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.