2012 Coca-Cola 600

February 2025 Coca-Cola 600 NAS https://www.espn.com/racing/schedule/_/year/2012 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule ESPN May 21, 2012http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nas/40562/229/the-coca-cola-600 The Coca-Cola 600 Rotoworld.com May 23, 2012 May 24, 2012 Brown, Brian https://web.archive.org/web/20120525022730/http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nas/40562/229/the-coca-cola-600 May 25, 2012 dead http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/results_official.html 2012 Official Race Results : Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR May 29, 2012 2012 05 27 2012 12 36 2012_Coca-Cola_600_program_cover.jpeg 2012 Coca-Cola 600 program cover, with artwork by NASCAR artist, Sam Bass. The painting is called "LET FREEDOM RACE!" Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina 1.5 2.4 400 600 965.606 Sunshine with a high temperature around 88 F; wind out of the SSE at 2 mph on. 155.687 mi/h Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports 27.988 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing 204 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Fox Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds The 2012 Coca-Cola 600, the 53rd annual race, was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race held on May 27, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 400 laps, it was the twelfth race of the 2012 season. Kasey Kahne of Hendrick Motorsports took his first win of the season, while Denny Hamlin finished second and Kyle Busch finished third. Report Background thumb|200px|left|Charlotte Motor Speedway, the race track where the race was held. Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races.NASCAR Race Tracks http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ May 8, 2012 NASCAR dead https://web.archive.org/web/20130101145548/http://www.nascar.com/races/tracks/ January 1, 2013 The standard track at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 mi km long.NASCAR Tracks—The Charlotte Motor Speedway http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/media/facts/ Charlotte Motor Speedway May 8, 2012 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110428214510/http://www.charlottemotorspeedway.com/media/facts/ April 28, 2011 The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is five degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also had a five degree banking. The racetrack has seats for 140,000 spectators. Before the race, Greg Biffle led the Drivers' Championship with 411 points, while Matt Kenseth stood in second with 409.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/11/data/standings_official.html 2012 Official Driver Standings: Bojangles' Southern 500 NASCAR May 21, 2012 June 23, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120623111449/http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/11/data/standings_official.html dead Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third in the Drivers' Championship with 397 points, three points ahead of Denny Hamlin and twenty-five ahead of Jimmie Johnson in fourth and fifth. Martin Truex Jr. with 372 was three points ahead of Tony Stewart, as Kevin Harvick with 361 points, was twelve ahead of Kyle Busch, and twenty-four in front of Carl Edwards. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 72 points, eight ahead of Toyota. Ford, with 57 points, was eight points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third.Manufactures' Championship Classification http://www.jayski.com/stats/2012/manu2012.htm Jayski.com May 8, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121130202821/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2012/manu2012.htm November 30, 2012 dead Harvick was the race's defending race winner after winning it in 2011.2011 Coca-Cola 600 http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2011_Coca-Cola_600/W racing-reference.com May 21, 2012 The Coca-Cola 600 was conceived by race car driver Curtis Turner, who built the Charlotte Motor Speedway.http://www.nascar.com/news/120524/maumann-cturner-retro-racing/index.html Turner's dream brings creation of Charlotte track NASCAR Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 24, 2012 May 26, 2012 Aumann, Mark https://web.archive.org/web/20121017221943/http://www.nascar.com/news/120524/maumann-cturner-retro-racing/index.html October 17, 2012 It was first held in 1960 in an attempt by NASCAR to stage a Memorial Day weekend race to compete with the open-wheel Indianapolis 500; the two races were held together on the same day starting from 1974.Hart Jay Story lines: Lowe's https://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jh-storylines052309 Yahoo! Sports Yahoo! May 23, 2009 February 12, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160212103411/http://sports.yahoo.com/nascar/news?slug=jh-storylines052309 February 12, 2016 The race is the longest in terms of distance on the NASCAR calendar and is considered by several drivers to be one of the sport's most important races alongside the Daytona 500, the Brickyard 400 and the Southern 500.NASCAR Wire Service NASCAR: Coca-Cola 600 has a history with major appeal http://www.cecildaily.com/sports/pros/article_cc358d7b-fb0c-5ab4-8333-e0ca773b17c2.html Cecil Whig Adams Publishing Group May 22, 2014 February 12, 2016 The long distance makes it the most physically demanding event in NASCAR, and teams adapt to changing track conditions because the race occurs between late afternoon and evening.https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=368&dat=20050527&id=VbMwAAAAIBAJ&sjid=pz8DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6894,2474084&hl=en Patience, endurance keys for 600 May 27, 2005 Walker County Messenger 11 April 7, 2016 42 116 It was known as the World 600 until 1984 when The Coca-Cola Company purchased the naming rights to the race and renamed it the Coca-Cola World 600 in 1985. It has been called the Coca-Cola 600 every year since 1986 except for 2002 when the name changed to Coca-Cola Racing Family 600.Coca-Cola 600 http://www.excite.com/events/sports-tickets/Coca-Cola-600/index.php TicketsMate Excite February 12, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20150906064331/http://www.excite.com/events/sports-tickets/Coca-Cola-600/index.php September 6, 2015 Practice and qualifying thumb|right|200px|Aric Almirola qualified on the pole position for Richard Petty Motorsports Three practice sessions were held before the race; the first on May 24, 2012, which lasted 120 minutes. The second and third took place on Saturday, May 26, 2012. The first Saturday practice lasted 55 minutes, while the second was 60 minutes.http://www.jayski.com/news/races/2012/story/_/page/12-Charlotte-NASCAR-Race-Info#prac Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – Sprint Cup Race Info / Rundown Page Jayski.com May 24, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120525221444/http://www.jayski.com/news/races/2012/story/_/page/12-Charlotte-NASCAR-Race-Info#prac May 25, 2012 dead Marcos Ambrose was quickest with a time of 28.539 seconds in the first session, five-thousandths of a second faster than Landon Cassill.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/practice1_speeds.html Practice One Timing and Scoring NASCAR May 24, 2012 A. J. Allmendinger was third quickest, followed by Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and Aric Almirola. Joey Logano was seventh, still within two-tenths of a second of Ambrose's time. Forty-seven cars were entered for qualifying on May 24, 2012, but only forty-three could qualify for the race because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/qual_order.html Qualifying Entry List NASCAR May 24, 2012 Almirola of Richard Petty Motorsports clinched the first pole position of his Sprint Cup Series career, with a time of 27.988 seconds.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/lineup.html Race Official Lineup NASCAR May 24, 2012 He was joined on the front row of the grid by his teammate Ambrose. Johnson qualified third, Biffle took fourth, and Bowyer started fifth. Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Hamlin, Paul Menard and Regan Smith rounded out the top ten. Kurt Busch failed to finish his qualifying lap after colliding into the SAFER barrier, but will remain on the grid as his team is in the Top 35 in owner's points.http://www.nascar.com/video/preview/qualifying/120524/cup-cha-kurt-busch-crash/index.html Busch loses handle in quals NASCAR May 24, 2012 Charlotte, North Carolina The four drivers that failed to qualify for the race were Mike Bliss, David Reutimann, J. J. Yeley and Scott Riggs. Once the qualifying session was completed, Almirola stated "It's a huge honor just to see it in victory lane (for the pole celebration). I'm driving probably the most iconic car in history of the sport. It's just qualifying, but that's a start."http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-aric-almirola-wins-charlotte-motor-speedway-pole-nascar-sprint CUP: Almirola Wins Charlotte Pole Speed TV May 24, 2012 May 24, 2012 Hembree, Mike May 26, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120526002620/http://nascar.speedtv.com/article/cup-aric-almirola-wins-charlotte-motor-speedway-pole-nascar-sprint/ dead Afterward, Johnson, who won the week before in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race, commented about their recent performances, "I'm real proud of where our equipment is going." He continued, "I've been able to race better than where we qualify."https://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/nascar/story/2012-05-24/Aric-Almirola-Marcos-Ambrose-on-front-row-for-Petty/55195224/1 Richard Petty's Fords rule Charlotte in Coke 600 qualifying May 24, 2012 USA Today May 24, 2012 Ryan, Nate Concord, North Carolina In the second practice session, Hamlin was fastest with a time of 28.995 seconds, less than two-hundredths of a second quicker than second-placed Menard.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/practice2_speeds.html Practice One Timing and Scoring NASCAR May 26, 2012 Edwards took third place, ahead of Truex Jr., Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Bowyer, Harvick and Ryan Newman completed the ten quickest drivers in the session. In the third and final practice, Keselowski was quickest with a time of 29.397 seconds.http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/practice3_speeds.html Practice 3 Timing and Scoring NASCAR May 26, 2012 Edwards followed in second, ahead of Martin and Johnson. Logano was fifth quickest, with a time of 29.521 seconds. Stewart, Kenseth, Allmendinger, Kurt Busch, and Jeff Burton rounded out the first ten positions. Hamlin, who was quickest in the second session, could only manage 20th. Race thumb|left|200px|Kasey Kahne won the race for Hendrick Motorsports The race, the twelfth in the season, began at 6:00 p.m. EDT and was televised live in the United States on Fox. The conditions on the grid were dry before the race, the air temperature at 80 °F °C; mostly clear skies were expected.Race Summary http://www.nascar.com/lap-by-lap/120527/charcuplbl/index.html NASCAR May 27, 2012 Darrell Waltrip began pre-race ceremonies, by giving the invocation. Next, Charlotte Fire Department Pipe Bag played "Amazing Grace", then Darius Rucker performed the national anthem. Afterward, retired U.S. Navy admiral, Frank Thorp and director of the United States Army Wounded Warrior Program, Gregory Gadson, with the addition of actress Brooklyn Decker gave the command for drivers to start their engines. Following the traditional three pace laps, Phoenix Racing's Kurt Busch dropped to the rear of the grid due to changing to a backup car after crashing in qualifying. Richard Petty Motorsports teammates Almirola and Ambrose led the 43-car field to the green flag, the teammates swapped the lead for the first 8 laps until Roush Fenway Racing's Biffle assumed the top spot on lap 9 from Ambrose. While Ambrose retook the lead from Biffle on lap 15, Almirola steadily fell back to 5th place. By lap 23, Biffle retook the lead from Ambrose and moved out to a 1-second lead. On lap 41, Allmendinger was the first driver to pit in a series of green-flag pit stops. Biffle made his stop along with Johnson on lap 47 and was able to hold the lead after pit stops were completed. The race continued under green, and drivers stopped for another round of pit stops between laps 87 and 97. Once again, Biffle was one of the last cars to pit, and came out with the lead, extending it to 4 seconds. On lap 111, the first caution of the race came out when debris was sighted on the backstretch. The leaders pitted, and Ambrose and Jamie McMurray took two right side tires on their stops to claim the top two spots. However, McMurray was forced back into the pits after the restart for a loose wheel. On lap 125, Kyle Busch grabbed the lead from Biffle, who took it back two laps later after Busch dipped the tires below the white line. Debris was spotted in turn 1, forcing the second caution of the race. All the leaders pitted except for Jeff Gordon. On the restart on lap 139, Busch, Johnson, and Biffle easily dispatched Gordon to take the top three spots. Kasey Kahne scores a victory in his 300th career start. Kahne set a record by winning the first 600-mile race in under four hours. Results Qualifying Grid No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Time (s) Speed (mph) Speed (km/h)1 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 27.988 192.940 mph table 2 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 28.184 191.598 mph table 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.217 191.374 mph table 4 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.234 191.259 mph table 5 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.243 191.198 mph table 6 55 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.247 191.171 mph table 7 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.253 191.130 mph table 8 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.289 190.887 mph table 9 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.332 190.597 mph table 10 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 28.353 190.456 mph table 11 22 A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 28.372 190.329 mph table 12 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.376 190.302 mph table 13 21 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 28.381 190.268 mph table 14 29 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.391 190.201 mph table 15 56 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 28.392 190.194 mph table 16 39 Ryan Newman Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.413 190.054 mph table 17 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.416 190.034 mph table 18 83 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 28.423 189.987 mph table 19 20 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 28.465 189.707 mph table 20 17 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.480 189.607 mph table 21 14 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas Racing Chevrolet 28.485 189.574 mph table 22 31 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 28.493 189.520 mph table 23 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 28.560 189.076 mph table 24 2 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 28.591 188.871 mph table 25 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 28.668 188.363 mph table 26 47 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 28.671 188.344 mph table 27 74 Cole Whitt Turn One Racing Chevrolet 28.674 188.324 mph table 28 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 28.692 188.206 mph table 29 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.735 187.924 mph table 30 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.776 187.656 mph table 31 1 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 28.796 187.526 mph table 32 98 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 28.802 187.487 mph table 33 26 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 28.837 187.259 mph table 34 33 Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 28.851 187.169 mph table 35 30 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 29.010 186.143 mph table 36 36 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 29.015 186.111 mph table 37 93 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 29.019 186.085 mph table 38 95 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 29.036 185.976 mph table 39 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 29.062 185.810 mph table 40 10 Danica Patrick Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 29.161 185.179 mph table 41 32 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford 29.366 183.886 mph table 42 51 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet No Time1 43 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 29.066 185.784 mph table Failed to Qualify 19 Mike Bliss Humphrey Smith Racing Toyota 29.103 185.548 mph table 73 David Reutimann BK Racing Toyota 29.136 185.338 mph table 49 J. J. Yeley Robinson-Blakeney Racing Toyota 29.391 183.730 mph table 23 Scott Riggs R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 29.407 183.630 mph table 1: After crashing during his qualifying lap, Kurt Busch started the race in 42nd by owner's point standings.Source:https://www.espn.com/racing/grid?series=sprint&raceId=201205270003 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Charlotte Grid ESPN May 26, 2012http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2012/story/_/page/12-Charlotte-Qualifying-Lineup#results NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Qualifying Results: Coca Cola 600 Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site May 24, 2012 May 26, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120528064349/http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2012/story/_/page/12-Charlotte-Qualifying-Lineup#results May 28, 2012 dead http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5582&StatType=Qualifying https://archive.today/20130129030558/http://www.motorracingnetwork.com/Race-Series/NASCAR-Sprint-Cup/Statistics/Season-Stats/Statistics.aspx?SubSeriesID=1&YearID=41&RaceID=5582&StatType=Qualifying dead January 29, 2013 2012 Coca-Cola 600 Qualifying Motor Racing Network May 26, 2012 Race results Pos No. Car number Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points 15 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 48 211 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 44 318 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 43 416 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 44 52 Brad Keselowski Penske Racing Dodge 400 41 688 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 38 724 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 39 829 Kevin Harvick Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 38 999 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 35 1017 Matt Kenseth Roush Fenway Racing Ford 399 34 1148 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 33 1256 Martin Truex Jr. Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 399 32 1315 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 398 31 1439 Ryan Newman Stewart–Haas RacingChevrolet 398 30 1527 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 29 1643 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 398 30 1778 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 398 27 1883 Landon Cassill BK Racing Toyota 398 28 1931 Jeff Burton Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 25 2042 Juan Pablo Montoya Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 398 24 211 Jamie McMurray Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 397 23 2213 Casey Mears Germain Racing Ford 397 22 2320 Joey Logano Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 397 21 2421 Trevor Bayne Wood Brothers Racing Ford 397 0 2514 Tony Stewart Stewart–Haas RacingChevrolet 397 19 2638 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 397 18 2751 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 396 17 2847 Bobby Labonte JTG Daugherty Racing Toyota 396 16 2993 Travis Kvapil BK Racing Toyota 395 15 3010 Danica Patrick Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 395 0 3132 T. J. Bell FAS Lane Racing Ford 390 0 329 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 367 14 3322 A. J. Allmendinger Penske Racing Dodge 361 11 3455 Mark Martin Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 338 10 3534 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 281 11 3698 Michael McDowell Phil Parsons Racing Ford 228 8 3795 Scott Speed Leavine Family Racing Ford 136 7 3830 David Stremme Inception Motorsports Toyota 86 6 3933 Stephen Leicht Circle Sport Racing Chevrolet 74 5 4036 Dave Blaney Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 54 4 4187 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 47 0 4274 Cole Whitt Turn One Racing Chevrolet 33 0 4326 Josh Wise Front Row Motorsports Ford 15 1Source: Standings after the race Drivers' Championship standings Pos Driver Points 1 Greg Biffle453 2 Matt Kenseth443 3 Denny Hamlin437 4 Dale Earnhardt Jr.435 5 Jimmie Johnson405Source:http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2012/12/data/standings_official.html 2012 Official Driver Standings: Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR June 4, 2012 Manufacturers' Championship standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Chevrolet81 2 Toyota70 3 Ford61 4 Dodge52Source: Note: Only the top five positions are included for the driver standings. References Sprint Cup Series 2012 2012 Bojangles' Southern 500 2012 FedEx 400 collapsed Category:NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway Coca-Cola 600 Coca-Cola 600 Coca-Cola 600