| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 15 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 2012 Quicken Loans 400 program cover | |||
| Date | June 17, 2012 | ||
| Location | Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn, Michigan | ||
| Course | 2.0 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km) | ||
| Weather | Isolated thunderstorms with a high around 89; wind out of the SSW at 9 mph[4] | ||
| Average speed | 139.144 mph (223.931 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 82,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Richard Petty Motorsports | ||
| Time | 35.426 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 95 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Adam Alexander, Kyle Petty, Wally Dallenbach Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
The 2012 Quicken Loans 400 was the 15th stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on June 17, 2012, in Brooklyn, Michigan, at Michigan International Speedway, before a crowd of 82,000 people. The track is a superspeedway that holds NASCAR races. Hendrick Motorsports driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the 200-lap race starting from 17th place. Tony Stewart of the Stewart-Haas Racing team finished in second, and Roush Fenway Racing's Matt Kenseth was third.
Marcos Ambrose won his first career pole position by posting a new track record speed in qualifying. He led the first five laps until Greg Biffle passed him on the sixth lap. He led the next twenty laps before Ambrose retook it for another five laps afterward. Biffle retook the lead on lap 54, holding it until Ambrose re-passed him to return to the front of the field fifteen laps later. Earnhardt took the lead for the first time on the 70th lap, and he kept the position for a total of 95 laps, more than any other driver. At the race's final restart on 141, Earnhardt led through the final round of green flag pit stops to win the race. There were a total of eight cautions and 23 lead changes among 14 drivers during the event.
The victory was Earnhardt's first in 143 races, his second at Michigan International Speedway, and the 19th of his career. The result moved him to within four points of Drivers' Championship leader Kenseth. Biffle maintained third place, and Jimmie Johnson moved past Denny Hamlin in fourth place. Chevrolet maintained its lead in the Manufacturers' Championship with 105 points, 18 points ahead of Toyota, 28 points in front of Ford, and 44 points ahead of Dodge with 21 races left in the season. The race attracted 5,284,000 television viewers.
- ^ "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
- ^ "2012 Quicken Loans 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved January 24, 2019.
- ^ "The Race: Quicken Loans 400". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
- ^ Brown, Brian (June 17, 2012). "The Quicken Loans 400". Rotoworld.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
- ^ "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2015.