| Race details[1][2][3] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 27–28, 2012 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| Distance | 202 laps, 505 mi (812.718 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km) | ||
| Weather | Warm with temperatures approaching 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[4] | ||
| Average speed | 140.256 miles per hour (225.720 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 140,000 | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Fenway Racing | ||
| Time | 46.216 | ||
| Qualifying race winners | |||
| Duel 1 Winner | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Duel 2 Winner | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 57 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
| ||
The 2012 Daytona 500 was the first stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The 54th iteration of the event, it was held between February 27 and 28, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 140,000. Matt Kenseth driving for Roush Fenway Racing took the 202-lap race for his first win of the season and his second Daytona 500 victory. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second and Greg Biffle was third.
The race was scheduled for February 26 but heavy rain forced NASCAR officials to delay it until February 27 at 7:02 p.m. EST. Carl Edwards, who won the pole position by posting the fastest lap in qualifying, was immediately passed by Biffle before the first turn. Biffle maintained this position until he was passed by Regan Smith on lap eleven. Denny Hamlin took over the lead after a second caution period and led the race for 57 laps, during which Biffle also led. Matt Kenseth assumed the first place on lap 146 and maintained it until a seventh caution period twelve laps later. The race was stopped for two hours and five minutes after Juan Pablo Montoya hit a jet dryer on lap 160, causing fuel to seep onto the track and catch fire. Kenseth regained the first position just before the lap 166 restart, and maintained it for the last thirty-eight laps to win the race.
The race had ten cautions and saw twenty-five lead changes by ten different drivers. The result gave Kenseth the Drivers' Championship lead with 47 points, five ahead of Earnhardt, Biffle, and Hamlin. Jeff Burton followed in fifth on 41 points. Ford led the Manufacturers' Championship with nine points, three ahead of Chevrolet in second. Toyota was third with four, and Dodge was fourth. The race attracted on average 13.69 million television viewers, with 36.5 million watching part or all of the race, making it the second most-watched 500 in history.
- ^ "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on April 21, 2012. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
- ^ "The Race: Daytona 500". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ^ "2012 Daytona 500". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ^ "Weather Information for Daytona Beach, Florida". Old Farmer's Almanac. Yankee Publishing. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 17, 2013.
- ^ "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.