2012 Coca-Cola 600

2012 Coca-Cola 600
Race details[1][2][3]
Race 12 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date May 27, 2012 (2012-05-27)
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.606 km)
Weather Sunshine with a high temperature around 88°F; wind out of the SSE at 2 mph.
Average speed 155.687 miles per hour (250.554 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Richard Petty Motorsports
Time 27.988
Most laps led
Driver Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing
Laps 204
Winner
No. 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds

The 2012 Coca-Cola 600, the 53rd annual race, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on May 27, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps, it was the twelfth race of the 2012 season. Kasey Kahne of Hendrick Motorsports took his first win of the season, while Denny Hamlin finished second and Kyle Busch finished third.

Report

Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held.

Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate 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.[4] The standard track at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[5] 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.[5] The racetrack has seats for 140,000 spectators.[5]

Before the race, Greg Biffle led the Drivers' Championship with 411 points, while Matt Kenseth stood in second with 409.[6] Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was third in the Drivers' Championship with 397 points, three points ahead of Denny Hamlin and twenty-five ahead of Jimmie Johnson in fourth and fifth.[6] Martin Truex, Jr. with 372 was three points ahead of Tony Stewart, as Kevin Harvick with 361 points, was twelve ahead of Kyle Busch, and twenty-four in front of Carl Edwards.[6] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 72 points, eight ahead of Toyota. Ford, with 57 points, was eight points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.[7] Harvick was the race's defending race winner after winning it in 2011.[8]

The Coca-Cola 600 was conceived by race car driver Curtis Turner, who built the Charlotte Motor Speedway.[9] It was first held in 1960 in an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend race to compete with the open-wheel Indianapolis 500; the two races were held together on the same day starting from 1974.[10] The race is the longest in terms of distance on the NASCAR calendar and is considered by several drivers to be one of the sport's most important races alongside the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Southern 500.[11] The long distance makes it the most physically demanding event in NASCAR, and teams adapt to changing track conditions because the race occurs between late afternoon and evening.[12] It was known as the World 600 until 1984 when The Coca-Cola Company purchased the naming rights to the race and renamed it the Coca-Cola World 600 in 1985. It has been called the Coca-Cola 600 every year since 1986 except for 2002 when the name changed to Coca-Cola Racing Family 600.[13]

Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held before the race; the first on May 24, 2012, which lasted 120 minutes. The second and third took place on Saturday, May 26, 2012. The first Saturday practice lasted 55 minutes, while the second was 60 minutes.[14] Marcos Ambrose was quickest with a time of 28.539 seconds in the first session, five-thousandths of a second faster than Landon Cassill.[15] A. J. Allmendinger was third quickest, followed by Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and Aric Almirola. Joey Logano was seventh, still within two-tenths of a second of Ambrose's time.[15]

Forty-seven cars were entered for qualifying on May 24, 2012, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[16] Almirola of Richard Petty Motorsports clinched the first pole position of his Sprint Cup Series career, with a time of 27.988 seconds.[17] He was joined on the front row of the grid by his team-mate Ambrose.[17] Johnson qualified third, Biffle took fourth, and Bowyer started fifth.[17] Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Hamlin, Paul Menard and Regan Smith rounded out the top ten. Kurt Busch failed to finish his qualifying lap after colliding into the SAFER barrier, but will remain on the grid as his team is in the Top 35 in owner's points.[17][18] The four drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Mike Bliss, David Reutimann, J. J. Yeley and Scott Riggs.[17]

Once the qualifying session was completed, Almirola stated "It's a huge honor just to see it in victory lane (for the pole celebration). I'm driving probably the most iconic car in history of the sport. It's just qualifying, but that's a start."[19] Afterward, Johnson, who won the week before in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race XXVIII, commented about their recent performances, "I'm real proud of where our equipment is going." He continued, "I've been able to race better than where we qualify."[20]

In the second practice session, Hamlin was fastest with a time of 28.995 seconds, less than two-hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed Menard.[21] Edwards took third place, ahead of Truex, Jr., Johnson and Brad Keselowski.[21] Bowyer, Harvick and Ryan Newman completed the ten quickest drivers in the session.[21] In the third and final practice, Keselowski was quickest with a time of 29.397 seconds.[22] Edwards followed in second, ahead of Martin and Johnson.[22] Logano was fifth quickest, with a time of 29.521 seconds.[22] Stewart, Kenseth, Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Burton rounded out the first ten positions.[22] Hamlin, who was quickest in the second session, could only manage 20th.[22]

Race

The race, the twelfth in the season, began at 6:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on Fox.[1] The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, the air temperature at 80 °F (27 °C);[2] mostly clear skies were expected.[23] Darrell Waltrip began pre-race ceremonies, by giving the invocation. Next, Charlotte Fire Department Pipe Bag played "Amazing Grace", then Darius Rucker performed the national anthem. Afterward, retired U.S. Navy admiral, Frank Thorp and director of the United States Army Wounded Warrior Program, Gregory Gadson, with the addition of actress Brooklyn Decker gave the command for drivers to start their engines.[23]

Following the traditional three pace laps, Phoenix Racing's Kurt Busch dropped to the rear of the grid due to changing to a backup car after crashing in qualifying. Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Almirola and Ambrose led the 43-car field to the green flag, the teammates swapped the lead for the first 8 laps until Roush Fenway Racing's Biffle assumed the top position on lap 9 from Ambrose. While Ambrose retook the lead from Biffle on lap 15, Almirola steadily fell back to 5th place. By lap 23, Biffle retook the lead from Ambrose and moved out to a 1-second lead. On lap 41, Allmendinger was the first driver to pit in a series of green-flag pit stops. Biffle made his stop along with Johnson on lap 47 and was able to hold the lead after pit stops were completed.[23]

The race continued under green, and drivers stopped for another round of pit stops between laps 87 and 97. Once again, Biffle was one of the last cars to pit, and came out with the lead, extending it to 4 seconds. On lap 111, the first caution of the race came out when debris was sighted on the backstretch. The leaders pitted, and Ambrose and Jamie McMurray took two right side tires on their stops to claim the top two spots. However, McMurray was forced back into the pits after the restart for a loose wheel. On lap 125, Kyle Busch grabbed the lead from Biffle, who took it back two laps later after Busch dipped the tires below the white line. Debris was spotted in turn 1, forcing the second caution of the race. All the leaders pitted except for Jeff Gordon. On the restart on lap 139, Busch, Johnson, and Biffle easily dispatched Gordon to take the top three spots.[23] Kasey Kahne scores a victory in his 300th career start.

Results

Qualifying

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 27.988 192.940 1
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.184 191.598 2
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.217 191.374 3
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.234 191.259 4
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.243 191.198 5
55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.247 191.171 6
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.253 191.130 7
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.289 190.887 8
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.332 190.597 9
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.353 190.456 10
22 A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 28.372 190.329 11
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.376 190.302 12
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.381 190.268 13
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.391 190.201 14
56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.392 190.194 15
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.413 190.054 16
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.416 190.034 17
83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 28.423 189.987 18
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.465 189.707 19
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.480 189.607 20
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.485 189.574 21
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.493 189.520 22
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.560 189.076 23
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 28.591 188.871 24
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 28.668 188.363 25
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 28.671 188.344 26
74 Cole Whitt Turn One Racing Chevrolet 28.674 188.324 27
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.692 188.206 28
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.735 187.924 29
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.776 187.656 30
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.796 187.526 31
98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 28.802 187.487 32
26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.837 187.259 33
33 Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 28.851 187.169 34
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 29.010 186.143 35
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 29.015 186.111 36
93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 29.019 186.085 37
79 Scott Speed Go Green Racing Ford 29.036 185.976 38
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.062 185.810 39
10 Danica Patrick Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 29.161 185.179 40
32 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford 29.366 183.886 41
51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet
No Time1
42
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 29.066 185.784 43
Failed to Qualify
49 J. J. Yeley Robinson-Blakeney Racing Toyota 29.391 183.730
19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 29.103 185.548
73 David Reutimann BK Racing Toyota 29.136 185.338
23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 29.407 183.630
1: After crashing during his qualifying lap, Kurt Busch started the race in 42nd by owner's point standings.
Source:[17][24][25][26]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
17 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 48
28 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 44
317 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 43
44 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 44
524 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 400 41
612 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 38
723 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 39
814 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 38
928 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 35
1020 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 399 34
113 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 33
1215 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 399 32
135 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 398 31
1416 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 398 30
159 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 29
161 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 398 30
1710 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 398 27
1818 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 398 28
1922 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 25
2029 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 398 24
2131 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 397 23
2225 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 397 22
2319 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 397 21
2413 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 397 0
2521 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 397 19
2639 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 397 18
2742 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 396 17
2826 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 396 16
2939 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 395 15
3040 10 Danica Patrick Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 395 0
3141 32 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford 390 0
322 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 367 14
3311 22 A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 361 11
346 55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 338 10
3530 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 281 11
3632 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 228 8
3738 195 Scott Speed Go Green Racing Ford 136 7
3835 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 86 6
3934 33 Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 74 5
4036 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 54 4
4143 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 47 0
4227 74 Cole Whitt Turn One Racing Chevrolet 33 0
4333 26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 15 1
Source:[3]

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings
Pos Driver Points
1 Greg Biffle 453
2 Matt Kenseth 443
3 Denny Hamlin 437
4 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 435
5 Jimmie Johnson 405
Source:[27]

Manufacturers' Championship standings
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 81
2 Toyota 70
3 Ford 61
4 Dodge 52
Source:[7]
  • Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings.

References

  1. 1 2 "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  2. 1 2 Brown, Brian (May 23, 2012). "The Coca-Cola 600". Rotoworld.com. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "2012 Official Race Results : Coca-Cola 600". NASCAR. Retrieved May 29, 2012.
  4. "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 "NASCAR Tracks—The Charlotte Motor Speedway". Charlotte Motor Speedway. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "2012 Official Driver Standings: Bojangles' Southern 500". NASCAR. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Manufactures' Championship Classification". Jayski.com. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  8. "2011 Coca-Cola 600". racing-reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
  9. Aumann, Mark (May 24, 2012). "Turner's dream brings creation of Charlotte track". NASCAR. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  10. Hart, Jay (May 23, 2009). "Story lines: Lowe's". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo!. Archived from the original on February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  11. NASCAR Wire Service (May 22, 2014). "NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 has a history with major appeal". Cecil Whig. Adams Publishing Group. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  12. "Patience, endurance keys for 600". Walker County Messenger. 116 (42). May 27, 2005. p. 11. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  13. "Coca-Cola 600". TicketsMate. Excite. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  14. "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski.com. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  15. 1 2 "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  16. "Qualifying Entry List". NASCAR. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Race Official Lineup". NASCAR. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  18. Busch loses handle in quals. Charlotte, North Carolina: NASCAR. May 24, 2012.
  19. Hembree, Mike (May 24, 2012). "CUP: Almirola Wins Charlotte Pole". Speed TV. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  20. Ryan, Nate (May 24, 2012). "Richard Petty's Fords rule Charlotte in Coke 600 qualifying". Concord, North Carolina. USA Today. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 "Practice 3 Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Race Summary". NASCAR. Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  24. "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Grid". ESPN. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  25. "NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying Results: Coca Cola 600". Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site. May 24, 2012. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  26. "2012 Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying". Motor Racing Network. Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  27. "2012 Official Driver Standings: Coca-Cola 600". NASCAR. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
Previous race:
2012 Bojangles' Southern 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2012 season
Next race:
2012 FedEx 400
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