2012 Brickyard 400

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2012 Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard
Race details[1][2]
Race 20 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2012 Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 logo.jpg
Date July 29, 2012 (2012-July-29)
Official name Crown Royal Presents the "Your Hero's Name Here" 400 at the Brickyard Powered By BigMachineRecords.com
Location Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana
Course Permanent racing facility
2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance 160 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather Clear with a high temperature around 88°F; wind out of the S at 5 mph.
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Time 49.244
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 99
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree

The 2012 Crown Royal Presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard, the 19th running of the event, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on July 29, 2012 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. Contested over 160 laps, was the twentieth race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Jimmie Johnson, of the Hendrick Motorsports racing team, won his third race of the season ahead of Kyle Busch in second. Greg Biffle finished in the third position.

Report[]

Background[]

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

Indianapolis Motor Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway.[3] The standard track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a four-turn rectangular-oval track that is 2.5 miles (4.0 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at 9 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, has no banking. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has none.[4] The racetrack has seats for 250,000 spectators.[5]

Before the race, Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 707 points, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. stood in second with 691. Greg Biffle was third in the Drivers' Championship with 667 points, eleven ahead of Jimmie Johnson and 39 ahead of Denny Hamlin in fourth and fifth. Kevin Harvick with 622 was four ahead of Tony Stewart, as Martin Truex, Jr. with 617 points, was three ahead of Clint Bowyer, and four in front of Brad Keselowski.[6] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with135 points, 25 ahead of Toyota. Ford, with 93 points, was thirteen points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.[7] Paul Menard is the defending winner of the race.[8]

In 2011, Crown Royal announced that they would move their sponsorship from Richmond International Raceway to Indianapolis to rename the Brickyard 400 to Crown Royal "Your Hero's Name Goes Here" 400 at the Brickyard.[9] Once the naming rights contest concluded, Curtiss Shaver, a firefighter from Troy, Alabama, was announced the winner, making the official race name for the 2012 race, the Crown Royal Curtiss Shaver 400 at the Brickyard.[10]

Indianapolis Motor Speedway also made changes to the garages in 2012 as part of the new format of having both a first and second tier series race at the Speedway. For the first time, the top 35 Cup teams would no longer use the traditional Gasoline Alley garages. Instead, the top teams in points would be parked in the "new" garages located on pit road used first for Formula One and later for MotoGP. NASCAR Inspection would be held in the pitside garages, and lower teams and the Nationwide Series (racing for the first time at Indianapolis) will use Gasoline Alley.[11]

Practice and qualifying[]

Denny Hamlin won the pole position with a time of 49.244

Two practice sessions were held before the race on July 28, 2012. The first session was 60 minutes long, while the second was 110 minutes.[12] Kasey Kahne was quickest with a time of 48.563 seconds in the first session, 0.478 faster than Mark Martin.[13] Jeff Gordon was third quickest, followed by Johnson, Keselowski, and Menard. Earnhardt, Jr. was seventh, still within a second of Kahne's time.[13] In the second and final practice session, Biffle was quickest with a time of 49.587 seconds.[14] Carl Edwards, with a time of 49.660, was second quickest, ahead of Joey Logano, Kahne, and Kenseth.[14] Johnson, Regan Smith, Gordon, Jeff Burton, and Hamlin completed the first ten positions.[14]

Forty-six cars were entered for qualifying, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[15] Hamlin clinched his first pole position at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with a time of 49.244 seconds.[16] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Edwards.[16] Logano qualified third, Aric Almirola took fourth, and Biffle started fifth.[16] Johnson, Kyle Busch, Menard, Gordon and Kenseth rounded out the top ten. The drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Reed Sorenson, Joe Nemechek, Michael McDowell.[16] McDowell's time was disallowed after his car failed inspection; Mike Bliss was awarded a spot in the field.[17]

Once the qualifying session had concluded, Hamlin stated, "We knew this was the turning point of the season. From Indy until Richmond is when you start seeing who's going to fight for a championship. Everyone's got their Chase cars prepared, bringing them to the track, and that's when you want to start running good. Every year with six to seven races before the Chase, we start running all out to see where we stack up against the field. If this is any indication, we hope it's 2010 all over with except the ending."[18]


Results[]

Qualifying[]

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.244 182.763 1
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.455 181.984 2
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.517 181.756 3
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 49.538 181.679 4
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.578 181.532 5
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.626 181.357 6
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.711 181.046 7
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 49.720 181.014 8
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.737 180.952 9
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.819 180.654 10
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 49.831 180.611 11
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 49.857 180.516 12
51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 49.865 180.487 13
78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 49.869 180.473 14
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.876 180.447 15
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 49.879 180.437 16
56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 49.880 180.433 17
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 49.892 180.390 18
55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 49.893 180.386 19
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 49.932 180.245 20
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 49.951 180.177 21
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 49.959 180.148 22
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 49.980 180.072 23
22 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 50.020 179.928 24
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 50.134 179.519 25
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 50.220 179.212 26
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 50.309 178.894 27
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 50.318 178.862 28
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 50.331 178.816 29
93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 50.408 178.543 30
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 50.418 178.508 31
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 50.424 178.486 32
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 50.443 178.419 33
95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 50.603 177.855 34
26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 50.635 177.743 35
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 50.667 177.630 36
33 Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 50.748 177.347 37
83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 50.750 177.340 38
79 Mike Skinner Go Green Racing Ford 50.878 176.894 39
23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Toyota 50.888 176.859 40
10 J. J. Yeley Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 50.985 176.523 41
32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 51.497 174.768 42
19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 51.084 176.180 43
Failed to Qualify
91 Reed Sorenson Humphrey Smith Racing Ford 51.250 175.610
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 51.387 175.142
98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 50.590 177.901^
Source:[16]
^ McDowell's time was disallowed after his car failed inspection.

Race results[]

Jimmie Johnson won his fourth Brickyard 400.
Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 6 48 Jimmie Johnson (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 48
2 7 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 160 43
3 5 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 160 42
4 20 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 40
5 9 24 Jeff Gordon (W) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 40
6 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 160 39
7 11 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 160 37
8 17 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 160 36
9 22 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 160 36
10 28 14 Tony Stewart (W) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 160 34
11 19 55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 160 33
12 15 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 160 32
13 27 29 Kevin Harvick (W) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 160 31
14 8 27 Paul Menard (W) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 160 30
15 33 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 160 29
16 24 22 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 160 0
17 18 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 160 0
18 14 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 160 26
19 4 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 160 25
20 23 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 160 24
21 12 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 160 23
22 16 1 Jamie McMurray (W) Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 160 22
23 32 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 160 21
24 26 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 160 20
25 38 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 160 20
26 29 47 Bobby Labonte (W) JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 160 19
27 31 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 160 17
28 36 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 160 16
29 2 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 156 15
30 42 32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 156 14
31 37 33 Stephen Leicht (R) Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 154 13
32 21 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 151 12
33 3 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 144 11
34 25 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 137 10
35 10 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 132 10
36 13 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 126 8
37 30 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 40 7
38 34 95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 23 6
39 41 10 J. J. Yeley Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 20 5
40 35 26 Josh Wise (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 19 4
41 40 23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Toyota 14 3
42 39 79 Mike Skinner Go Green Racing Ford 11 2
43 43 19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 5 0
Source:

Standings after the race[]

References[]

  1. ^ "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  2. ^ Brown, Brian (July 24, 2012). "The Crown Royal 400". RotoWorld.com. NBC Sports. Archived from the original on July 27, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  3. ^ "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on February 7, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "NASCAR Tracks—The Indianapolis Motor Speedway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  5. ^ "Indianapolis Motor Speedway Fun Facts". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Archived from the original on October 7, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Driver's Championship Classification". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Manufactures' Championship Classification". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on November 30, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  8. ^ "Paul Menard wins Brickyard 400". ESPN. Associated Press. August 4, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  9. ^ "Crown Royal to sponsor Brickyard 400". ESPN. July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  10. ^ "Crown Royal Unveils Honorary Yard of Bricks in Troy, Ala., Awarding Local Firefighter Naming Rights To NASCAR Race At Historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. July 18, 2012. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
  11. ^ "Super Weekend at the Brickyard Notebook". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. July 24, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  12. ^ "Race Info Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  14. ^ a b c "Practice Two Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  15. ^ "Qualifying Entry List". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c d e "Race Official Lineup". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved July 28, 2012.
  17. ^ Denny Hamlin captures pole
  18. ^ Ryan, Nate (July 28, 2012). "Confident Denny Hamlin captures first Brickyard pole". USA Today. Indianapolis, Indiana. Retrieved July 28, 2012.


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