| Race details[1][2][3][4] | |
|---|---|
| Date | February 23, 2012 |
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) |
| Distance | Race 1: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) Race 2: 60 laps, 150 mi (240 km) |
| Avg Speed | Race 1: 159.104 miles per hour (256.053 km/h) Race 2: 194.175 miles per hour (312.494 km/h) |
| Weather | Temperatures up to 86 °F (30 °C); wind speeds up to 28 miles per hour (45 km/h)[5] |
| Race 1 | |
| Pole position | Carl Edwards – Roush Fenway Racing |
| Most laps led | Denny Hamlin – Joe Gibbs Racing – (27) |
| Winner | Tony Stewart – Stewart-Haas Racing |
| Race 2 | |
| Pole position | Greg Biffle – Roush Fenway Racing |
| Most laps led | Greg Biffle – Roush Fenway Racing – (40) |
| Winner | Matt Kenseth – Roush Fenway Racing |
| Television | |
| Network | Speed |
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds |
The 2012 Gatorade Duels were a pair of stock car races held on February 23, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 60-lap races, which drew 80,000 spectators, served as qualifiers for the 2012 Daytona 500, the premier event of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Stewart-Haas Racing's Tony Stewart won the first race, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. second, and Marcos Ambrose third. Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth won the second race, marking Kenseth's and his team's first victory in the Gatorade Duels. Regan Smith took second and Jimmie Johnson was third.
Carl Edwards led the first race from pole position on the first lap but shared the lead Stewart for the next three laps. Following that, Earnhardt took the lead on the fifth lap and held it until a caution period for a multi-car accident on lap nine. Denny Hamlin gained the lead on lap 15, but Stewart reclaimed it a lap later. With a pass on Stewart on the 17th lap, Hamlin reclaimed the lead and held it until his pit stop 26 laps later. Stewart took the lead on lap 43 and held it for the next 17 laps and two caution periods to win the first Gatorade Duel. There were three cautions and eight lead changes among five different drivers in the first race.
Greg Biffle was the early leader in the second race. Kenseth passed Biffle on the fourth lap for the lead. On the 13th lap, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch overtook him for the first two places. Biffle had passed Kyle Busch by lap 23 and retained the lead until his pit stop 14 laps later. Kenseth attempted a race-winning slingshot with three laps remaining in the race, overtaking Biffle when the final lap began, and he maintained it to win the second Gatorade Duel. There were five lead changes among five different drivers, and no cautions were given throughout the second race.