2012 Bank of America 500

2012 Bank of America 500
Race details[1]
Race 31 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season

Charlotte Motor Speedway
Date October 13, 2012 (2012-10-13)
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord, North Carolina, United States
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 334 laps, 501 mi (806.281 km)
Weather Temperatures reaching as low as 44.1 °F (6.7 °C); wind speeds approaching 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[2]
Pole position
Driver Roush Fenway Racing
Time 27.877
Most laps led
Driver Brad Keselowski Penske Racing
Laps 139
Winner
No. 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing
Television in the United States
Network ABC
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree

The 2012 Bank of America 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on October 13, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval, it was the thirty-first race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the fifth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season.

Clint Bowyer of Michael Waltrip Racing won the race, his third of the season, while Denny Hamlin finished second and Jimmie Johnson was third.

Report

Background

Aerial view of Charlotte Motor Speedway, the location of the race.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway.[3] The standard track at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is five degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also had a five degree banking.[4] The racetrack has seats for 140,000 spectators.[4]

Before the race, Brad Keselowski led the Drivers' Championship with 2,179 points, and Jimmie Johnson stood in second with 2,165 points.[5] Denny Hamlin followed in third with 2,156 points, thirteen points ahead of Kasey Kahne and seventeen ahead of Clint Bowyer in fourth and fifth.[5] Jeff Gordon with 2,137 was four points ahead of Tony Stewart, as Martin Truex, Jr. with 2,131 points, was one point ahead of Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick.[5] Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Matt Kenseth was eleventh and twelfth with 2,128 and 2,117 points, respectively.[5]

In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 203 points, twenty-seven points ahead of Toyota.[6] Ford, with 147 points, was thirteen points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.[6] Matt Kenseth is the defending race winner after winning the event in 2011.[7]

On October 11, 2012, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Earnhardt, Jr. would not participate in the race because of being diagnosed with a concussion one day earlier. Instead, Regan Smith, who was supposed to drive for the Phoenix Racing, would replace Earnhardt, Jr., while A. J. Allmendinger would be the interim driver for Smith.[8] Earnhardt, Jr. reported that he experienced concussion symptoms after a crash at Kansas Speedway during a tire test on August 29, 2012. He claimed that he had no symptoms before the Good Sam Roadside Assistance, but after being involved in the Big One on the final lap, he reported having concussion symptoms that lasted more than three days later, convincing him to see a neurologist, who said that Earnhardt, Jr. needed to miss the next two races because of a concussion. It is the first time since the 1979 Southern 500 (the last race his father missed after an accident at Pocono in his rookie season) that a Sprint Cup race will not have an Earnhardt in the field, and the first race in the modern era that does not have a driver from North Carolina in the field, as Scott Riggs, the only North Carolina driver entered, failed to qualify.[9]

Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held over the course of the race weekend. The first, held on Thursday, October 11, was used to set the qualifying order. The session was led by Denny Hamlin with a time of 28.170 seconds. Mark Martin was second, only .037 seconds behind Hamlin, with Matt Kenseth in third .016 seconds behind Martin. Joey Logano and Gordon completed the top five, while Kyle Busch, Regan Smith, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, and Brad Keselowski completed the top 10.[10]

Qualifying was held after the first practice session. 47 cars took 2 qualifying laps to set the 43 car field. Greg Biffle would win the pole position, setting a track record with a lap of 27.877 seconds, breaking the old track record set by Elliott Sadler in 2005. After being awarded the pole, Biffle proclaimed his excitement during the lap. "I was super excited about that lap because I drove it farther into Turn 1 than I thought would work,"[11] Mark Martin would claim the outside pole, Ryan Newman claimed the third position, and Chase drivers Bowyer, Johnson, Truex, Jr., Kenseth, Hamlin, and Kahne rounded out the top 10.

Greg Biffle won the pole, setting a new track record

A second practice was held on Friday, with Greg Biffle leading the pack with a time of 28.867. Kahne, Harvick, Johnson, Martin, Truex, Jr., Keselowski, Smith, Newman, and Gordon completed the top 10.[12] Happy Hour was also held on Friday, led by Kyle Busch.

Race

The race was held under clear conditions with light winds. Pre-race ceremonies began with the Air Force ROTC Detachment 592 from UNC-Charlotte. K-LOVE CEO Mike Novak then delivered the invocation, followed by gospel group NewSong delivering the National Anthem. At 7:40, Wounded Warrior Project executive vice president Dave Nevins gave the command to start engines. Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton, and Reed Sorenson went to the rear of the field due to engine changes, while Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland went to the back for unapproved transmission changes. The race started at 7:50, with front row starters Biffle and Martin running side by side for the first 4 laps of the race, with Biffle clearing Martin in turn 4. The first caution came out when Chase driver Matt Kenseth had a left rear tire go down, resulting in him spinning in turn 4 on lap 11.

On the lap 15 restart, Biffle continued to lead when David Ragan, Jeff Burton, and Tony Stewart all collided.

Results

Qualifying

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
16Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 27.877 193.708 1
55Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.927 193.361 2
39Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 27.943 193.251 3
15Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.973 193.043 4
48Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 27.980 192.995 5
56Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 27.991 192.919 6
17Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 27.996 192.885 7
18Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.001 192.850 8
11Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.008 192.802 9
5Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.031 192.644 10
29Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.032 192.637 11
20Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.043 192.561 12
24Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.094 192.212 13
22Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 28.174 191.666 14
47Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 28.183 191.605 15
21Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.229 191.293 16
43Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.230 191.286 17
9Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.231 191.279 18
99Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.236 191.245 19
2Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 28.238 191.232 20
78Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.239 191.225 21
42Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.318 190.691 22
95Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 28.318 190.691 23
27Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.329 190.617 24
34David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.364 190.382 25
88Regan Smith Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.394 190.181 26
13Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 28.417 190.027 27
19Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 28.417 190.027 28
6Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.423 189.987 29
1Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.441 189.867 30
30David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 28.468 189.687 31
14Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.483 189.587 32
98Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 28.483 189.587 33
10David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.493 189.520 34
37J.J. Yeley Max Q Motorsports Chevrolet 28.520 189.341 35
38David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.533 189.255 36
83Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 28.546 189.168 37
51A.J. Allmendinger Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 28.550 189.142 38
31Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.652 188.469 39
32Timmy Hill FAS Lane Racing Ford 28.689 188.225 40
93Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 28.918 186.735 41
36Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 28.982 186.323 42
91Reed Sorenson Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 28.556 189.102 43
Failed to Qualify
87Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 28.581 188.937
26Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.858 187.123
23Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 29.191 184.989
33Cole Whitt Circle Sport Chevrolet 29.425 183.517
Source:

Race results

Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 4 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 334 47
2 5 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 334 43
3 9 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 334 42
4 1 16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford 334 41
5 8 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 334 39
6 2 55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 334 39
7 19 99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford 334 37
8 10 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 334 36
9 12 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 334 35
10 6 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 334 34
11 20 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 334 35
12 17 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 334 32
13 32 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 334 31
14 7 17 Matt Kenseth Roush-Fenway Racing Ford 334 30
15 14 22 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 334 0
16 11 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 334 28
17 30 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 334 27
18 13 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 332 27
19 22 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 332 25
20 3 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 332 24
21 21 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 332 23
22 16 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 332 0
23 36 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 331 21
24 38 51 A. J. Allmendinger Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 330 20
25 41 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 330 19
26 37 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 329 18
27 24 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 328 17
28 39 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 327 16
29 27 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 327 15
30 34 10 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 327 14
31 33 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 326 13
32 15 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 324 12
33 18 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 303 12
34 25 35 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 287 10
35 29 6 Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford 190 0
36 40 32 Timmy Hill FAS Lane Racing Ford 182 0
37 31 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 62 7
38 26 88 Regan Smith Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 61 6
39 28 19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 53 0
40 23 95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 50 4
41 43 91 Reed Sorenson Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 32 0
42 35 37 J. J. Yeley Max Q Motorsports Ford 30 2
43 42 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 25 1

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings[14]
Pos Driver Points
1 Brad Keselowski 2214
2 Jimmie Johnson 2207 (–7)
3 Denny Hamlin 2199 (–15)
1 4 Clint Bowyer 2186 (–28)
1 5 Kasey Kahne 2179 (–35)
3 6 Greg Biffle 2171 (–43)
1 7 Martin Truex, Jr. 2165 (–49)
1 8 Tony Stewart 2164 (–50)
3 9 Jeff Gordon 2164 (–50)
10 Kevin Harvick 2158 (–58)
1 11 Matt Kenseth 2147 (–67)
1 12 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2128 (–86)

Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 209
2 Toyota 185
3 Ford 151
4 Dodge 137
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings.

References

  1. "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  2. "2012 Bank of America 500 weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
  3. "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "NASCAR Tracks—The Charlotte Motor Speedway". Charlotte Motor Speedway. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "2012 Official Driver Standings: Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  6. 1 2 "2012 NASCAR Manufacturer Championship". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  7. "2011 Bank of America 500". Racing-Reference.info. USA Today Sports Media Group. October 15, 2011. Retrieved October 8, 2012.
  8. Livingstone, Seth (October 11, 2012). "Allmendinger seems a good fit for Phoenix Racing". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  9. Menzer, Joe (October 11, 2012). "Junior out with concussion". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved October 11, 2012.
  10. "Nascar.Com". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  11. NASCAR Wire Service. "Biffle wins Charlotte pole with record-breaking lap - Oct 11, 2012". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  12. "Nascar.Com". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  13. "Nascar.Com". Nascar.Com. 2012-10-13. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
  14. "Nascar.Com". Nascar.Com. Retrieved 2012-11-06.
Previous race:
2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2012 season
Next race:
2012 Hollywood Casino 400
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