No, it wasn't your imagination. There were more caution periods during the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup season, compared with 2010 races.
Cautions rose 5 percent in the season that ended with Tony Stewart (pictured) being crowed the champion, according to research by Denny Darnell of Dodge Motorsports and Darnell Communications.
There were 278 cautions in 2011, up from 265 in 2010. There were 305 in 2009.
Drivers turned 1,358 laps under caution in 2011, up from 1,325 in 2010 and down from 1,447 in 2009.
There were 139 cautions for accidents in 2011, compared with 140 and 146 in 2010 and 2009, respectively.
For the second consecutive season, no races were shortened due to weather. Seven races in 2011 were extended to green-white-checkered finishes because of cautions, the same number that were extended in 2010.

Stevenson was Eisenhower's fiercest rival during most of Bob Lantzy's 41 seasons as the Eagles' head football coach.
So perhaps it is fitting that the Titans came close to matching Eisenhower for stability at the head coaching position during Lantzy's tenure.
While Lantzy (pictured) was at Eisenhower from 1971-2011, three men held the head-coaching post at Stevenson: Bobby Hill, Rick Bye and Steve Goralski. Bye was Stevenson's coach from 1975 through 2009, and he and Lantzy built Stevenson-Eisenhower into one of the premier rivalries in the state.
Only one other Macomb County school matched Stevenson for stability during the Lantzy era.
Center Line had Rudy Hill (1956-1978, Pete Coll (1979-2003) and Bret Davis (2004-2010) at the helm while Lantzy was in charge at Eisenhower.
Cousino and Lincoln had four different head coaches during Lantzy's 41 years.
Pat McAleer, Bob Kalbfleisch, John Brooks and Mike Powell were at Cousino.
Joe Richard, Jim Plecas, Jim Benefield and John Moher were at Lincoln.
What schools are at the other end of the spectrum, having higher numbers of coaches during Lantzy's tenure?
Among county schools that played football continuously since 1971, Richmond has had the most head coaches, with 14. The Blue Devils had six different coaches in the six seasons from 1982 through 1987.
East Detroit had 12 from 1971 through this season.
South Lake also had 14 while Lantzy was at Ike, but the Cavaliers did not field a team in 1976.
New Haven had 13 since 1971, but did not have a team in 1977.
Memphis had 11 coaches, but no team in 1971.
FIVE EACH: Armada, Clintondale, Fraser, Lake Shore, Utica.
SIX EACH: De La Salle, Fitzgerald, L'Anse Creuse, Romeo.
SEVEN EACH: Mount Clemens, Sterling Heights.
EIGHT EACH: Anchor Bay, Chippewa Valley,
NINE: Lakeview.
For this survey, only schools that have been open since at least 1971 were considered.

What made Bob Lantzy a special and successful high school football coach?

Here are four areas where he distinguished himself on the way to winning more than 300 games in 41 seasons at Eisenhower:

OPTIMISM: Lantzy believed in his coaches and players. He believed in their ability and in their willingness to improve, and he frequently expressed that belief. No one was better at boosting the self confidence of players and coaches, of making them believe they were up to the short- and long-term tasks at hand, than Lantzy.

ORGANIZATION: Lantzy was not afraid to move coaches around within his staff. In fact, that was one of his trademarks. The backfield coach one year might be the receivers coach the next. And so it went. He had a way of keeping his staff fresh, of keeping ideas and innovations flowing. The words “stale” and “Eisenhower’ were never heard in the same sentence.

CREATIVITY: Sure, Eisenhower was blessed with many talented players over the years. But Lantzy and his staff also found ways to use as many players as possible, to put players in positions and situations where they could thrive. One did not have to be especially big or strong or fast to play for the Eagles. If a player had a special ability, even one that was good for only a few plays each game, Lantzy and his staff found it and utilized it.

INVOLVEMENT: Eisenhower’s on-field post-game gatherings were like town meetings. Coaches, coaches’ wives, players, parents, friends, fans, support staff and anyone else with an interest in the Eagles participated, even if only to watch and listen as Lantzy and his assistants handed out plaudits, game balls and the like. Lantzy allowed many individuals to take ownership in the Eagles, made them feel involved and part of the team, and, as a result, they worked diligently on anything that could help Ike succeed.