2012 Sprint Cup Series

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Brad Keselowski won the 2012 Sprint Cup Series Championship
Duration	February 27, 2012 through November 18, 2012
TV	Fox; TNT; ESPN/ABC
Season statistics
No. of races	36
First race	2012 Daytona 500
Last race	2012 Ford EcoBoost 400
Drivers' champion	Brad Keselowski
Manufacturers' champion
Rookie of the Year	Stephen Leicht
Most popular driver	Dale Earnhardt, Jr
Previous	2011
Next	2013

The 2012 Sprint Cup Series was the 64th season of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 27 and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18.

Greg Biffle led the points standings from the third through thirteenth race of the season, and again from the 23^rd through 26^th race of the season. Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jimmie Johnson would also lead the regular season points standings. When the Chase began, Denny Hamlin was seeded first, followed by Johnson, Tony Stewart, and Brad Keselowski, with Clint Bowyer and Greg Biffle seeded fifth, and Kenseth and Earnhardt Jr. seeded seventh.

Brad Keselowski won the first race of the Chase at Chicagoland and the third race at Dover. Keselowski would hold the points lead until Martinsville, where Johnson would take the points lead with a win. At Texas, Johnson would win again, but Keselowski finished second, maintaining the distance between first and second in points. At Phoenix, Keselowski would finish sixth while Johnson encountered trouble and finished 32^nd. Entering the final race of the season, Keselowski held a 20 point lead over Johnson. At the Ford EcoBoost 400, Keselowski would finish 15^th, while Johnson would fall out of the race with mechanical troubles with 43 laps to go, thus ensuring Keselowski would win his first championship in his third full time season. It was Penske Racing’s first Cup Championship and Dodge’s fifth and final championship, as Dodge announced it would leave the Cup Series at the end of 2012.

It was the final season for the Car of Tomorrow, and the first time since 2004 that the Championship was won by someone other than Tony Stewart or Jimmie Johnson. NASCAR Sprint Cup cars began using electronic fuel injection during the 2012 season, moving away from Carburetors, which were used since the series began in 1949. Additionally, the ability to have radio communication between multiple drivers and spotters was banned at all tracks in an effort to break up the two-car-tandem style drafting that had become dominant at restrictor plate tracks.

Full Time Teams

Manufacturer	Team	Number	Driver	Sponsor
	Earnhardt Ganassi Racing	1	Jamie McMurray	Bass Pro Shops McDonald's
		42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Target
	Furniture Row Racing	78	Regan Smith (30) Kurt Busch (6)	Furniture Row
	Hendrick Motorsports	5	Kasey Kahne	Farmers Insurance Hendrickcars.com
		24	Jeff Gordon	AARP Drive to End Hunger DuPont Finishes
		48	Jimmie Johnson	Lowe's
		88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (34) Regan Smith (2)	Diet Mountain Dew National Guard
	Phoenix Racing	51	Kurt Busch (29) A.J. Allmendinger (4) Regan Smith (2) David Reutimann (1)	Hendrickcars.com Phoenix Construction
	Richard Childress Racing	27	Paul Menard	Menards
		29	Kevin Harvick	Budweiser Rheem
		31	Jeff Burton	Caterpillar
	Richard Childress Racing Circle Sport	33	Stephen Leicht *(21) Cole Whitt (5) Brendan Gaughan (4) Tony Raines (2) Jeff Green (1) Hermie Sadler (1) Elliott Sadler (1) Austin Dillon (1)
	Stewart-Haas Racing	14	Tony Stewart	Office Depot Mobil 1
		39	Ryan Newman	U.S. Army Quicken Loans
	Tommy Baldwin Racing Stewart-Haas Racing	10	David Reutimann (21) Danica Patrick (10) J.J. Yeley (2) Dave Blaney (1) Tony Raines (1) Tomy Drissi (1)	Accel Construction GoDaddy
	Tommy Baldwin Racing	36	Dave Blaney (32) Tony Raines (3) J.J. Yeley (1)
	Penske Racing	2	Brad Keselowski	Miller Lite
		22	A.J. Allmendinger (17) Sam Hornish, Jr. (19)	Shell-Pennzoil AAA
	FAS Lane Racing	32	Ken Schrader (13) Reed Sorenson (6) T.J. Bell (5) Terry Labonte (4) Timmy Hill (3) Boris Said (2) Mike Bliss (1) Jason White (1) Mike Olsen (1)	U.S. Chrome Federated Auto Parts
	Front Row Motorsports	26	Josh Wise *(35) Tony Raines (1)	MDS Trucking
		34	David Ragan
		38	David Gilliland	Long John Silver's
	Germain Racing	13	Casey Mears	GEICO
	Phil Parsons Racing	98	Michael McDowell (33) David Mayhew (1) Mike Skinner (2)	K-Love
	Richard Petty Motorsports	9	Marcos Ambrose	Stanley Tools/DeWalt
		43	Aric Almirola	Smithfield U.S. Air Force
	Roush Fenway Racing	16	Greg Biffle	3M
		17	Matt Kenseth	Best Buy Ford EcoBoost
		99	Carl Edwards	Fastenal
	BK Racing	83	Landon Cassill	Burger King
		93	Travis Kvapil (34) David Reutimann (2)	Burger King Dr. Pepper
	Swan Racing	30	David Stremme (34) Brian Simo (1) Patrick Long (1)
	Joe Gibbs Racing	11	Denny Hamlin	FedEx
		18	Kyle Busch	M&M's/Mars Incorporated
		20	Joey Logano	Home Depot Dollar General
	JTG Daugherty Racing	47	Bobby Labonte	Kingsford Bush's Baked Beans Scott Products
	Michael Waltrip Racing	15	Clint Bowyer	5-Hour Energy
		55	Mark Martin (24) Brian Vickers (8) Michael Waltrip (4)	Aaron's
		56	Martin Truex, Jr.	NAPA
	NEMCO Motorsports	87	Joe Nemechek	AM-FM Energy

Major Part Time Teams

Manufacturer	Team	Number	Driver	Sponsor
[[Toyota| ]]	Robinson-Blakeney Racing	49	J.J. Yeley (19) Jason Leffler (6)
[[Toyota| ]] [[Chevrolet| ]]	R3 Motorsports	23	Robert Richardson (4) Scott Riggs (23)	North Texas Pipe
[[Toyota| ]] [[Ford| ]]	Humphrey Smith Racing	19	Mike Bliss (25) Chris Cook (2) Jason Leffler (1) Jeff Green (1)

Schedule

Round	Date	Race Name	Track	TV
	February 18, 2012	Budweiser Shootout	Daytona International Speedway	FOX
	February 23, 2012	Gatorade Duel 150s	Daytona International Speedway	SPEED Channel
1	February 26, 2012	Daytona 500	Daytona International Speedway	FOX
2	March 4, 2012	Subway Fresh Fit 500	Phoenix International Raceway	FOX
3	March 11, 2012	Kobalt Tools 400	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	FOX
4	March 18, 2012	Food City 500	Bristol Motor Speedway	FOX
5	March 25, 2012	Auto Club 400	Auto Club Speedway	FOX
6	April 1, 2012	Goody's Fast Relief 500	Martinsville Speedway	FOX
7	April 14, 2012	Samsung Mobile 500	Texas Motor Speedway	FOX
8	April 22, 2012	STP 400	Kansas Speedway	FOX
9	April 28, 2012	Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers	Richmond International Raceway	FOX
10	May 6, 2012	Aaron's 499	Talladega Superspeedway	FOX
11	May 12, 2012	Bojangles' Southern 500	Darlington Raceway	FOX
	May 19, 2012	Sprint All-Star Challenge	Charlotte Motor Speedway	SPEED Channel
12	May 27, 2012	Coca-Cola 600	Charlotte Motor Speedway	FOX
13	June 3, 2012	FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks	Dover International Speedway	FOX
14	June 10, 2012	Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR	Pocono Raceway	TNT
15	June 17, 2012	Quicken Loans 400	Michigan International Speedway	TNT
16	June 24, 2012	Toyota/Save Mart 350	Sonoma Raceway	TNT
17	June 30, 2012	Quaker State 400	Kentucky Speedway	TNT
18	July 7, 2012	Coke Zero 400	Daytona International Speedway	TNT
19	July 15, 2012	Lenox Industrial Tools 301	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	TNT
20	July 29, 2012	Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	ESPN
21	August 5, 2012	Pennsylvania 400	Pocono Raceway	ESPN
22	August 12, 2012	Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen	Watkins Glen International	ESPN
23	August 19, 2012	Pure Michigan 400	Michigan International Speedway	ESPN
24	August 25, 2012	Irwin Tools Night Race	Bristol Motor Speedway	ABC
25	September 2, 2012	AdvoCare 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	ESPN
26	September 8, 2012	Federated Auto Parts 400	Richmond International Raceway	ABC
Chase for the Sprint Cup
27	September 16, 2012	GEICO 400	Chicagoland Speedway	ESPN
28	September 23, 2012	Sylvania 300	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	ESPN
29	September 30, 2012	AAA 400	Dover International Speedway	ESPN
30	October 7, 2012	Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500	Talladega Superspeedway	ESPN
31	October 13, 2012	Bank of America 500	Charlotte Motor Speedway	ABC
32	October 21, 2012	Hollywood Casino 400	Kansas Speedway	ESPN
33	October 28, 2012	Tums Fast Relief 500	Martinsville Speedway	ESPN
34	November 4, 2012	AAA Texas 500	Texas Motor Speedway	ESPN
35	November 11, 2012	AdvoCare 500	Phoenix International Raceway	ESPN
36	November 18, 2012	Ford EcoBoost 400	Homestead-Miami Speedway	ESPN

Results

Round	Race	Pole Winner	Winner	Make	Cautions	Caution Laps	Average Speed	Number of Lead Changes
	2012 Budweiser Shootout	Martin Truex, Jr.	Kyle Busch		5	22	124.096	26
	2012 Gatorade Duel 150 (Race #1)	Carl Edwards	Tony Stewart		3	8	159.104	8
	2012 Gatorade Duel 150 (Race #2)	Greg Biffle	Matt Kenseth		0	0	194.175	5
1	2012 Daytona 500	Carl Edwards	Matt Kenseth		10	42	140.256	25
2	2012 Subway Fresh Fit 500	Mark Martin	Denny Hamlin		7	37	110.085	25
3	2012 Kobalt Tools 400	Kasey Kahne	Tony Stewart		8	33	137.524	16
4	2012 Food City 500	Greg Biffle	Brad Keselowski		5	49	93.037	13
5	2012 Auto Club 400	Denny Hamlin	Tony Stewart		1	5	160.166	9
6	2012 Goody's Fast Relief 500	Kasey Kahne	Ryan Newman		7	56	78.823	19
7	2012 Samsung Mobile 500	Martin Truex, Jr.	Greg Biffle		2	10	160.577	18
8	2012 STP 400	A.J. Allmendinger	Denny Hamlin		3	18	144.122	14
9	2012 Capital City 400 Presented by Virginia is for Lovers	Mark Martin	Kyle Busch		5	31	105.202	14
10	2012 Aaron's 499	Jeff Gordon	Brad Keselowski		5	24	160.192	34
11	2012 Bojangles' Southern 500	Greg Biffle	Jimmie Johnson		8	38	133.802	22
	2012 Sprint All-Star Challenge	Kyle Busch	Jimmie Johnson		6	10	92.045	7
12	2012 Coca-Cola 600	Aric Almirola	Kasey Kahne		5	23	155.687	31
13	2012 FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks	Mark Martin	Jimmie Johnson		7	32	122.835	17
14	2012 Pocono 400 Presented by #NASCAR	Joey Logano	Joey Logano		7	35	131.004	19
15	2012 Quicken Loans 400	Marcos Ambrose	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.		8	39	139.144	23
16	2012 Toyota/Save Mart 350	Marcos Ambrose	Clint Bowyer		2	7	83.624	8
17	2012 Quaker State 400	Jimmie Johnson	Brad Keselowski		4	24	145.607	17
18	2012 Coke Zero 400	Matt Kenseth	Tony Stewart		6	23	157.653	12
19	2012 Lenox Industrial Tools 301	Kyle Busch	Kasey Kahne		3	15	116.226	16
20	2012 Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400	Denny Hamlin	Jimmie Johnson		5	25	137.680	17
21	2012 Pennsylvania 400	Juan Pablo Montoya	Jeff Gordon		3	14	139.249	13
22	2012 Finger Lakes 355 at the Glen	Juan Pablo Montoya	Marcos Ambrose		4	13	98.145	10
23	2012 Pure Michigan 400	Mark Martin	Greg Biffle		8	35	144.662	26
24	2012 Irwin Tools Night Race	N/A	Denny Hamlin		13	87	84.402	22
25	2012 AdvoCare 500	Tony Stewart	Denny Hamlin		6	31	142.020	18
26	2012 Federated Auto Parts 400	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Clint Bowyer		6	41	100.019	17
27	2012 GEICO 400	Jimmie Johnson	Brad Keselowski		4	23	143.363	16
28	2012 Sylvania 300	Jeff Gordon	Denny Hamlin		4	17	116.810	17
29	2012 AAA 400	Denny Hamlin	Brad Keselowski		5	28	125.076	11
30	2012 Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500	Kasey Kahne	Matt Kenseth		5	17	171.194	54
31	2012 Bank of America 500	Greg Biffle	Clint Bowyer		5	23	154.935	20
32	2012 Hollywood Casino 400	Kasey Kahne	Matt Kenseth		14	66	115.086	16
33	2012 Tums Fast Relief 500	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson		11	64	77.677	22
34	2012 AAA Texas 500	Jimmie Johnson	Jimmie Johnson		9	49	136.117	20
35	2012 AdvoCare 500	Kyle Busch	Kevin Harvick		8	38	111.182	11
36	2012 Ford EcoBoost 400	Joey Logano	Jeff Gordon		3	17	142.245	19

Final Points Standings

Pos.	Driver	Races	Wins	Top 5s	Top 10s	Poles	Points	Difference
1	Brad Keselowski	36	5	13	23	0	2400
2	Clint Bowyer	36	3	10	23	0	2361	-39
3	Jimmie Johnson	36	5	18	24	4	2360	-40
4	Kasey Kahne	36	2	12	19	4	2345	-55
5	Greg Biffle	36	2	12	21	3	2332	-68
6	Denny Hamlin	36	5	14	17	3	2329	-71
7	Matt Kenseth	36	3	13	19	1	2324	-76
8	Kevin Harvick	36	1	5	14	0	2321	-79
9	Tony Stewart	36	3	12	16	1	2311	-89
10	Jeff Gordon	36	2	11	18	2	2303	-97
11	Martin Truex Jr	36	0	7	19	1	2299	-101
12	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	34	1	10	20	1	2245	-155
13	Kyle Busch	36	1	13	20	2	1133	-1,267
14	Ryan Newman	36	1	6	14	0	1051	-1,349
15	Carl Edwards	36	0	3	13	1	1030	-1,370
16	Paul Menard	36	0	1	9	0	1006	-1,394
17	Joey Logano	36	1	2	12	2	965	-1,435
18	Marcos Ambrose	36	1	3	8	2	950	-1,450
19	Jeff Burton	36	0	2	6	0	883	-1,517
20	Aric Almirola	36	0	1	4	1	868	-1,532
21	Jamie McMurray	36	0	0	3	0	868	-1,532
22	Juan Pablo Montoya	36	0	0	2	2	810	-1,590
23	Bobby Labonte	36	0	0	2	0	772	-1,628
24	Regan Smith	34	0	1	4	0	747	-1,653
25	Kurt Busch	35	0	1	5	0	735	-1,665
26	Mark Martin	24	0	4	10	4	701	-1,699
27	Travis Kvapil	35	0	0	1	0	638	-1,762
28	David Ragan	36	0	1	2	0	622	-1,778
29	Casey Mears	36	0	0	0	0	612	-1,788
30	David Gilliland	36	0	0	0	0	605	-1,795
31	Landon Cassill	36	0	0	0	0	598	-1,802
32	A.J. Allmendinger	21	0	1	3	1	453	-1,947
33	Dave Blaney	34	0	0	0	0	417	-1,983
34	David Reutimann	25	0	0	0	0	373	-2,027
35	Brian Vickers	8	0	3	5	0	250	-2,150
36	David Stremme	28	0	0	0	0	236	-2,164
37	Michael McDowell	30	0	0	0	0	187	-2,213
38	J.J. Yeley	24	0	0	0	0	166	-2,234
39	Josh Wise	30	0	0	0	0	147	-2,253
40	Ken Schrader	13	0	0	0	0	146	-2,254
41	Stephen Leicht	15	0	0	0	0	126	-2,274
42	Scott Speed	17	0	0	0	0	124	-2,276
43	Michael Waltrip	4	0	0	1	0	94	-2,306
44	Terry Labonte	4	0	0	0	0	94	-2,306
45	Tony Raines	7	0	0	0	0	71	-2,329
46	Scott Riggs	20	0	0	0	0	56	-2,344
47	Brendan Gaughan	4	0	0	0	0	50	-2,350
48	Boris Said	2	0	0	0	0	34	-2,366
49	Bill Elliott	2	0	0	0	0	14	-2,386
50	Hermie Sadler	1	0	0	0	0	13	-2,387
51	Mike Olsen	1	0	0	0	0	11	-2,389
52	Robby Gordon	3	0	0	0	0	11	-2,389
53	Mike Skinner	4	0	0	0	0	10	-2,390
54	Kelly Bires	3	0	0	0	0	9	-2,391
55	Tomy Drissi	1	0	0	0	0	6	-2,394
56	Stacy Compton	1	0	0	0	0	5	-2,395
57	David Mayhew	1	0	0	0	0	4	-2,396
58	Patrick Long	1	0	0	0	0	2	-2,398

^{Only Cup Series points-eligible drivers shown. Drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup are highlighted in yellow.}

Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.

Rookie of the Year

Stephen Leicht won the Rookie of the Year Award for 2012.

Position	Driver	Points	Wins
1	Stephen Leicht	126	0
2	Josh Wise	111	0

Manufacturer's Standings

With 15 wins, Chevrolet won the Manufacturer's Championship for 2012.

Position	Make	Points	Race Wins
1		249	15
2		213	10
3		174	6
4		156	5