2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Winners

Author:
SI Staff
Publish date:
Nov 18, 2012

2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Winners

Brad Keselowski -- 2012 Sprint Cup Champion

Brad Keselowski clinched the Sprint Cup title at Homestead after five-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson pulled out of the season-finale race because of a parts failure. The 28-year-old Keselowski claimed the first championship for longtime NASCAR owner Roger Penske and grabbed a title for car manufacturer Dodge, which is leaving the Sprint Cup series after the season. The championship was Keselowski's first-career title.

Kevin Harvick -- AdvoCare 500

Kevin Harvick wrapped up a wild day filled with both wrecks and fights by taking the checkered flag at Phoenix, snapping a 44-race winless streak. Brad Keselowski finished sixth to regain the points lead with only one race remaining after a wreck by Jimmie Johnson stifled the five-time champion to a 32nd-place finish. Meanwhile, Jeff Gordon intentionally wrecked Clint Bowyer to spark a brawl in the garage late in the race.

Jimmie Johnson -- AAA Texas 500

After leading for 168 laps, Jimmie Johnson took advantage of a final restart to overtake Brad Keselowski and win at Texas Motor Speedway. The victory was Johnson's second straight from the pole and boosted his Chase points lead to seven over Keselowski with only two races remaining.

Jimmie Johnson -- Tums Fast Relief 500

Jimmie Johnson opted to take a late pit stop for tires and surpassed Brad Keselowski at the green flag to take the win at Martinsville, Johnson's seventh victory at the track in his career. With the win, Johnson took over the Sprint Cup points standings, leading Keselowski by only two points.

Matt Kenseth -- Hollywood Casino 400

Matt Kenseth edged out Martin Truex Jr. to win at Kansas, picking up his second victory of the Chase. The newly repaved Speedway saw a season-high 14 cautions and had drivers scrambling just to survive.

Clint Bowyer -- Bank of America 500

In a race where it was who could play the fuel-mileage game and not who had the fastest car, Clint Bowyer picked up his third win of the year. He grabbed the lead with 30 laps to go and moved up to fourth in the points standings as drivers hit the midway point in the Chase.

Matt Kenseth -- Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500

In the fourth Chase race of the season, Matt Kenseth finished under caution to take the victory at Talladega after avoiding a massive 25-car wreck. Aiming to hold on for the win, Tony Stewart sparked the massive pileup as his car was sent careening into the field after he chopped in front of Michael Waltrip on lap 189.

Brad Keselowski -- AAA 400

Brad Keselowski conserved fuel over a closing 79-lap green-flag run to earn his fifth victory of the season and and second of the Chase, to climb atop the standings. It was Keselowski's first win in six starts at the Monster Mile.

Denny Hamlin -- Sylvania 300

After running out of fuel at Chicagoland the week before, Denny Hamlin predicted on Twitter that he would bounce back with a win at New Hampshire. He did just that. Despite starting 32nd, Hamlin dominated the field to earn a 2.675-second victory over second-place finisher Jimmie Johnson. The win marked Hamlin's fifth Sprint Cup victory of the year and 22nd of his career.

Brad Keselowski -- GEICO 400

Brad Keselowski kicked off the Chase for the Championship with his first Sprint Cup victory at Chicagoland Speedway. Keselowski took the lead from five-time champion Jimmie Johnson on a pit cycle with 35 laps remaining and held on for the victory, which pushed Keselowski to the top spot of the Sprint Cup points standings.

Clint Bowyer -- Federated Auto Parts 400

Clint Bowyer won the rain-delayed race at Richmond, and Jeff Gordon drove his way into the title picture by grabbing the last wild-card berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. He rallied from a mid-race spin to pick up his second win of the season. The night also belonged to Gordon, who struggled most of the race but pulled off a big-time rally to beat Kyle Busch by three points for the final spot in the 12-driver Chase field.

Denny Hamlin -- Advocare 500

Denny Hamlin won his second straight Sprint Cup race, holding off Jeff Gordon in a green-white-checkered finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hamlin took the series victory lead with four, putting him in position to top the standings when the 12-drive Chase starts.

Irwin Tools Night Race -- Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin won for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway with a calculated late pass. Hamlin flirted with Carl Edwards for the lead late in the race, and set up his move with 39 laps remaining Saturday night. Hamlin used a slide move to get past Edwards, then held on as Edwards tried to use a cross-over move to get back in front. Jimmie Johnson finished second and clinched a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also locked down spots in the 12-driver field.

Pure Michigan 400 -- Greg Biffle

Biffle was the big beneficiary when Jimmie Johnson had engine trouble with six laps left. Biffle took over the lead as Johnson headed for the garage, edged Brad Keselowski to win and moved into the Sprint Cup points lead. Kasey Kahne was third and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fourth. Johnson dropped from first to fourth in the standings.

Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen -- Marcos Ambrose

Marcos Ambrose made it two consecutive wins at Watkins Glen as he passed Brad Keselowski heading into the final turn to win a wild last-lap showdown. The Australian has never finished lower than third in five career Sprint Cup starts on the New York road course.

Pennsylvania 400 -- Jeff Gordon

Jeff Gordon took advantage of an accident sparked by teammate Jimmie Johnson and a touch of timely rain at Pocono Raceway to win his first race of the season. The race was called with 98 of the 160 scheduled laps completed. Gordon earned his 86th career victory.

Brickyard 400 -- Jimmie Johnson

Jimmie Johnson joined Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon as the only NASCAR drivers to win four times at Indianapolis Motor Speedway as he led 99 of 160 laps to take the Brickyard 400. It was Johnson's third victory of the season, which ties him for the series lead.

Lenox Industrial Tools 301 -- Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne has won his second Sprint Cup race of the season by holding off Denny Hamlin. He took the lead from Hamlin during a restart on the 240th lap and was helped by miscommunication between Hamlin and his crew chief. It was Kahne's 14th win of his career and first since May 27 at Charlotte.

Coke Zero 400 -- Tony Stewart

Tony Stewart qualified second, but an illegal modification bumped him to 42nd. No matter as "Smoke" passed Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth on the final lap to win the July race at Daytona for the fourth time in his career. The victory was Stewart's third of the season and the 47th of his career.

Quaker State 400 -- Brad Keselowski

After wrecking his top car in practice earlier in the week, Brad Keselowski used his backup car to win the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway. Keselowski led the final 55 laps to become the first driver with three wins on the season, breaking out of a slump in which he failed to crack the top 10 in any of the previous four races.

Toyota/Save Mart 350 -- Clint Bowyer

Clint Bowyer raced to his first victory on a road course, and first with Michael Waltrip Racing, holding off Kurt Busch at Sonoma. Bowyer dominated Sunday's race, but defending race winner Busch was all over his bumper late. A caution with four laps remaining set up a final restart and overtime finish, and forced Bowyer to earn the victory. He raced side-by-side with Busch at the green flag, but cleared Busch and pulled away for the win.

Quicken Loans 400 -- Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced to his first Sprint Cup victory in four years, ending a 143-race winless streak Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. His win came almost exactly four years to the day after his last trip to Victory Lane in a Cup race.

FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks -- Jimmie Johnson

Johnson led 289 of the 400 laps to earn his seventh career win at Dover, tying Richard Petty and Bobby Allison for the most all time. It was also the third consecutive trip to Victory Lane for Hendrick Motorsports in a points race, and the fourth straight win overall.

Pocono 400 -- Joey Logano

Joey Logano slipped under Mark Martin in the closing laps to take the checkered flag at Pocono for his first victory since 2009. The win also marked the first time in 31 races a Sprint Cup driver had won from the pole position.

Coca-Cola 600 -- Kasey Kahne

Kasey Kahne posted his first victory since joining Hendrick Motorsports in the offseason as he won his third Coca-Cola 600 and earned his fourth win over all Charlotte Motor Speedway.

All-Star Race -- Jimmie Johnson

Johnson claimed his third All-Star Race, tying Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon. He celebrated by taking team owner Rick Hendrick on a victory lap around Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Bojangles' Southern 500 -- Jimmie Johnson

After months of frustration, Johnson ended his own 16-race winless drought and gave Hendrick Motorsports its 200th victory as he pulled away on a green-white-checkered restart. It was the 56th career win for Johnson, all of which have come with HMS.

Aaron's 499 -- Brad Keselowski

After a nine-car accident with four laps remaining, Brad Keselowski got a huge push from Kyle Busch before holding him off to take the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. The victory was Keselowski's second of the season and team owner Roger Penske's first win at Talladega in the Sprint Cup Series.

Capital City 400 -- Kyle Busch

Able to surpass Tony Stewart off the final pit stop with 13 laps remaining, Kyle Busch held on the rest of the way to take the checkered flag at Richmond International Raceway. The victory was Busch's fourth consecutive win at Richmond's spring race and his first victory in 22 races.

STP 400 -- Denny Hamlin

Denny Hamlin held off hard-charging Martin Truex Jr. down the stretch to win at Kansas Speedway for the first time. Truex had dominated most of the race, but Hamlin had gone to the front when his car hooked up under the first sunshine of the afternoon. Truex mounted a comeback, diving low with a couple laps left, but he couldn't make the move stick and Hamlin pulled away.

Samsung Mobile 500 -- Greg Biffle

Trailing Jimmie Johnson with 30 laps remaining at Texas Motor Speedway, Greg Biffle slide under Johnson and held on to take the checkered flag at the Samsung Mobile 500. Biffle's victory snapped a 49-race winless streak and was the driver's first win since Kansas in October 2010. Biffle led 90 laps of the fast-paced race, which featured a record 234 laps of consecutive green-flag racing.

Goody's Fast Relief 500 -- Ryan Newman

After an accident created by Clint Bowyer with two laps remaining took out leaders Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman snuck past the three-wide wreck and won the Goody's Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. The victory was Newman's first in 23 races and his first-career checkered flag at Martinsville.

Auto Club 400 -- Tony Stewart

Rain shortened the Auto Club 400 at Fontana, Calif., but it couldn't dampen Tony Stewart's seventh victory in the last 15 races. Stewart, the reigning Sprint Cup champion, seized the lead from Kyle Busch on lap 85 and held it until NASCAR called the race on lap 129. It was the second victory in March for the notoriously slow starter.

Food City 500 -- Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski grabbed his first win of the season Sunday, holding off Matt Kenseth on a late restart to win at Bristol Motor Speedway. Keselowski led a career-best and race-high 231 laps, but battled back and forth with Kenseth for the final third of the race. Kenseth beat him on an earlier restart, and Keselowski had to chase him down to reclaim the lead.

Kobalt Tools 400 -- Tony Stewart

Timing the restart perfectly, Tony Stewart dove to the edge of the apron and ducked under the two cars in front of him. With one bold move, the defending Sprint Cup champion was on his way to a redemptive win. He made a three-wide pass on a late restart and held off Jimmie Johnson at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, winning at a track that was the site of his biggest disappointment last season.

Subway Fresh Fit 500 -- Denny Hamlin

In just his second race under new crew chief Darian Grubb, Denny Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick to take the checkered flag at Phoenix. Hamlin's 18th career victory came at the site of his 2010 collapse, where his title hopes were dashed due to poor fuel strategy. This time, Harvick was the one who ran out of gas, clearing the way for Hamlin's win.

Daytona 500 -- Matt Kenseth

After storms delayed the race to Monday for the first time in Daytona history, Matt Kenseth outlasted the field to win his second Daytona 500 despite fuel and radio issues. The race featured several crashes, including one of the most bizarre wrecks in NASCAR history. Juan Pablo Montoya crashed into a jet dryer, causing a massive fire on the track along with a two-hour delay. Once the race was resumed, Kenseth held off Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the victory.