2012 Auto Club 400

February 2025 NAS Auto Club 400 https://www.espn.com/racing/schedule/_/year/2012 Sprint Cup Series Schedule ESPN March 23, 2012http://rotoworld.com/articles/nas/40141/229/the-auto-club-400 The Auto Club 400 Rotoworld.com March 20, 2012 March 25, 2012 Brown, Brian https://web.archive.org/web/20120322210934/http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nas/40141/229/The-Auto-Club-400 March 22, 2012 dead 2012 3 25 2012 5 36 Auto Club Speedway (formerly California Speedway) - Speedway.svg 200px Track map of the speedway at Auto Club Speedway AKA California Speedway Auto Club 400 Auto Club Speedway, Fontana, California 2 3.2 129 258 415.2 200 400 643.7 A few showers; wind out of the SSW at 9 mph. 160.166 mi/h Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing 38.626 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing 80 14 Tony Stewart Stewart Haas Racing Fox Broadcasting Company Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds The 2012 Auto Club 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on March 25 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Shortened to 129 laps because of rain showers, it was the fifth race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season. The race was won by Tony Stewart for the Stewart–Haas Racing team. Kyle Busch finished second, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who started fourteenth, clinched third. Report Background Auto Club Speedway (previously California Speedway) was a superspeedway located in Fontana, California which hosted NASCAR racing annually from 1997 to 2023.NASCAR Race Tracks http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ March 23, 2012 NASCAR dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110207161158/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ February 7, 2011 The standard track at Auto Club Speedway featured four turns and was 2 miles (3.2 km) long.NASCAR Tracks—The Auto Club Speedway http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/Track-Info/Track-Facts.aspx Auto Club Speedway March 23, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20100924055442/http://www.autoclubspeedway.com/Track-Info/Track-Facts.aspx 2010-09-24 dead The turns were banked at fourteen degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, was banked at eleven degrees. The back stretch had 3 degrees of banking. The racetrack had seats for 92,100 spectators. Before the race, Greg Biffle was leading the Drivers' Championship with 157 points, nine points ahead of Kevin Harvick in second and twelve ahead of Matt Kenseth. Martin Truex Jr. followed fourth with 139 points, two ahead of Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in fifth and sixth. Tony Stewart, with 130, was in the seventh position ahead of Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. Paul Menard rounded out the first ten positions with 123 points.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/4/data/standings_official.html Pre-race Drivers' Championship Standings NASCAR March 23, 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20120908192712/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/4/data/standings_official.html September 8, 2012 In the Manufacturers' Championship, Ford was first with 25 points, one ahead of Chevrolet and four ahead of Toyota. Dodge was in the fourth positions with 18 points.http://www.jayski.com/stats/2012/manu2012.htm Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – 2012 Manufacturers Championship Standings Jayski.com March 23, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121130202821/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2012/manu2012.htm November 30, 2012 dead Kevin Harvick was the race's defending winner from 2011.http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2011_Auto_Club_400/W 2011 Auto Club 400 Racing-Reference.info March 27, 2011 March 23, 2012 Entry list (R) - Denotes rookie driver. (i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points. No. Car numberDriverTeamManufacturer1Jamie McMurrayEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet2Brad KeselowskiPenske RacingDodge5Kasey KahneHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet7Robby GordonRobby Gordon MotorsportsDodge9Marcos AmbroseRichard Petty MotorsportsFord10David ReutimannTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet11Denny HamlinJoe Gibbs RacingToyota13Casey MearsGermain RacingFord14Tony StewartStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet15Clint BowyerMichael Waltrip RacingToyota16Greg BiffleRoush Fenway RacingFord17Matt KensethRoush Fenway RacingFord18Kyle BuschJoe Gibbs RacingToyota19Mike Bliss (i)Humphrey Smith RacingToyota20Joey LoganoJoe Gibbs RacingToyota22A. J. AllmendingerPenske RacingDodge23Scott RiggsR3 MotorsportsChevrolet24Jeff GordonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet26Josh Wise (R)Front Row MotorsportsFord27Paul MenardRichard Childress RacingChevrolet29Kevin HarvickRichard Childress RacingChevrolet30David StremmeInception MotorsportsToyota31Jeff BurtonRichard Childress RacingChevrolet32Ken SchraderFAS Lane RacingFord33Brendan GaughanRichard Childress RacingChevrolet34David RaganFront Row MotorsportsFord36Dave BlaneyTommy Baldwin RacingChevrolet37Timmy Hill (R)Max Q MotorsportsFord38David GillilandFront Row MotorsportsFord39Ryan NewmanStewart–Haas RacingChevrolet42Juan Pablo MontoyaEarnhardt Ganassi RacingChevrolet43Aric AlmirolaRichard Petty MotorsportsFord47Bobby LabonteJTG Daugherty RacingToyota48Jimmie JohnsonHendrick MotorsportsChevrolet49J. J. YeleyRobinson-Blakeney RacingToyota51Kurt BuschPhoenix RacingChevrolet55Mark MartinMichael Waltrip RacingToyota56Martin Truex Jr.Michael Waltrip RacingToyota74Reed Sorenson (i)Turn One RacingChevrolet78Regan SmithFurniture Row RacingChevrolet83Landon CassillBK RacingToyota87Joe Nemechek (i)NEMCO MotorsportsToyota88Dale Earnhardt Jr.Hendrick MotorsportsChevrolet93Travis KvapilBK RacingToyota98Michael McDowellPhil Parsons RacingFord99Carl EdwardsRoush Fenway RacingFordOfficial entry list Practice and qualifying Three practice sessions were held before the Sunday race—one on Friday and two on Saturday. The first session lasted 90 minutes. The Saturday morning session lasted 50 minutes, and the final practice session lasted 60 minutes.http://www.jayski.com/news/races/2012/story/_/page/05-AutoClub-NASCAR-Race-Info#prac NASCAR Race Information: Auto Club 400 Jayski.com March 23, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120321235309/http://www.jayski.com/news/races/2012/story/_/page/05-AutoClub-NASCAR-Race-Info#prac March 21, 2012 dead During the first practice session, Bowyer was quickest with a time of 38.896, ahead of Mark Martin and Kasey Kahne in second and third. Brad Keselowski followed in the fourth position, ahead of Hamlin in fifth.Practice 1 Timing and Scoring http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/5/data/practice1_speeds.html March 23, 2012 NASCAR During qualifying, forty-six cars were entered, but only forty-three were able to race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.Qualifying Order http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/5/data/qual_order.html March 23, 2012 NASCAR Hamlin clinched is tenth career pole position, with a time of 38.626.http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Qualifying https://archive.today/20130629220125/http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Qualifying dead June 29, 2013 2012 Auto Club 400 Qualifying Statistics Motor Racing Network April 28, 2013 After his qualifying run, Hamlin commented, "We're four weeks in, and we've had two good weeks and two bad weeks. There's light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like this weekend we've got a little bit more speed than we had in Vegas. We're getting better, and we've got some good stuff coming with our team. We're obviously heading in the right direction."http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/23/1954610/hamlin-leads-gibbs-front-row-sweep.html Hamlin leads Gibbs' front row sweep for California Sports Network March 23, 2012 News Observer March 23, 2012 He was joined on the front row of the grid by Kyle Busch. Martin qualified third, Biffle took fourth, and Kahne started fifth. The three drivers that did not qualify were Robby Gordon, Joe Nemechek and Timmy Hill.http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Starting+Lineup https://archive.today/20130629220437/http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Starting+Lineup dead June 29, 2013 2012 Auto Club 400 Starting Grid Motor Racing Network April 28, 2013 Hamlin was quickest in the second practice session with a time of 38.706 seconds. Kenseth and Ryan Newman followed in second and third, ahead of Tony Stewart in the fourth position. Kevin Harvick was fifth, less than five-hundredths of a second quicker than Kyle Busch. Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, and Kahne rounded out the first ten positions.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/5/data/practice2_speeds.html Practice 2 Timing and Scoring NASCAR March 24, 2012 March 24, 2012 During the third and final practice session, Hamlin, with a fastest time of 39.553, remained quickest.Practice Three Timing and Scoring http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/5/data/practice3_speeds.html NASCAR March 24, 2012 Jeff Gordon and Bowyer followed in second and third with times of 39.700 and 39.732 seconds. Jamie McMurray was fourth fastest, ahead of Kyle Busch and Johnson. Harvick, Kenseth, Martin Truex Jr., and Stewart completed the first ten positions during the session. Race The race, the fifth in the season, began at 3:12 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on Fox. The conditions on the grid were dry before the race while cloudy skies were expected.Race Summary http://www.nascar.com/lap-by-lap/120325/calicuplbl/index.html NASCAR March 25, 2012 Jeff Hamilton, of Motor Racing Outreach, began pre-race ceremonies, by giving the invocation. Next, Night Ranger performed the national anthem, and the trio of Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, Will Sass (from the film The Three Stooges) gave the command for drivers to start their engines. Pole position winner, Hamlin maintained the lead throughout the first lap, but was overtaken by Kyle Busch on the following lap. As the weather became worse for racing conditions, many teams adjusted their cars during the first set of green flag pit stops. On the 85th lap, Stewart claimed the lead from Kyle Busch. Shortly after, Stewart moved back into the lead ahead of Hamlin and Kyle Busch after pitting. The race ran 250 miles without incident, with the first caution on Lap 125 for rain. During pit stops, Stewart refused to pit, while Hamlin in the second position and a few others did. Also during the caution, Johnson, who had been in the top-ten for most of the race, began having problems with a potential oil leak, causing the smoke to run out of under the car. Afterward, the caution flag turned to a red flag, stalling the race because of the rain shower. Afterward, NASCAR decided the end the race, making Stewart the winner. Kyle Busch finished second, ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Harvick and Edwards. Biffle, Ryan Newman, Martin Truex Jr., Kurt Busch, and Johnson rounded out the first ten positions.https://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/cup/story/_/id/7735647/tony-stewart-claims-rain-shortened-race-fontana Tony Stewart wins 2nd race of season ESPN Associated Press March 26, 2012 March 26, 2012 It was the first time a NASCAR race in the premiership had gone without an incident-related safety car since the October 2002 Talladega race. Results Qualifying thumb|Denny Hamlin scored the pole position. Grid No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time Time in seconds Speed Speed in MPH 1 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.626 186.403 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.807 185.534 3 55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.807 185.534 4 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 38.812 185.510 5 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.812 185.510 6 39 Ryan Newman Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.850 185.328 7 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 38.877 185.199 8 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 38.878 185.195 9 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 38.880 185.185 10 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 38.893 185.123 11 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.908 185.052 12 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 38.919 185.000 13 56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 38.977 184.724 14 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.018 184.530 15 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 39.062 184.322 16 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39.116 184.068 17 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 39.121 184.044 18 10 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 39.149 183.913 19 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.185 183.744 20 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 39.259 183.397 21 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 39.263 183.379 22 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 39.333 183.052 23 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 39.413 182.681 24 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 39.439 182.560 25 22 A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 39.443 182.542 26 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 39.464 182.445 27 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 39.481 182.366 28 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 39.540 182.094 29 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 39.559 182.007 30 26 Josh WiseFront Row Motorsports Ford 39.760 181.087 31 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 39.812 180.850 32 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 39.865 180.610 33 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 39.880 180.542 34 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 39.904 180.433 35 23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 39.921 180.356 36 49 J. J. Yeley Robinson-Blakeney Racing Toyota 39.934 180.297 37 33 Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 40.087 179.609 38 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 40.119 179.466 39 19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Motorsports Toyota 40.157 179.296 40 74 Reed Sorenson Turn One RacingChevrolet 40.194 179.131 41 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 40.254 178.864 42 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 40.313 178.602 43 32 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 40.374 178.333 Failed to qualify 7 Robby Gordon Robby Gordon Motorsports Dodge 40.343 178.470 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 40.349 178.443 37 Timmy HillRick Ware Racing Ford 40.464 177.936Source:2012 Auto Club 400 Qualifying Statistics http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Qualifying dead https://archive.today/20130629220125/http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Qualifying June 29, 2013 April 28, 2013 Motor Racing Network2012 Auto Club 400 Starting Grid http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Starting+Lineup dead https://archive.today/20130629220437/http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5564&StatType=Starting+Lineup June 29, 2013 April 28, 2013 Motor Racing Network Race results thumb|Tony Stewart was declared the winner after rain shortened the race to 129 laps. Pos Car Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points 1 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 12947 2 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12944 3 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet129 41 4 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet129 40 5 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford129 39 6 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford129 38 7 39 Ryan Newman Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet129 37 8 56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota129 36 9 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet129 35 10 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet129 35 1111 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 129 34 1255 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 129 32 13 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 129 31 14 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 129 30 15 22A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 129 29 1617 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 129 28 17 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt-Genassi Racing Chevrolet 128 27 18 2Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 128 26 1927 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 128 25 2078 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 128 24 219 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 128 23 2231 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 128 22 2313 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 128 21 2420 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 128 19 2543 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 128 19 2624 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 128 19 2710 David Reutimann Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 127 17 2847 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 127 16 2993 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 127 15 3038 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 127 14 3134 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 127 13 321 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt-Genassi Racing Chevrolet 126 12 3336 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 126 11 3432 Ken Schrader FAS Lane Racing Ford 125 10 3549 J. J. Yeley Robinson-Blakeney Racing Chevrolet 125 9 3683 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 124 8 3726 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 51 7 3898 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 40 6 3930 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Chevrolet 36 5 4019 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Motorsports Toyota 18 – 4123 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 17 3 4274 Reed Sorenson Turn One Racing Chevrolet 6 – 43 33Brendan Gaughan Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet1 1Source:2012 Auto Club 400 Race Results https://www.racing-reference.info/race-results/ 2025-09-12 Racing-Reference en-US Standings after the race Drivers' championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Greg Biffle195 2 Kevin Harvick188 3 Dale Earnhardt Jr.178 4 Tony Stewart177 5 Martin Truex Jr.175 September 2025 Manufacturers' championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 2 3 4 Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings. References Sprint Cup Series 2012 2012 Food City 500 2012 Goody's Fast Relief 500 collapsed Auto Club 400 Auto Club 400 Auto Club 400 Category:NASCAR races at Auto Club Speedway