2012 AAA Texas 500

2012 AAA Texas 500
Race details[1][2][3][4]
Race 34 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season

Simple line diagram of Texas Motor Speedway track layout
Date November 4, 2012 (2012-11-04)
Location Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 335 laps, 502.5 mi (808.695 km)
Weather Scattered showers with a temperature around 71 °F (22 °C); wind out of the NWN at 9 miles per hour (14 km/h).
Average speed 136.117 miles per hour (219.059 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Hendrick Motorsports
Time 28.261
Most laps led
Driver Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 168
Winner
No. 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network ESPN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree

The 2012 AAA Texas 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on November 4, 2012, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval, it was the thirty-fourth race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the eighth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season. Jimmie Johnson of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his fifth win of the season. Brad Keselowski finished second while Kyle Busch was third.

Report

Background

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

Texas 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 Charlotte Motor Speedway.[5] The standard track at Texas Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[6] 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 has a five degree banking.[6] The racetrack has seats for 191,122 spectators.[6]

Before the race, Jimmie Johnson led the Drivers' Championship with 2,291 points, and Brad Keselowski stood in second with 2,289 points.[7] Clint Bowyer followed in third with 2,265 points, three points ahead of Kasey Kahne and twenty-three ahead of Denny Hamlin in fourth and fifth.[7] Jeff Gordon with 2,237 was nine points ahead of Martin Truex, Jr., as Matt Kenseth with 2,226 points, was four points ahead of Greg Biffle and six ahead of Tony Stewart.[7] Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was eleventh and twelfth with 2,203 and 2,151 points, respectively.[7]

In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 222 points, twenty-five points ahead of Toyota.[8] Ford, with 164 points, was twenty-one points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.[8] Stewart is the defending race winner after winning the event in 2011.[9]

Practice and qualifying

Jimmie Johnson won the pole position, his fourth of the 2012 season.

Three practice sessions are scheduled to be held before the race; the first on Friday, which lasted 90 minutes. The second and third are both scheduled on Saturday afternoon with the first being 50 minutes long, while the second is scheduled for 60.[10] Truex, Jr. was quickest with a time of 28.310 seconds in the first session, 0.044 seconds faster than Mark Martin.[11] Keselowski was just off Martin's pace, followed by Bowyer, Stewart, and Aric Almirola. Kenseth was seventh, still within a half of a second of Truex's time.[11]

Forty-six cars were entered for qualifying, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.[12] Johnson clinched the twenty-ninth pole position of his career and fourth of the season, with a time of 28.261 seconds.[3][13] He was joined on the front row of the grid by Biffle.[13] Kyle Busch qualified third, Bowyer took fourth, and Truex, Jr. started fifth.[13] Joey Logano, Trevor Bayne, Keselowski, Carl Edwards and Kenseth rounded out the top ten[13] The three drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Stephen Leicht, Kelly Bires, and David Stremme.[13]

In the second practice session, Keselowski was fastest with a time of 28.888 seconds, one-hundredth of a second quicker than second-placed Johnson.[14] Hamlin took third place, ahead of Biffle, Edwards and Bowyer.[14] Kyle Busch only managed seventh place, while Stewart was only quick enough for eighth position.[14] In the third and final practice, Keselowski remained quickest with a time of 29.300 seconds.[15] Bowyer followed in second, ahead of Kenseth and Johnson.[15] Edwards was fifth quickest, with a time of 29.375 seconds.[15] Hamlin, Sam Hornish, Jr., Kyle Busch, A. J. Allmendinger, and Earnhardt, Jr. rounded out the first ten positions.[15]


Results

Qualifying

No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed Grid
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.261 191.076 1
16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.364 190.382 2
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.402 190.128 3
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.411 190.067 4
56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.422 189.994 5
20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.457 189.760 6
21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.480 189.607 7
2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 28.491 189.533 8
99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.500 189.474 9
17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.502 189.460 10
55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.527 189.294 11
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.530 189.274 12
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.573 188.990 13
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.575 188.976 14
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.583 188.923 15
24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.602 188.798 16
22 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 28.628 188.626 17
78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.663 188.396 18
88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.669 188.357 19
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 28.672 188.337 20
14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.717 188.042 21
31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.724 187.996 22
29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.757 187.780 23
1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.790 187.565 24
42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.810 187.435 25
51 A. J. Allmendinger Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 28.817 187.389 26
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.823 187.350 27
37 J. J. Yeley Max Q Motorsports Chevrolet 28.836 187.266 28
47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 28.842 187.227 29
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.899 186.858 30
95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 28.899 186.858 31
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.948 186.541 32
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.958 186.477 33
19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 28.959 186.471 34
26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.968 186.413 35
39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.975 186.368 36
98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 29.022 186.066 37
93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 29.053 185.867 38
91 Reed Sorenson Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 29.077 185.714 39
36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 29.204 184.906 40
83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 29.287 184.382 41
32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 29.696 181.843 42
87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 29.097 185.586 43
Failed to Qualify
33 Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 29.173 185.103
79 Kelly Bires Go Green Racing Ford 29.494 183.088
30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 30.568 176.655
Source:[13]

Race results

Pos Grid Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
11 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 335 48
28 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 335 43
33 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 335 42
410 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 335 41
521 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 335 39
64 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 335 38
719 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 335 37
818 78 Kurt Busch Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 335 36
923 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 335 35
102 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 335 34
116 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 335 33
1236 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 335 33
135 56 Martin Truex, Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 335 31
1416 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 335 30
1514 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 335 29
169 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 335 28
1717 22 Sam Hornish, Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 335 0
1824 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 335 26
1922 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 335 25
2012 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 335 24
2120 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 335 23
227 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 335 0
2338 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 335 22
2432 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 335 0
2513 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 334 19
2641 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 333 18
2727 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 332 17
2833 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 331 16
2911 55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 329 15
3031 95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 328 14
3142 32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 328 13
3215 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 310 12
3329 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 284 11
3425 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 279 10
3530 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 225 9
3636 39 Ryan Newman Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 107 8
3735 26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 41 7
3837 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 37 6
3940 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 37 5
4043 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 33 0
4134 19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 32 0
4228 37 J. J. Yeley Max Q Motorsports Chevrolet 10 2
4339 91 Reed Sorenson Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 6 0
Source:[4]

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings[16]
Pos Driver Points
1 Jimmie Johnson 2,339
2 Brad Keselowski 2,332 (–7)
3 Clint Bowyer 2,303 (–36)
4 Kasey Kahne 2,281 (–58)
3 5 Matt Kenseth 2,267 (–72)
6 Jeff Gordon 2,267 (–72)
2 7 Denny Hamlin 2,266 (–73)
2 8 Tony Stewart 2,259 (–80)
2 9 Martin Truex, Jr. 2,259 (–80)
1 10 Greg Biffle 2,256 (–83)
11 Kevin Harvick 2,238 (–101)
12 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2,188 (–151)

Manufacturers' Championship standings[8]
Pos Manufacturer Points
1 Chevrolet 231
2 Toyota 201 (–30)
3 Ford 167 (–64)
4 Dodge 149 (–82)
  • Note: Only the first twelve positions are included for the driver standings.

References

  1. "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  2. Brown, Brian (October 30, 2012). "The AAA 500". Rotoworld.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  3. 1 2 Ryan, Nate (November 3, 2012). "Jimmie Johnson on pole for Texas". USA Today. Retrieved November 3, 2012.
  4. 1 2 "2012 Official Race Results : AAA Texas 500". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  5. "Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Track Facts". Texas Motor Speedway. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "2012 Official Driver Standings: Tums Fast Relief 500". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 "2012 NASCAR Manufacturer Championship". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  9. "2011 AAA Texas 500". Racing-Reference.info. USA Today Sports Media Group. November 6, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
  10. "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. ESPN. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  11. 1 2 "Practice One Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  12. "Qualifying Order". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Race Lineup". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  14. 1 2 3 "Practice Two Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 4 "Practice Three Timing and Scoring". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  16. "2012 Official Driver Standings: AAA Texas 500". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
Previous race:
2012 Tums Fast Relief 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
2012 season
Next race:
2012 AdvoCare 500
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