Photo Credit: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images for NASCAR |
After 53 years of Sunday Daytona 500, NASCAR drivers, teams and fans could be forgiven for expecting the 500-mile event at the Daytona International Speedway would be resolved by the time many go back to work on Monday. Unfortunate for the 2012 running of the “Great American Race”, ended a long motorsport streak by postponing the classic stock car event on the 2.5-mile superspeedway oval for the first time ever.
Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR |
After another yellow flag thrown on lap 14 for a spinning Ryan Newman (now major damage was sustained to his #39 Chevy), the race began to demonstrate advantages and perils of pack racing in the draft. After Lap 17, Denny Hamlin (who started 31st position in the Daytona 500 following a disastrous finish in his Duel 150 event) led continuously for 24 laps. Unseating the #11 Toyota of Hamlin from the lead was the #31 Chevrolet belonging to Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton. Green flag pit stops would cause the front position to be swapped with Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart until they pitted to return lead to Burton. A caution for debris would end 49 laps of green flag racing at Daytona International Speedway (a caution-free streak that would become the longest in the 2012 Daytona 500).
Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR |
Photo Credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images for NASCAR |
With 35 laps to go in the Daytona 500, the fight was on for the race’s Harley Earl Trophy. Matt Kenseth commanded the drafting pack waiting for the laps to count down. In three multi-car accidents in the final 21 laps consumed several frontrunners of the Daytona 500. Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Regan Smith and AJ Allmendinger were removed from contention either in the garage area or marching wounded on the race track. The #5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Kasey Kahne was also caught in a lap 189 crash. With three out of four Rick Hendrick cars out of front-running position, the #88 Chevrolet of Dale Earnhardt Jr was the organization’s only chance at victory. On the final restart during a green-white-checkered period, Earnhardt Jr made a substantial fight to push the #16 Ford of Greg Biffle past the leading #17 car. Despite a hit pressing bump draft through the final two laps of the event, there was not enough pace to pass Matt Kenseth.
Photo Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Imags |
After 202 laps (a race distance extended 2 laps due to the final green-white-checkered finish), the #17 Best Buy Ford of Matt Kenseth stormed across the start/finish line winning the 2012 Daytona 500. The 22nd win for Kenseth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and second Daytona 500 victory, the #17 car win is also Roush Fenway Racing’s 300th win within the top-3 NASCAR series (Sprint Cup, Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series).
Unable to push Greg Biffle to the lead, Dale Earnhardt Jr successfully passed the #16 car for second place. The 2012 race becomes Earnhardt Jr’s third runner-up finish in the Daytona 500 (His father finished second five times in the “Great American Race“). Biffle, Denny Hamlin and Jeff Burton rounded out the top-5 for the 2012 Daytona 500. Racing to a sixth place finish, Paul Menard scaled from a 37th place starting position to insert himself between Richard Childress Racing teammates Burton and Kevin Harvick. Michael Waltrip Racing also earns honourable mention with Mark Martin placing tenth behind the wheel of the #55 Toyota in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Clint Bowyer finishing 11th after in-race troubles. Both veteran drivers were making first point-paying race drives for Michael Waltrip‘s race team.
In 2009, Matt Kenseth won the rain-shortened Daytona 500 event after completing 152 of the scheduled 200 laps. One of only four times a Daytona 500 race was cut due to weather, that instance had NASCAR declaring the event as over in a relatively short time span. Kenseth's 2012 Daytona win in what was a marathon NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season opener would definitely make-up for that premature Daytona 500 running in 2009.
2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Daytona International Speedway
Daytona 500
Race Results
- 17 Matt Kenseth Best Buy Ford
- 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet
- 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
- 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
- 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
- 27 Paul Menard Menards/Peak Chevrolet
- 29 Kevin Harvick Budweiser Chevrolet
- 99 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
- 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
- 55 Mark Martin Aaron's Toyota
- 15 Clint Bowyer 5-hour Energy Toyota
- 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
- 9 Marcos Ambrose Stanley Ford
- 47 Bobby Labonte Kroger Toyota
- 36 Dave Blaney Ollie's Bargain Outlet Chevrolet
- 14 Tony Stewart Office Depot/Mobil 1 Chevrolet
- 18 Kyle Busch M&M's Brown Toyota
- 32 Terry Labonte C&J Energy Ford
- 26 Tony Raines Front Row Motorsports Ford
- 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford EcoBoost Ford
- 39 Ryan Newman U.S. ARMY/Quicken Loans Chevrolet
- 83 Landon Cassill Burger King Toyota
- 38 David Gilliland MHP/Power Pak Pudding Ford
- 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row/CSX Play It Safe Chevrolet
- 13 Casey Mears GEICO Ford
- 93 David Reutimann Burger King Toyota
- 33 Elliott Sadler General Mills/Kroger Chevrolet
- 87 Joe Nemechek AM FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota
- 5 Kasey Kahne Farmers Insurance Chevrolet
- 98 Michael McDowell No.98 KLOVE/Curb Records Ford Ford
- 1 Jamie McMurray Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats Chevrolet
- 2 Brad Keselowski Miller Lite Dodge
- 43 Aric Almirola Smithfield Helping Hungry Homes Ford
- 22 AJ Allmendinger Shell Pennzoil Dodge
- 21 Trevor Bayne Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford
- 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
- 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota
- 10 Danica Patrick GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
- 51 Kurt Busch Hendrickcars.com Chevrolet
- 24 Jeff Gordon Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
- 7 Robby Gordon MAPEI/Menards/SPEED Energy Dodge
- 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe's Chevrolet
- 34 David Ragan Scorpion Truck Bedliners Ford