2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series

American motorsport season November 2025 May 2019 NASCAR Nationwide Series 2012 2011 2013 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champions | Seasons thumb|Ricky Stenhouse Jr., the 2012 Nationwide Series champion. thumb|right|Elliott Sadler finished second behind Stenhouse in the championship by 23 points. thumb|Austin Dillon finished third in the championship, 24 points behind Stenhouse. He also won the Rookie of the year title. thumb|Chevy won the manufacturer's championship with 13 wins and 216 points. The 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series was the 31st season of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the second-tier professional stock car racing series sanctioned by NASCAR in the United States. The season included thirty-three races, down from thirty-four, and began with the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Chevrolet won the Manufacturer's Championship. Joe Gibbs won the Owners' Championship with the No. 18 car, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. of Roush Fenway Racing won the Drivers' championship with a sixth-place finish at the final race of the season. Teams and drivers Complete schedule TeamManufacturerNoRace driverCrew chiefJD Motorsports with Gary KellerChevrolet01Mike WallaceNewt Moore4Danny Efland 17 1, 6, 8–9, 11, 13, 15–18, 24, 26–27, 29–31, 33Patrick Magee 9 1–2, 4–10Carl Harr 1 3Thomas Efland 20 11–21, 24–31, 33Danny Efland 2 22, 32Matt Jones 1 23Daryl Harr 8 2–3, 5, 10, 20–22, 32Brad Teague 4 4, 12, 23, 28Matt Bell 1 14Jeremy Clements RacingJeremy Clements 2 19, 25Rusty Wallace RacingFordSteve Wallace 1 7Randy Hill RacingFord08Casey Roderick 3 1–2, 7George Ingram 29 1–29Clinton Cram 4 30–33Kyle Fowler 7 3–4, 6, 11, 19, 24, 29Tim Andrews 8 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, 23, 26Matt Frahm 3 9, 14, 17Tony Raines 1 13Bryan Silas 1 16Josh Richards 1 20Louis-Philippe Dumoulin 2 21–22Paulie Harraka 2 25, 32Mike Harmon 1 27Danny Efland 1 28Scott Saunders 2 30–31Jeffrey Earnhardt 1 33Richard Childress RacingChevrolet2Elliott SadlerLuke Lambert3Austin Dillon (R)Danny Stockman 32 1–16, 18–33Gil Martin 1 1733Tony Stewart 1 1Ernie CopeKevin Harvick 13 2, 4, 7–8, 11, 15–17, 23–25, 29, 31Brendan Gaughan 10 3, 5, 9–10, 18, 20, 22, 27, 32–33Paul Menard 7 6, 13, 19, 21, 26, 28, 30Ty Dillon 1 12Max Papis 1 1451Ty Dillon 2 19, 25Ricky PearsonJeremy Clements RacingJeremy Clements 31 1–18, 20–24, 26–33Roush Fenway RacingFord6Ricky Stenhouse Jr.Mike KelleyJR MotorsportsChevrolet7Danica PatrickTony Eury Jr. 26 1–26Ryan Pemberton 7 27–3388Cole Whitt (R)Tony Eury Sr. 5 1–5Bruce Cook 28 6–33TriStar MotorsportsToyota10Jeff Green 22 1–8, 14–19, 21–26, 30, 32Todd Myers 29 1–19, 21–30Paul Clapprood 3 20, 31, 33Eddie Pardue 1 32Tony Raines 1 9Kevin Lepage 4 10–13Mike Bliss 3 20, 31, 33Charles Lewandoski 3 27–2914Eric McClure 28 1–8, 14–33Wes WardJeff Green 5 9–1319Tayler Malsam 26 1–20, 22–27Eddie Pardue 29 1–29Paul Clapprood 2 30, 32John Quinn 2 31, 33Alex Popow 1 21Mike Bliss 4 28–30, 32Hal Martin 2 31, 3344Mike Bliss 26 1–19, 21–27Paul Claprood 28 1–19, 21–29John Quinn 1 30Jeff Green 2 28–29Hal Martin 1 30Tommy Baldwin RacingChevroletJohn Blankenship 4 20, 31–33Brad Parrott 4 20, 31–33Joe Gibbs RacingToyota11Brian ScottKevin Kidd 32 1–24, 26–33Adam Stevens 1 25 18Denny Hamlin 12 1–2, 6–7, 9, 11, 15, 19, 24–25, 29, 31Matt Lucas 19 1–2, 6–7, 9–11, 14–20, 22, 24–25, 29, 31Adam Stevens 14 3–5, 8, 12–13, 21, 23, 26–28, 30, 32–33Mark Martin 1 3Joey Logano 13 4–5, 8, 12–13, 16, 21, 23, 26, 28, 30, 32–33Michael McDowell 4 10, 14, 20, 22Ryan Truex 2 17–18Drew Herring 1 27Penske RacingDodge12Sam Hornish Jr.Chad Walter 32 1, 3–33Jeremy Bullins 1 222Brad Keselowski 21 1–9, 11, 13, 15–17, 19, 21, 23–24, 26, 29, 32Jeremy Bullins 32 1, 3–33Chad Walter 1 2Parker Kligerman 3 10, 12, 18Jacques Villeneuve 2 14, 22Ryan Blaney 7 20, 25, 27–28, 30–31, 33R3 MotorsportsChevrolet23Robert Richardson Jr. 16 1, 3, 5–8, 11, 16, 19, 23–25, 29–31, 33Greg Conner 18 1, 3, 5–8, 11, 14, 16, 21–25, 29–31, 33Jason Miller 15 2, 4, 9–10, 12–13, 15, 17–20, 26–28, 32Bill Prietzel 1 14Dexter Stacey 2 21–22Corrie Stott RacingJamie Dick 14 2, 4, 9–10, 12–13, 15, 17–18, 20, 26–28, 32RAB Racing with Brack MaggardToyota24John Wes Townley 1 8Howard Bixman 1 1Dave Fuge Jr. 6 2–5, 7, 19Dave Fuge 1 6Benny Gordon 20 8–17, 20–22, 25–26, 28, 30–33Jamie Lathrop 1 18Jason Sciavicco 1 23Chris Bohlman 3 24, 27, 29Kenny Wallace 1 19SR2 MotorsportsToyotaChevroletTanner Berryhill 1 7Benny Gordon (R) 11 1–6, 18, 23–24, 26–27Casey Roderick 6 9–11, 14, 16Tim Bainey Jr. 1 12Angela Ruch 1 13Jamie Mosley 1 15Amber Cope 1 17Scott Saunders 1 20Tim Connolly 1 21Derek White 4 22, 25, 30, 32Blake Koch 1 28David Starr 3 29, 31, 33Turner MotorsportsChevrolet30James Buescher 20 1–5, 7–9, 11–13, 15–16, 18–19, 24–25, 27, 29–30Trent Owens 22 1–22Mike Hillman Jr. 11 23–33Steve Arpin 2 6, 10Nelson Piquet Jr. 2 14, 23Jamie McMurray 1 17Jason Leffler 2 20, 32Miguel Paludo 1 21Alex Tagliani 1 22Alex Bowman 2 26, 28Ryan Newman 1 31Dakoda Armstrong 1 3331Justin AllgaierJimmy Elledge38Kasey Kahne 15 1–4, 6–7, 9, 11, 17, 19, 21, 23–24, 28, 32Mike Shiplett 23 1–22, 24Trent Owens 10 23, 25–33Brad Sweet (R) 18 5, 8, 10, 12–16, 18, 20, 22, 25–27, 29–31, 33Go Green RacingRick Ware RacingFordChevrolet39Joey Gase (R) 6 1–5, 20Clinton Cram 28 1–18, 20–29Timothy Farrell Jr. 1 19George Ingram 4 30–33Kelly Bires 1 6Matt Frahm 1 7Josh Richards 13 8–18, 23, 27Jeffrey Earnhardt 2 19, 29Matt Bell 1 21Tim Andrews 3 22, 28, 31Matt Carter 1 24Dexter Stacey 5 25–26, 30, 32–33The Motorsports GroupChevrolet40Josh Wise 1 1Gary ShowalterErik Darnell 31 2–20, 22–33J. J. Yeley 1 2142Erik Darnell 1 1Mike Sroufe 23 1–23Geoffrey Chapman 10 24–33Josh Wise 26 2–9, 11–13, 15–17, 19, 21, 23–26, 28–33Matt Frahm 2 10, 27Tim Schendel 2 14, 20Blake Koch 2 18, 2246Chase Miller 31 1–11, 13–20, 22–33Ben Williams 4 1–3, 5Jacob Richardson 29 4, 6–33Matt DiBenedetto 2 12, 2147Scott Speed 12 1–9, 11–12, 15Clint Myrick 5 1–3, 5–6Bobby Burrell 1 4Chris Bohlman 24 7–23, 25–27, 30–33J. C. Stout 1 24James Russell 2 28–29Tim Schendel 1 10Matt DiBenedetto 5 13–14, 20, 22, 27Stephen Leicht 6 16–19, 21, 23J. J. Yeley 8 24–26, 29–33T. J. Bell 1 28ML MotorsportsChevroletDodge70Johanna Long (R) 21 1, 3–4, 6–8, 10–11, 13, 15–16, 18–20, 23, 25–27, 30–31, 33Mark GutekunstCharles Lewandoski 1 2Derrike Cope 1 9Robinson-Blakeney RacingDavid Green 1 5Tony Raines 7 12, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28–29Joe Nemechek 1 22Rick Ware RacingTimmy Hill 1 32FordChevrolet41Blake Koch 5 1–5Chris Wright 7 1–6, 28George Church 23 7–15, 17–27, 30–31, 33Jeff Spraker 1 16Ryan Southall 2 29, 32Timmy Hill 21 6–22, 25, 27–29Fain Skinner 2 23–24Juan Carlos Blum 3 26, 31, 33Nur Ali 1 30Noel Dowler 1 32Richard Petty MotorsportsFord43Michael AnnettPhilippe LopezHamilton Means RacingChevrolet52Reed Sorenson 1 1Timothy BrownTim Schendel 8 2–6, 13, 18–19Kevin Lepage 4 7–9, 15Joey Gase 15 10–12, 16–17, 23–27, 29–33Ryan Ellis 3 14, 21–22Justin Jennings 2 20, 28Kyle Busch MotorsportsToyota54Kyle Busch 22 1–5, 8, 11, 16–19, 21–24, 26, 28–33Mike BeamKurt Busch 11 6–7, 9–10, 12–15, 20, 25, 27MacDonald MotorsportsDodgeToyota81Jason Bowles (R)John MonsamNEMCO MotorsportsToyota87Joe Nemechek 30 1–13, 15–20, 23–33Gary CogswellSacred Power MotorsportsAlex Kennedy 3 14, 21–22RAB Racing with Brack MaggardToyota99 Ran as #09 in first 6 races before switching to No. 99 starting at Spring RichmondKenny Wallace 12 1–5, 8, 13, 15, 26, 30–31, 33Scott Zippadelli 32 1–17, 19–33Mike Greci 1 18Ryan Truex 3 6, 25, 28John Wes Townley 4 12, 16, 23, 29Victor Gonzalez Jr. 2 14, 21Brett Moffitt 1 20Patrick Carpentier 1 22Alex Bowman 2 27, 32Michael Waltrip RacingTravis Pastrana 8 7, 9–11, 17–19, 24Source: 2012 Team Chart http://jayski.com/nationwide/2012/2012nationwide-chart.htm Jayski October 16, 2011 November 8, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111108120918/http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2012/2012nationwide-chart.htm dead Limited schedule TeamManufacturerNoRace driverCrew chiefRoundsSR2 MotorsportsChevroletToyota00Angela RuchChris Wright 3 11, 21, 24Kevin Eagle 8 23, 25, 28–33Wayne Southard 2 26–272 11, 29Derek White1 21Blake Koch8 23–26, 30–33Tanner Berryhill1 27Michael McDowell1 28Phoenix RacingChevrolet1Kurt BuschNick Harrison4 1, 8, 16, 19R3 MotorsportsChevrolet03Scott RiggsStephen Gonzalez1 31JR MotorsportsChevrolet5Dale Earnhardt Jr.Bruce Cook 2 1, 4Tony Eury Sr. 5 6, 8, 14, 21–224 1, 4, 6, 8Ron Fellows3 14, 21–22Regan SmithRex Stump1 33Team SLRChevrolet8Scott Lagasse Jr.Brad Parrott 1 27Gene Nead 1 30Tommy Baldwin Jr. 1 333 27, 30, 33RAB Racing with Brack MaggardToyota09Kenny WallaceScott Zipadelli1 18Jennifer Jo Cobb RacingDodge13Jennifer Jo CobbEddie Troconis 2 2–3Steve Kuykendall 2 30–314 2–3, 30–31Rick Ware RacingFordChevrolet15Timmy HillGeorge Church 5 1, 4, 6, 16, 29Ron Utter 1 5Chris Wright 2 7–8Ken Glen 1 9Ryan Southall 3 10, 27, 33Keith Plaza 5 12–13, 15, 17–18Carl Long 1 19Timothy Farrell Jr. 4 20–23Sterling Laughlin 2 24, 26Stephen Steffy 2 25, 28Bryan Honeycutt 1 325 1, 23–24, 26, 33Jeffrey Earnhardt3 4, 8, 16Scott Riggs3 5, 7, 19Blake Koch6 6, 9–10, 12–13, 15Charles Lewandoski1 17Carl Long3 18, 27, 32Dusty Davis1 20Chris Cook2 21–22Matt Carter1 25Kelly Bires1 28Stanton Barrett1 2971Matt CarterStephen Steffy 3 12–13, 29Sterling Laughlin 3 17, 20, 23Timothy Farrell Jr. 1 18Carl Long 1 24Bryan Honeycutt 2 25–26George Church 1 28Chris Wright 1 303 12, 18, 29Michael Guerity1 13Scott Riggs2 17, 26Carl Long5 20, 23–25, 28Timmy Hill1 3075Scott RiggsTimothy Farrell Jr. 8 6–10, 12–13, 17Ryan Southall 3 23, 25, 28Stephen Steffy 3 26–27, 31Carl Long 1 29Ken Glen 1 339 6, 9, 12–13, 23, 25, 28–29, 33Blake Koch2 7–8Michael Guerity1 10Matt Carter3 17, 26–27Carl Long2 30, 32Timmy Hill1 31SunEnergy1 RacingToyotaKenny HabulRandy Cox 2 14, 21Jason Overstreet 1 223 14, 21–22Vision RacingToyota17J. J. YeleyAdrian Berryhill 3 7, 15, 25Patrick Donahue 1 181 7Tanner Berryhill3 15, 18, 25Joe Gibbs RacingToyota20Joey LoganoAdam Stevens 12 1–2, 6–7, 9–11, 16, 19–20, 29, 31Matt Lucas 8 4, 8, 12–13, 21, 28, 32–33Kevin Kidd 1 259 1–2, 6–7, 9, 11, 19, 29, 31Ryan Truex5 4, 8, 12, 21, 33Bubba Wallace4 10, 20, 25, 28Michael McDowell1 13Clint Bowyer1 16Brian Vickers1 32Richard Childress RacingChevrolet21Joey CoulterHarold Holly2 11, 33Young RacingDodge26John YoungEd Ash3 14, 21–22GC Motorsports InternationalFordDodge27David RaganWayne Grubb2 1, 6J. J. Yeley4 2–4, 28Andrew Ranger2 22, 33Robinson-Blakeney RacingChevroletDodge28J. J. YeleyMike Chance 4 1–4Jeff Spraker 1 51 1David Green1 2Derrike Cope1 3Kevin Lepage2 4–5Tony RainesJay Robinson2 26, 30Turner MotorsportsChevrolet32Miguel PaludoMike Hillman Jr.1 14Tommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet36Ryan TruexBrad Parrott1 1Ryan Blaney6 7, 9, 15, 19, 23, 29Bobby Santos III1 16MAKE MotorsportsChevroletToyota50T. J. BellMark Zakalowski 5 1–5Bobby Burrell 22 6–20, 23–25, 27–29, 3122 1–20, 29, 31David Starr5 23–25, 27–28NDS MotorsportsDodge53Eric CurranMike Olsen2 21–22Team Kelley RacingChevrolet59Kyle KelleyRobert Rucker3 14, 21–22Roush Fenway RacingFord60Trevor BayneChad Norris 5 1–5Scott Graves 4 21–23, 256 1–5, 23Carl Edwards1 21Billy Johnson1 22Travis Pastrana1 25James Carter RacingToyota72John JacksonJames Malone 3 5–6, 10Kevin Eagle 2 15, 245 5–6, 10, 15, 24CFK MotorsportsChevrolet73Derrike CopeDave Fuge Jr. 1 1Dom Turse 1 4Bobby Burrell 1 323 1, 4, 32Mike Harmon RacingChevrolet74Mike HarmonDaniel Kolanda22 1–3, 5, 7–13, 16–20, 24–26, 28, 30, 32David Reutimann1 4Kevin Lepage1 6Scott Riggs1 15Rick Crawford1 23David Green1 29Ray Hackett RacingFord76Donnie NeuenbergerBobby Burrell1 1MacDonald MotorsportsDodge82Blake KochDoug Howe1 16Deware Racing GroupFord86Kevin LepageThomas Legeman 1 17Rick Markle 8 19, 23, 25, 27–29, 31–329 17, 19, 23, 25, 27–29, 31–32Shepherd Racing VenturesChevrolet89Morgan ShepherdGary Raven 23 1, 3–15, 17–21, 23–26Willard Clark 1 2William Farrow Jr. 1 27David Farrow Jr. 1 28Lucas Bowman 5 29–3331 1–15, 17–21, 23–33TriStar MotorsportsToyota91Jeff GreenTodd Myers3 20, 31, 33Tony Raines1 32NEMCO MotorsportsToyota97Johnny SauterMike Boerschinger1 1Joe Nemechek1 21Biagi-DenBeste RacingFord98Reed SorensonScott Plattenberger 6 11, 15, 24, 29, 31, 33Jon Hanson 1 195 11, 15, 19, 24, 29Kevin Swindell2 31, 33 Team changes Discontinued/Suspended operations Kevin Harvick closed his team and transferred its cars, crew, and points over to Richard Childress Racing. Unable to secure a sponsor for the #66 Toyota driven by Steven Wallace, Rusty Wallace announced on January 6 that his Nationwide Series team Rusty Wallace Racing would be placed on hiatus and had released driver Michael Annett. After running a partial schedule in 2011, Team Rensi Motorsports moved to the K&N Pro Series East with development driver Mark Ballas. Started operations Tommy Baldwin Racing returns to the Nationwide Series, fielding a #36 Chevrolet in 6 events for Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney's son, Ryan Blaney, as well as one race appearances by K&N East Series champion Ryan Truex and Modified driver Bobby Santos III. Kyle Busch Motorsports announced on January 19 that driving duties would be split between Kyle Busch and his brother Kurt. Notably, Kyle ran in the Nationwide Series only for KBM, and drove 22 races while Kurt drove the other 11. Driver changes Driver changes Danica Patrick raced full-time in 2012 driving the No. 7 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports after running a part-time schedule in 2010 and 2011. Tayler Malsam raced full-time in 2012 driving the No. 19 Toyota for TriStar Motorsports, replacing Mike Bliss. 2011 ROTY runner-up Blake Koch moved to Rick Ware Racing, replacing Carl Long who drove the car for most of 2011. However, his sponsorship dried up after ESPN denied them ad time, and Koch left RWR. Kasey Kahne and USAC driver Brad Sweet split the driving duties of the No. 38 Chevrolet for Turner Motorsports. Sweet contested Rookie of the Year and ran 18 races while Kahne ran the other 15. After fielding the #39 Ford for multiple drivers in 2011, Go Green Racing announced on January 6 that Joey Gase would drive the team's #39 entry full-time and compete for Sunoco Rookie of the Year. After the shutdown of Rusty Wallace Racing, Michael Annett teamed up with Richard Petty Motorsports to run the #43 Ford full-time. Entering the series Travis Pastrana was to make his NASCAR debut with Pastrana-Waltrip Racing, running 7 races in 2011, beginning at Indianapolis.Travis Pastrana to make Nationwide Series debut at Indianapolis, lands sponsorship from Boost Mobile https://web.archive.org/web/20120307220105/http://www.scenedaily.com/news/articles/nationwideseries/Travis_Pastrana_to_make_Nationwide_Series_debut_at_Indianapolis_lands_sponsorship_from_Boost_Mobile.html March 7, 2012 SceneDaily.com However, due to injuries he sustained at X Games XVII, his debut was delayed until Richmond in April 2012. Austin Dillon moved up to the Nationwide Series to run for Rookie of The Year honors in 2012. Dillon drove a No. 3 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing. Cole Whitt was announced as the driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports on January 4, replacing Aric Almirola who moved up to the Sprint Cup Series with Richard Petty Motorsports. Johanna Long announced her move up to the Nationwide Series with ML Motorsports, driving their #70 Chevrolet for 22 races to compete for Rookie of the Year honors. On January 9, Phoenix Racing announced that its driver in the Nationwide Series, as in the Sprint Cup Series, would be Kurt Busch, who completed in Nationwide part-time. Ryan Blaney, son of Sprint Cup driver Dave Blaney, ran a limited schedule in the Nationwide Series, driving the team's No. 36 for 6 races. Former K&N West Series Champion Jason Bowles ran for Rookie of the Year with MacDonald Motorsports. Changed teams Exiting the series Aric Almirola left the series to drive in the # 43 RPM Sprint Cup Series full-time. Schedule No.Race titleTrackDate1DRIVE4COPD 300Daytona International Speedway, Daytona BeachFebruary 252Bashas' Supermarkets 200Phoenix International Raceway, PhoenixMarch 33Sam's Town 300Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las VegasMarch 104Ford EcoBoost 300Bristol Motor Speedway, BristolMarch 175Royal Purple 300Auto Club Speedway, FontanaMarch 246O'Reilly Auto Parts 300Texas Motor Speedway, Fort WorthApril 137Virginia 529 College Savings 250Richmond International Raceway, RichmondApril 278Aaron's 312Talladega Superspeedway, TalladegaMay 59VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200Darlington Raceway, DarlingtonMay 1110Pioneer Hi-Bred 250Iowa Speedway, NewtonMay 2011History 300Charlotte Motor Speedway, ConcordMay 26125-hour Energy 200Dover International Speedway, DoverJune 213Alliance Truck Parts 250Michigan International Speedway, BrooklynJune 1614Sargento 200Road America, Elkhart LakeJune 2315Feed the Children 300Kentucky Speedway, SpartaJune 2916Subway Jalapeño 250Daytona International Speedway, Daytona BeachJuly 617F. W. Webb 200New Hampshire Motor Speedway, LoudonJuly 1418STP 300Chicagoland Speedway, JolietJuly 2219Indiana 250Indianapolis Motor Speedway, SpeedwayJuly 2820U.S. Cellular 250Iowa Speedway, NewtonAugust 421Zippo 200 at The GlenWatkins Glen International, Watkins GlenAugust 1122NAPA Auto Parts 200Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, MontrealAugust 1823Food City 250Bristol Motor Speedway, BristolAugust 2424NRA American Warrior 300Atlanta Motor Speedway, HamptonSeptember 125Virginia 529 College Savings 250Richmond International Raceway, RichmondSeptember 726Dollar General 300Chicagoland Speedway, JolietSeptember 1527Kentucky 300Kentucky Speedway, SpartaSeptember 2228OneMain Financial 200Dover International Speedway, DoverSeptember 2929Dollar General 300Charlotte Motor Speedway, ConcordOctober 1230Kansas Lottery 300Kansas Speedway, Kansas CityOctober 2031O'Reilly Auto Parts ChallengeTexas Motor Speedway, Fort WorthNovember 332Great Clips 200Phoenix International Raceway, AvondaleNovember 1033Ford EcoBoost 300Homestead-Miami Speedway, HomesteadNovember 17Source:2012 Schedule http://jayski.com/nationwide/2012/2012nationwideschedule.htm October 16, 2011 Jayski.com October 17, 2011 https://web.archive.org/web/20111017175454/http://www.jayski.com/nationwide/2012/2012nationwideschedule.htm dead Schedule changes NASCAR Realignment#Nationwide Series NASCAR Realignment The Richmond 250 was moved to the weekend before the Aaron's 312. The Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 and History 300 were moved to precede the 5-hour Energy 200. The Indianapolis weekend race, originally held at Lucas Oil Raceway, was moved to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as part of "Super Weekend at the Brickyard." The Feed The Children 300 was moved to precede the Subway Jalapeño 250. Dover Motorsports removed both races from the Nashville Superspeedway. The Dollar General 300 was moved to precede the Kansas Lottery 300. Kentucky Speedway removed the IndyCar race from its schedule and replaced it with a second Nationwide race: a 300-mile event in September. The Truck undercard race continued. Season summary The Nationwide Series started its 2012 season at Daytona. The race was dominated by a mix of tandem and pack drafting. On the final lap, Kurt and Kyle Busch attempted to block the tandem of Joey Logano and Trevor Bayne. When the Busch brothers moved up to block, it resulted in a 10 car collision that wrecked most of the top 10. Part-time Nationwide driver James Buescher sailed through the wreck and scored his first series win. Heading to Phoenix, Kevin Harvick dominated the race, leading 90 laps. On the final pitstop, teammate Sadler got two tires and managed to hold off a charging Brad Keselowski for his first Nationwide win in 14 years. Heading to Las Vegas, defending champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. held off veteran Mark Martin for his first win of the season. The next week at Bristol, polesitter Logano dominated the race, leading 119 laps. But Elliott Sadler, on the advice of crew chief Luke Lambert, stayed out during the final round of pit stops and held off Kasey Kahne for his second win in four races. In California, Logano won back-to-back poles, but held off Stenhouse for his first win of the season. Following the off week, teams returned to racing at Texas. There, Stenhouse and Paul Menard were the class of the field, with Menard leading 100 laps. However, Stenhouse rallied from a poor early pitstop and held off Menard for his second win of the season. At Richmond, Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Virginia native Denny Hamlin dominated the race, but Busch would hold off Hamlin to take the first Nationwide win for Kyle Busch Motorsports. The following week at Talladega, a multi-car crash on the last lap forced a red flag. On the restart, Joey Logano edged Cup teammate Kyle Busch by 0.034 seconds to take his second win of the year. At Darlington, Hamlin dominated the race, leading 102 laps. However, a push from Keselowski on a green-white-checkered restart sent Logano to the lead and to his second consecutive win. At Iowa, points leader Stenhouse once again dominated, leading 209 of 250 laps to easily claim his third consecutive Iowa win. At Charlotte, Keselowski stayed out during the final round of pit stops, going 73 laps on a single tank of fuel to claim his first win of the season. At Dover, Logano dominated the race and held off teammates Ryan Truex and Brian Scott to grab the win. thumb|right|The Sargento 200 at Road America in June Following the second off weekend, the series returned to action at Michigan, where Logano once again dominated the race, holding off Buescher to grab his second consecutive victory. The following week at Road America, Nelson Piquet Jr. dominated the race from pole, grabbing his first Nationwide win and becoming the first Brazilian to win in one of NASCAR's top three divisions. At Kentucky, Austin Dillon dominated the race, easily holding off the field to take his first career Nationwide win and becoming the first rookie winner since Juan Pablo Montoya. Dillon took over the points lead, but lost it after failing post-race inspection. When the series returned to Daytona, multiple Big Ones took out most of the contenders. However, Kurt Busch stayed out front and pulled a last lap pass on Joey Logano to take his second win of the season. The series headed to Chicago, where Stenhouse dominated most of the day, but a decision to stay out when the leaders pitted on lap 130 cost him later. On lap 166, Stenhouse pitted, handing the lead to points leader Sadler. Sadler managed to hold off both Stenhouse and Illinois native Justin Allgaier on a green-white-checkered to take his third win of the season and win the Nationwide Dash 4 Cash bonus. The series made its inaugural trip to the Brickyard, where points leader Sadler led after Kyle Busch was involved in a late wreck. However, NASCAR officials penalized Sadler for allegedly jumping the final restart, sending him back to 16th. Cup regular Keselowski took the lead and held off teammate Sam Hornish Jr. to give owner Roger Penske his first stock car win at Indy. At the second race in Iowa, polesitter Elliott Sadler rebounded from the disappointment at Indy and held off Justin Allgaier to grab his fourth win of the season. Heading up north to Watkins Glen, Keselowski dominated the race, but Carl Edwards, making a one-off appearance, passed Keselowski with 10 to go and held on for his first win of the season. The series headed north of the border for its final road course race at Montreal. Jacques Villeneuve dominated the race, but was forced to conserve fuel over two green-white-checkered finishes. On the second attempt, Justin Allgaier pulled a bump and run on Villeneuve on the final lap to take his first win of the year. Action resumed at the newly reconfigured Bristol. Harvick led the race for 98 laps, seeking the No. 33 team's first win of the year. However, he ran out of fuel during a caution on lap 238, handing the lead to Joey Logano. Logano would then hold off Stenhouse for the victory. At Atlanta, Harvick dominated the race, leading 157 laps. However, a late caution for a crash by Mike Bliss, Buescher, and Kyle Fowler bunched up the field. On the ensuing restart, Stenhouse made a last lap pass on Harvick to take the win. The following week at Richmond, Harvick would make up for the losses and dominated the race, leading 141 laps en route to his first win of the season. Returning to Chicagoland, Stenhouse rallied from an incorrect adjustment on the final pit stop to pass Kyle Busch with 20 to go to take his fifth win of the season as well as the points lead. At Kentucky, polesitter Austin Dillon took advantage of a fast final pitstop to get in front of the field, holding off Hornish to sweep the Kentucky races and put himself back in the championship hunt. The series returned to Dover, where Logano once again dominated the race, leading 184 of 200 laps en route to his 7th win of the year and the season sweep at the "Monster Mile". Returning to Charlotte, the race was dominated by Cup regulars Keselowski, Logano, and Harvick. The final 30 laps were a fuel mileage race, where Logano, who pitted with 14 to go, retook the lead with 6 to go, rolling to his series high 8th win of the season. At a repaved Kansas, Stenhouse rallied from 2 laps down as well as mid-race contact with Logano to beat Kyle Busch on a green-white-checkered restart to grab his sixth win of the year. At the penultimate race in Phoenix, Logano dominated the race, holding off teammate Brian Vickers on a green-white-checkered finish to score his 9th win of the season while Stenhouse extended his points lead after Sadler crashed late in the race. At the season finale at Homestead, Regan Smith held off a dominant Kyle Busch to score his first Nationwide victory, while Stenhouse finished off his Nationwide Series career with a 6th-place finish and a second consecutive Championship. Results and standings Races No. Race Pole Position Most Laps Led Winning driver Winning manufacturer No. Winning Car Number Winning team 1 DRIVE4COPD 300 Danica Patrick Kurt Busch James Buescher Chevrolet 30 Turner Motorsports 2 Bashas' Supermarkets 200 Denny Hamlin Kevin Harvick Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 2 Richard Childress Racing 3 Sam's Town 300 Elliott Sadler Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 6 Roush Fenway Racing 4 Ford EcoBoost 300 Joey Logano Joey Logano Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 2 Richard Childress Racing 5 Royal Purple 300 Joey Logano Joey Logano Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 6 O'Reilly Auto Parts 300 Paul Menard Paul Menard Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 6 Roush Fenway Racing 7 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Kurt Busch Toyota 54 Kyle Busch Motorsports 8 Aaron's 312 Elliott Sadler Kyle Busch Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 9 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Denny Hamlin Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 10 Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 Elliott Sadler Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 6 Roush Fenway Racing 11 History 300 Joey Logano Kevin Harvick Brad Keselowski Dodge 22 Penske Racing 12 5-hour Energy 200 Ryan Truex Joey Logano Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 13 Alliance Truck Parts 250 Austin Dillon Paul Menard Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 14 Sargento 200 Nelson Piquet Jr. Nelson Piquet Jr. Nelson Piquet Jr. Chevrolet 30 Turner Motorsports 15 Feed the Children 300 Austin Dillon Austin Dillon Austin Dillon Chevrolet 3 Richard Childress Racing 16 Subway Jalapeño 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kurt Busch Kurt Busch Chevrolet 1 Phoenix Racing 17 F. W. Webb 200 Brad Keselowski Brad Keselowski Brad Keselowski Dodge 22 Penske Racing 18 STP 300 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 2 Richard Childress Racing 19 Indiana 250 Kasey Kahne Kyle Busch Brad Keselowski Dodge 22 Penske Racing 20 U.S. Cellular 250 Elliott Sadler Justin Allgaier Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 2 Richard Childress Racing 21 Zippo 200 at The Glen Sam Hornish Jr. Brad Keselowski Carl Edwards Ford 60 Roush Fenway Racing 22 NAPA Auto Parts 200 Alex Tagliani Jacques Villeneuve Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 31 Turner Motorsports 23 Food City 250 Trevor Bayne Kevin Harvick Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 24 NRA American Warrior 300 Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 6 Roush Fenway Racing 25 Virginia 529 College Savings 250 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 33 Richard Childress Racing 26 Dollar General 300 Joey Logano Joey Logano Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 6 Roush Fenway Racing 27 Kentucky 300 Austin Dillon Elliott Sadler Austin Dillon Chevrolet 3 Richard Childress Racing 28 OneMain Financial 200 Bubba Wallace Joey Logano Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 29 Dollar General 300 Elliott Sadler Joey Logano Joey Logano Toyota 20 Joe Gibbs Racing 30 Kansas Lottery 300 Joey Logano Paul Menard Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 6 Roush Fenway Racing 31 O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge Kyle Busch Kevin Harvick Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 33 Richard Childress Racing 32 Great Clips 200 Joey Logano Joey Logano Joey Logano Toyota 18 Joe Gibbs Racing 33 Ford EcoBoost 300 Kyle Busch Kyle Busch Regan Smith Chevrolet 5 JR Motorsports Drivers' standings List of NASCAR points scoring systems (key) Bold - Pole position awarded by time. Italics - Pole position set by final practice results or rainout. * – Most laps led. Pos Position Driver DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM Points 1 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 19 3 1* 6 2 1 4 3 6 1* 26 32 25 11 8 23 5 2* 9 5 4 12 2 1 2 1 17 9 7 1 4 3 6 1251 2 Elliott Sadler 3 1 3 1 9 12 6 10 24 2 5 7 11 15 9 6 7 1 15 1 12 4 5 4 12 8 5* 4 3 4 11 22 9 1228 3 Austin Dillon (R) 5 4 7 12 5 5 9 17 5 4 11 6 5 18 1* 4 3 6 5 15 23 9 4 6 6 3 1 10 6 2 6 6 5 1227 4 Sam Hornish Jr. 20 6 9 13 13 11 5 12 4 12 9 13 6 5 6 10 4 8 2 3 3 2 10 9 30 6 2 18 35 9 7 14 4 1146 5 Michael Annett 27 10 13 11 11 9 8 23 14 14 14 11 12 26 4 3 11 5 6 4 11 28 8 10 5 7 7 3 10 8 17 7 12 1082 6 Justin Allgaier 33 15 8 7 32 7 15 8 13 6 8 5 14 10 5 7 8 3 12 2* 9 1 30 5 13 11 8 30 34 7 8 11 11 1076 7 Cole Whitt (R) 4 13 6 16 21 13 19 4 10 7 28 14 4 9 14 29 18 9 17 19 24 33 6 8 14 14 6 6 13 5 12 29 10 994 8 Mike Bliss 39 16 15 15 17 16 17 18 15 15 12 33 13 13 17 8 13 12 11 20 14 13 13 22 15 13 18 11 36 13 18 13 19 902 9 Brian Scott 37 14 34 35 4 37 14 36 7 11 31 3 9 7 30 32 12 11 14 18 10 24 34 11 28 10 11 7 8 26 22 8 7 853 10 Danica Patrick 38 21 12 19 35 8 21 13 12 30 13 30 18 12 12 31 14 14 35 11 43 27 9 13 29 12 14 16 11 10 14 10 13 838 11 Joe Nemechek 23 24 20 30 19 17 13 19 11 19 29 19 15 18 22 19 13 18 16 27 30 11 14 8 16 27 17 17 12 20 16 18 816 12 Mike Wallace 28 32 17 23 18 19 24 28 30 21 15 18 20 19 31 36 15 16 20 25 18 7 17 17 21 19 20 21 23 21 24 19 26 749 13 Jason Bowles (R) 41 19 27 25 15 18 30 34 21 17 33 15 19 14 22 14 16 23 16 29 17 26 18 16 23 28 16 20 28 20 33 17 29 715 14 Jeremy Clements 25 22 21 20 20 29 33 29 33 23 18 10 31 25 21 11 17 22 10 21 19 25 33 15 24 30 15 27 19 35 16 33 22 701 15 Tayler Malsam 6 20 16 18 16 25 25 24 31 29 20 16 21 30 23 15 20 25 29 22 14 12 18 19 18 23 609 16 Eric McClure 22 28 25 27 26 24 31 27 INJ INJ INJ INJ INJ 21 26 18 22 24 24 31 26 19 27 21 26 25 22 26 22 15 21 20 27 559 17 Erik Darnell DNQ 26 35 21 24 23 35 14 29 18 27 27 22 23 25 21 40 30 38 27 16 35 20 18 22 24 31 21 17 25 37 35 558 18 Brad Sweet (R) 6 33 13 23 24 20 16 24 19 12 20 20 15 10 15 23 13 17 469 19 Timmy Hill 72 Wth2 28 26 21 16 25 19 31 26 22 32 9 21 18 23 30 35 36 25 33 31 33 29 24 33 38 39 27 DNQ 452 20 Johanna Long (R) 21 19 29 20 20 37 22 22 16 19 12 21 30 13 29 32 21 12 31 36 34 428 21 Danny Efland 13 31 16 20 35 27 34 13 29 32 19 27 30 35 31 14 28 31 327 22 Kenny Wallace 30 36 11 33 7 9 34 11 41 19 20 18 15 15 311 23 Ryan Truex 31 10 32 11 2 10 10 15 16 14 38 298 24 Jamie Dick 23 22 23 24 21 29 24 30 29 24 23 19 25 18 282 25 T. J. Bell 24 29 31 34 27 26 28 31 32 27 30 24 32 37 27 39 35 38 39 36 Wth 41 DNQ 43 258 26 Jeff Green 43 43 40 42 43 43 43 39 19 32 32 17 17 43 42 43 43 43 36 43 40 43 42 35 43 31 15 16 42 37 23 40 256 27 Josh Richards 30 25 34 34 22 30 31 20 16 24 20 34 19 21 256 28 Robert Richardson Jr. 35 24 21 34 34 26 39 17 31 24 31 22 20 39 27 33 248 29 Morgan Shepherd DNQ 38 22 DNQ 34 DNQ 36 35 22 31 37 29 33 36 35 Wth 32 34 DNQ 35 33 DNQ 34 DNQ 32 31 DNQ DNQ 32 DNQ 35 DNQ 239 30 Joey Gase (R) 29 25 37 36 23 33 25 26 37 27 32 31 43 DNQ 35 35 DNQ 19 31 DNQ 32 236 31 Blake Koch 17 31 18 38 25 36 39 DNQ 34 40 41 36 41 19 36 41 DNQ 36 371 36 22 36 38 39 39 230 32 Trevor Bayne 11 7 4 8 14 16 208 33 Travis Pastrana 22 17 26 24 31 17 13 26 17 204 34 Benny Gordon (R) 12 27 30 24 22 33 31 22 24 29 32 198 35 Kevin Lepage 31 33 42 27 43 35 41 43 39 42 36 33 40 20 33 34 34 26 40 34 175 36 Bubba Wallace 9 7 10 12 139 37 Casey Roderick (R) 36 17 23 40 20 21 32 27 136 38 Kyle Fowler 28 28 21 23 32 25 24 127 39 Reed Sorenson 34 16 13 33 32 12 124 40 Daryl Harr 33 26 28 28 33 30 23 28 123 41 Ron Fellows 3 5 5 120 42 Tim Schendel 30 29 37 29 27 42 35 42 33 28 39 113 43 Jeffrey Earnhardt 26 25 30 21 27 23 112 44 Chase Miller DNQ 41 39 40 38 39 42 41 41 43 40 38 40 39 40 38 40 41 42 42 43 38 42 42 39 38 37 43 DNQ 42 41 107 45 Mike Harmon DNQ 39 431 40 41 38 37 35 38 34 43 38 36 39 DNQ 37 39 DNQ 39 36 DNQ 41 36 106 46 Alex Bowman 17 25 19 15 100 47 Tim Andrews 36 32 37 40 38 37 17 41 43 29 35 100 48 Dexter Stacey 32 35 27 24 27 30 43 90 49 Jacques Villeneuve 6 3* 82 50 John Blankenship 23 26 25 36 66 51 Brad Teague 32 25 26 28 65 52 Derek White DNQ 18 34 29 31 64 53 Tanner Berryhill 29 28 26 35 38 64 54 Steve Arpin 10 16 62 55 Kenny Habul 16 20 34 62 56 Scott Lagasse Jr. 26 24 20 62 57 Matt Frahm 32 28 38 38 25 42 61 58 Kevin Swindell 9 21 59 59 Alex Kennedy 33 29 15 56 60 Victor Gonzalez Jr. 17 16 55 61 Kyle Kelley 35 21 21 55 62 Matt Carter 35 37 35 30 39 38 40 DNQ 54 63 Derrike Cope DNQ 32 DNQ 27 24 49 64 Carl Long 42 38 37 41 38 37 37 37 41 48 65 Hal Martin 25 30 30 47 66 Max Papis 4 41 67 Drew Herring 4 41 68 Juan Carlos Blum 26 29 37 40 69 Scott Saunders 28 34 32 38 70 Billy Johnson 8 36 71 Brett Moffitt 9 35 72 Steve Wallace 11 33 73 John Young 28 DNQ 31 29 74 Andrew Ranger 32 28 28 75 David Green 35 31 39 27 76 Angela Cope 36 28 43 25 77 Alex Tagliani 22 23 78 Fain Skinner 28 37 23 79 Matt DiBenedetto 42 41 41 41 41 40 41 21 80 Tim Connolly 25 19 81 Charles Lewandoski 34 39 43 43 42 19 82 Amber Cope 26 18 83 Matt Bell 34 36 18 84 Bill Prietzel 27 17 85 Eric Curran 34 37 17 86 Tim Bainey Jr. 28 16 87 Jamie Mosley 29 15 88 Patrick Carpentier 29 15 89 Stanton Barrett 29 15 90 Noel Dowler 32 12 91 Bobby Santos III 33 11 92 Nur Ali 33 QL 11 93 John Jackson 42 DNQ 36 DNQ 10 94 Michael Guerity 39 40 9 95 Louis-Philippe Dumoulin DNQ 38 6 96 Alex Popow 38 6 97 Chris Cook 374 39 5 98 Ryan Ellis 39 DNQ DNQ 5 Donnie Neuenberger DNQ 0 Ineligible for Nationwide championship points Pos Position Driver DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM Points Joey Logano 16 8 4* 1* 15 18 1 1 6 1* 1 5 7 22 1 9* 1* 1* 3 10 1* 16 Brad Keselowski 2 2 23 3 3 35 16 20 3 1 10 7 35 1* 1 2* 32 2 4 18 9 Kevin Harvick 5* 9 3* 22 4* 3 28 2 15* 3* 1* 2 1* Kurt Busch 10* 30 1 6 8 5 4 3 8 2 1* 34 17 3 28 James Buescher 1 12 14 14 12 12 7 9 7 9 2 10 34 15 26 23 11 13 9 28 Nelson Piquet Jr. 1* 21 Carl Edwards 1 Regan Smith 1 Kyle Busch 18 11 33 17 8 2* 3 23 28 27 22* 6 10 3 7 2 5 4 6 3 4 2* Denny Hamlin 32 9 4 2 2* 2 33 4 12 4 5 5 Paul Menard 2* 8* 8 8 5 2 16* Kasey Kahne 9 18 10 2 3 10 18 17 6 25 7 14 28 8 5 Michael McDowell 3 7 2 6 6 40 Ryan Blaney 75 435 155 275 105 75 9 9 13 14 11 2 8 Mark Martin 2 Brian Vickers 2 Brendan Gaughan 5 10 26 10 28 14 11 3 26 3 Ty Dillon 8 3 7 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 15 5 14 5 David Ragan 26 6 Parker Kligerman 8 12 7 Jason Leffler 8 12 Tony Stewart 8 Jamie McMurray 9 Joey Coulter 10 14 Miguel Paludo 29 13 Josh Wise 14 40 41 43 39 40 38 40 39 41 37 39 40 41 41 42 39 40 40 40 41 39 41 42 40 42 John Wes Townley 15 20 25 23 32 Ryan Newman 19 Bryan Silas 20 Paulie Harraka 25 21 Jennifer Jo Cobb DNQ 36 22 DNQ Kelly Bires 22 42 QL Tony Raines 36 Wth 23 24 23 28 29 34 33 30 30 43 David Starr 39 27 DNQ 33 DNQ 25 23 24 J. J. Yeley 40 37 38 39 37 31 42 41 40 23 38 40 41 38 DNQ Dakoda Armstrong 25 Justin Jennings 26 32 Clint Bowyer 26 Scott Riggs 38 DNQ 38 36 37 37 34 37 38 36 37 36 40 34 DNQ Rick Crawford 36 Scott Speed DNQ 42 42 41 41 40 42 42 42 38 43 Dusty Davis 40 Stephen Leicht 42 42 41 43 42 DNQ Johnny Sauter 42 David Reutimann DNQ Pos Position Driver DAY PHO LVS BRI CAL TEX RCH TAL DAR IOW CLT DOV MCH ROA KEN DAY NHA CHI IND IOW GLN CGV BRI ATL RCH CHI KEN DOV CLT KAN TEX PHO HOM Points 1 – Post entry, driver and owner did not score points. 2 – Timmy Hill was originally registered for Sprint Cup points, but switched to Nationwide at Texas. 3 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was awarded the pole after Austin Dillon failed inspection. 4 – Chris Cook was originally registered for Sprint Cup points, but switched to Nationwide at Montreal. 5 – Ryan Blaney was originally registered for Nationwide points, but switched to the Trucks at Atlanta. Manufacturer Pos Position Manufacturer Wins Points 1Chevrolet 13 216 2Toyota 10 189 3Ford 7 170 4Dodge 3 151 See also 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2012 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East 2012 ARCA Racing Series 2012 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour 2012 NASCAR Whelen Southern Modified Tour 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series 2012 NASCAR Toyota Series 2012 NASCAR Stock V6 Series 2012 Racecar Euro Series Sports References 35em * Category:NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series seasons