2012 Food City 500

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2012 Food City 500
Race details[1][2]
Race 4 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date March 18, 2012 (2012-03-18)
Location Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee
Course Permanent racing facility
0.533 mi (0.858 km)
Distance 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km)
Weather Temperatures up to 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h)[3]
Average speed 93.037 miles per hour (149.729 km/h)
Pole position
Driver
Roush Fenway Racing
Time 15.324
Most laps led
Driver Brad Keselowski Penske Racing
Laps 231
Winner
No. 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing
Television in the United States
Network Fox Broadcasting Company
Announcers Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds
Nielsen Ratings 4.4/11 (Final)
4.0/10 (Overnight)
(7.307 million)[4]

The 2012 Food City 500 was the fourth stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on March 18, 2012 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee before a crowd of 102,000. The 500-lap race was won by Brad Keselowski of the Penske Racing team after he started from fifth position. Matt Kenseth finished second and Martin Truex, Jr. came in third.

Greg Biffle won the pole position and maintained into the first corner, as A.J. Allmendinger, who started in the second position of the grid, was passed by Jeff Gordon on the first lap. After a competition caution that started on lap 40, Allmendinger became the leader of the race. After the final pitstops, Keselowski took over the first position from Matt Kenseth. He maintained the first position to lead the most laps of 231, and to win his first race of the 2012 season. There were five cautions and thirteen lead changes among seven different drivers during the course of the race.

The race was Keselowski's first win of the season, and the fifth of his career. The result kept Biffle in the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 157 points, nine ahead of Kevin Harvick and twelve ahead of Kenseth. Ford took over the lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, and bumped Chevrolet to second place with 24 points. Toyota followed in third with 21 points, while Dodge remained in fourth with 18. The race attracted 7.307 million television viewers.

Report

Background

Bristol Motor Speedway, where the race was held.

Bristol Motor Speedway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races, the others being Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Martinsville Speedway, and Phoenix International Raceway.[5] The standard track at Bristol Motor Speedway is a four-turn short track oval that is 0.533 miles (0.858 km) long.[6] The track's turns are banked from twenty-four to thirty degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked from six to ten degrees. The back stretch also has banking from six to ten degrees.[6]

One team chose to replace their regular driver with a substitute. Michael Waltrip Racing chose to replace Mark Martin with Brian Vickers for six races during the season.[7] Team owner Michael Waltrip said, "Brian Vickers is a veteran driver with almost 10 years experience, but he hasn't even turned 30 yet. He's shown he can win at this level and we have every confidence he'll run well with us."[8]

Before the race, Greg Biffle led the Drivers' Championship with 125 points, followed by Kevin Harvick on 113. Denny Hamlin was third in the Drivers' Championship with 113 points, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was fourth with 107 points, and Matt Kenseth was in fifth with 102 points. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 21 points, four points ahead of their rivals Ford for second place. Toyota, with 17 points, was eight points ahead of their rivals Dodge in the battle for third.[9] Kyle Busch was the race's defending champion.[10]

Practice and qualifying

Greg Biffle won pole position with the fastest time, 15.324.

Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes. The Saturday morning session lasted 45 minutes, and the final practice session lasted 60 minutes.[11] During the first practice session, Carl Edwards was the fastest driver, placing ahead of A.J. Allmendinger in second and Marcos Ambrose in third. Joey Logano took fourth position and Ryan Newman placed fifth. Jeff Gordon, Regan Smith, Harvick, Martin Truex, Jr. and Kyle Busch rounded out the top ten fastest drivers in the session.[12]

Although forty-six drivers attempted to qualify;[13] according to NASCAR's qualifying procedure, only forty-three could race. Biffle clinched his first pole position of the season, with a time of 15.324. He was joined on the grid's front row by Allemdinger. Newman qualified third, Jeff Gordon took fourth, and Keselowski started fifth. The driver that failed to qualify was Timmy Hill, and Robby Gordon withdrew because of issues with his car's engine.[14] After the qualifier Biffle said, "I got in the gas fairly early [through Turns 1 and 2] and was a little worried about making the rest of the corner, It got loose up off of both ends because I went in the gas so early in the middle of the corner, just pushing the envelope as much as I could."[15]

On Saturday morning, Allmendinger was fastest in the second practice session, ahead of Kyle Busch in second, and Newman in third. Biffle was fourth quickest, and Truex took fifth. Kahne managed sixth. Aric Almirola, Hamlin, Kenseth and Jeff Burton followed in the top ten.[16] Jimmie Johnson spun during the session and Paul Menard hit the left-rear of Johnson, causing the Hendrick Motorsports driver to sustain light damage to his car.[11] Later that day, Newman paced the final practice session, ahead of Kyle Busch in second and Reutimann in third. Keselowski was fourth fastest, ahead of Kahne and Ambrose. Clint Bowyer was seventh fastest, Truex eighth, Jeff Gordon ninth, and Johnson tenth.[17] Towards the end of the session, Travis Kvapil hit the wall but avoided major damage to his car.[11]

Race

The race, the fourth of the 2012 season, began at 1:00 p.m. EST and was televised live in the United States on Fox.[1] Around the start of the race, weather conditions were overcast; a 80% chance of rain was also forecast, although some rain had fallen on the morning of the race. Mike Rife of the Vansant Church of Christ began pre-race ceremonies by giving the invocation. The McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base H4 Quartest performed the national anthem, and a group of Food City store managers gave the command for drivers to start their engines. NASCAR announced a competition caution would take place on lap 50.[18]

Greg Biffle maintained the pole position lead into the first corner. Behind him, Jeff Gordon passed A.J. Allmendinger for second place. Ten laps later, Allmendinger passed Gordon to take the second position. By lap 14, Biffle had built up a 1.4-second lead. Four laps later, Ryan Newman moved up third after passing Gordon. The first caution came out on lap 24 for a multi-car crash on the front stretch that collected Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Marcos Ambrose, Carl Edwards, and Kyle Busch. Pit road was open on lap 40, taking the place of the competition caution. This allowed most of the leaders to make pit stops. Allmendinger took the lead during pit spots and held it at the lap 47 restart.[18]

By lap 55, Allmendinger had a one-second lead over Truex One lap later, Brian Vickers passed Truex for second. Allmendinger built his lead up to 1.4 seconds by lap 63. Twenty-two laps later, Truex passed Vickers to reclaim the second position. Vickers passed Truex on lap 92 to move back into that spot. Three laps later, Allmendinger, who was stuck behind Bobby Labonte, was passed by Vickers for the lead. On lap 104, Gordon moved up to third. Five laps later, Vickers maintained a half-second lead over Allmendinger. The third caution came on lap 116 when Ken Schrader hit the walls in turns 3 and 4. Under caution, all of the leaders opted to pit.[18]

Brad Keselowski won the race, after leading the most laps with 231.

Vickers maintained the lead at the restart, ahead of Allmendinger and Gordon. By lap 130, Vickers now had a 1.6-second lead over Allmendinger. On lap 134, Keselowski had passed Allmendinger and Gordon for second. By lap 147, Keselowski had reduced Allmendinger's lead to 1.5-seconds. Eight laps later, Kahne returned to the race after the lap 24 crash. By lap 168, Allemdinger's lead was one second from Keselowski. After starting nineteenth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had moved up fourteen positions to fifth by lap 179. Two laps later, Allmendinger started suffering from an vibration in his car. On lap 217, Keselowski passed Vickers for the lead. Eleven laps later, Gordon passed Vickers for second. On lap 235, Allmendinger pitted to allow his team to check his car.[18]

Green flag pit stops began on lap 242 and Menard was the first to pit under green. Thirteen laps later, Matt Kenseth passed Keselowski to claim the lead. When green flag pit stops were over, Keselowski reclaimed the lead. On lap 340, the third caution was wave when David Stremme made contact with the wall. During the caution, all of the leaders pitted. Keselowski led the field back up to speed at the restart. On lap 348, Kenseth took the lead from Keselowski. Eleven laps later, the fourth caution came out when Gordon and Earnhardt in turn 3. made contact, causing Gordon to suffer an flat left rear tire and spun sideways. None of the leaders made pit stops during the caution.[18]

The race restarted on lap 371. Fourteen laps later, Keselowski retook the lead after passing Kenseth. By lap 415, he had built up a half second lead over Kenseth. Twenty-nine laps later, Earnhardt was told his team to conserve fuel. On lap 468, Truex moved into fifth place. Ten laps later, the fifth and final caution waved when Tony Stewart made contact with the wall. During the caution, none of the leaders again opted to pit. Keselowski led at the restart, ahead of Kenseth and Vickers. During the final laps, he managed to maintain his lead to win the race. Kenseth finished second, ahead of Truex in third, Clint Bowyer in fourth, and Vickers in fifth,[18] rounding out the Top 5.

Post-race

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"I told my crew before the race that this was the best car I ever had in [Sprint] Cup, and it showed. I just say what I think is real. It’s not about being cocky.”

Keselowski, speaking after the race.[19]

Keselowski appeared in victory lane to celebrate his first win of the season in front of 102,000 people who attended the race.[2] Keselowski also earned $186,770 in race winnings.[2] Afterward, he said, "This car here, this brand-new car that Penske Racing built -- everybody back at the shop did a phenomenal job. The last few races have been really good, and I knew we had a shot at winning one if we closed the deal. Matt didn't make it easy."[20] Kenseth, who finished second, said, "I was thinking I could run outside of him [after the restart], but he would roll through there so fast you could never get a run on him. I think he liked the bottom of [Turns] 1 and 2, but I could never get around on the bottom of [Turns] 1 and 2, so that was the right thing to do, to start on the top and leave me on the bottom -- for him."[20]

Truex was happy with his team's performance, "I'm so proud of the team – all the guys on the team and everybody at MWR. Clint (Bowyer) and Brian (Vickers) were up front all day long. This just says a lot about everything that everybody at MWR has done over the off season – working hard, giving us good race cars. We got off in the mid-part of the race, but had the race strategy at the end and a fast enough car to stay up there.”[21] Earnhardt regretted colliding with team-mate Jeff Gordon, “I’m mad because I screwed myself on pit road speeding. I’m pretty upset about that. Otherwise, I feel bad about running into Jeff’s car. I had a good day other than that. I had a good time. … I feel bad about what happened with Jeff, but damn, we were just racing."[22]

The race result left Biffle leading the Drivers' Championship with 157 points. Harvick, who finished eleventh, was second on 148, three ahead of Kenseth and nine in front of Truex Hamlin dropped to fifth with 137 points.[23] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford took over the lead with 25 points, Chevrolet, who were bumped to second, were on 24. Toyota remained third on 21, three points ahead of Dodge in fourth.[9] 7.307 million people watched the race on television.[4] The race took two hours, fifty-one minutes and fifty-two seconds to complete, and the margin of victory was 0.714 seconds.[2]

Results

Qualifying

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.324 125.215 1
22 A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 15.325 125.207 2
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.331 125.158 3
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.340 125.085 4
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 15.367 124.865 5
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 15.373 124.816 6
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 15.385 124.719 7
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.389 124.687 8
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.392 124.662 9
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.430 124.355 10
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.432 124.339 11
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 15.433 124.331 12
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.425 124.178 13
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.461 124.106 14
56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.461 124.106 15
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.474 124.002 16
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.480 123.953 17
10 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.491 123.866 18
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.491 123.866 19
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 15.495 123.834 20
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 15.516 123.666 21
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 15.532 123.538 22
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 15.541 123.467 23
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 15.547 123.419 24
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 15.547 123.419 25
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.566 123.269 26
51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 15.577 123.182 27
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 15.589 123.087 28
83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 15.594 123.047 29
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 15.601 122.992 30
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.604 122.968 31
33 Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.617 122.866 32
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 15.628 122.780 33
93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 15.638 122.701 34
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 15.646 122.638 35
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 15.648 122.623 36
26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 15.679 122.380 37
74 Reed Sorenson Turn One Racing Chevrolet 15.691 122.287 38
98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 15.732 121.968 39
49 J. J. Yeley Robinson-Blakeney Racing Toyota 15.750 121.829 40
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 15.765 121.713 41
23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 15.809 121.374 42
32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 15.907 120.626 43
Did Not Qualify
37 Timmy Hill Rick Ware Racing/Max Q Motorsports Ford 15.953 120.278 44
7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge – – WD1
40 Tony Raines Joe Falk/Mike Hillman Toyota - - WD
1 #7 team had to withdraw before Qualifying because of electrical issues with the engine.
Source:[24]

Race results

Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Led Points
1 5 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 500 232 4823
2 21 17 Matt Kenseth [Roush Fenway Racing Ford 500 45 431
3 15 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 500 0 41
4 16 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 500 0 40
5 25 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 500 125 401
6 33 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 0 38
7 17 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 500 0 37
8 30 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 500 0 36
9 22 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 0 35
10 11 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 0 34
11 14 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 500 0 33
12 3 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 500 0 32
13 1 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 500 41 321
14 23 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 500 0 30
15 18 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 500 2 301
16 9 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 498 0 28
17 2 22 A.J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 498 54 281
18 27 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 498 0 26
19 7 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 498 0 25
20 20 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 498 0 24
21 19 10 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 497 0 23
22 32 33 Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 496 0 22
23 31 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 496 0 21
24 6 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 496 0 20
25 24 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 496 0 19
26 26 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 496 0 18
27 34 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 496 0 17
28 36 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 495 0 16
29 29 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 495 0 15
30 40 49 J. J. Yeley Robinson-Blakeney Racing Toyota 493 0 14
31 39 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 492 0 13
32 13 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 423 0 12
33 43 32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 420 0 11
34 35 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 417 0 10
35 4 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 395 1 101
36 12 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 389 0 8
37 10 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 366 0 7
38 28 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 334 0 6
39 8 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 245 0 5
40 41 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 57 0 –
41 42 23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 26 0 3
42 38 74 Reed Sorenson Turn One Racing Chevrolet 17 0 –4
43 37 26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 16 0 1
Source:[2][25]
1 Includes one bonus point for leading a lap
2 Includes two bonus points for leading the most laps
3 Includes three bonus points for winning the race
4 Ineligible for championship points

Standings after the race

References

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  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 18.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.


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