010, as Jennifer Jo Cobb is running the Nationwide Series.
- Formula One World Champion Kimi Räikkönen announced that he would run a part-time schedule starting in the summer, driving for his own ICE 1 Racing team in a partnership with Foster Gillett. On April 2, it was announced that Räikkönen would instead drive a limited schedule for Kyle Busch Motorsports starting at Charlotte. He entered at Charlotte driving Vision Aviation Racing's No. 15 Toyota, fielded by Busch.
Returned to the series
Exited the series
Mid-season changes
Rookie entries
The 2011 Camping World Truck Series rookie class, from the outset, was packed with talent. Ranging from development drivers Cole Whitt, Joey Coulter, and Parker Kligerman to Snowball Derby winner Johanna Long, ex-Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr., fourth-generation driver Jeffrey Earnhardt, ARCA Racing Series runner-up Craig Goess, and Brazilian touring car driver Miguel Paludo. From the outset, Whitt impressed many by winning the pole at Darlington early on, but struggled midway through the season. Earnhardt's Rick Ware Racing truck team shut down after Martinsville when sponsor Fuel Doctor abruptly left the team for Turn One Racing. Goess was released by Eddie Sharp Racing after only 9 races and was replaced by Justin Lofton. Sponsorship woes sidelined Long's rookie bid, as well as those of Dusty Davis and Justin Johnson. Paludo managed 7 top 10s in his first full season. Kligerman, Coulter, and Piquet improved their finishes mid-season, surging past a struggling Whitt. Eventually, Coulter emerged on top as ROTY.
2011 calendar
Speed televised the entire season.
Calendar changes
Results and standings
Races
Drivers' standings
() <span style="font-size:85%">Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position earned by final practice results or rainout. * â Most laps led.</span>
- <sup>1</sup> â Post entry, driver and owner did not score points.
- <sup>2</sup> â Driver originally registered for Truck points; Bell switched to Sprint Cup after Charlotte, Crum switched to Nationwide after Kentucky, Duke switched to Nationwide after Martinsville.
- <sup>3</sup> â Ickler was not registered for Truck points at Texas.
- <sup>4</sup> - Hornaday Jr. received a 25-point penalty for an infraction of his truck's rear gear.
- <sup>5</sup> - Sauter suffered a 6-point penalty after failing post-race inspection.
Manufacturer
See also
References