2012 Bank of America 500
# 2012 Bank of America 500

The 2012 Bank of America 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on October 13, 2012, at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) asphalt quad-oval, it was the thirty-first race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the fifth race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season.

Clint Bowyer of Michael Waltrip Racing won the race, his third of the season, while Denny Hamlin finished second and Jimmie Johnson was third.

This was the first race since the 1979 Southern 500 in which is not featuring the name Earnhardt on the grid and for the first time since the 1999 Pennzoil 400 in which Dale Earnhardt Jr is absent on the grid.

## Report

### Background

Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Homestead Miami Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Texas Motor Speedway. The standard track at Charlotte Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. 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, Brad Keselowski led the Drivers' Championship with 2,179 points, and Jimmie Johnson stood in second with 2,165 points. Denny Hamlin followed in third with 2,156 points, thirteen points ahead of Kasey Kahne and seventeen ahead of Clint Bowyer in fourth and fifth. Jeff Gordon with 2,137 was four points ahead of Tony Stewart, as Martin Truex Jr. with 2,131 points, was one point ahead of Greg Biffle and Kevin Harvick. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth was eleventh and twelfth with 2,128 and 2,117 points, respectively.

In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 203 points, twenty-seven points ahead of Toyota. Ford, with 147 points, was thirteen points ahead of Dodge in the battle for third. Matt Kenseth is the defending race winner after winning the event in 2011.

On October 11, 2012, Hendrick Motorsports announced that Earnhardt Jr. would not participate in the race because of being diagnosed with a concussion one day earlier. Instead, Regan Smith, who was supposed to drive for the Phoenix Racing, would replace Earnhardt Jr., while A. J. Allmendinger would be the interim driver for Smith. Earnhardt Jr. reported that he experienced concussion symptoms after a crash at Kansas Speedway during a tire test on August 29, 2012. He claimed that he had no symptoms before the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500, but after being involved in the Big One on the final lap, he reported having concussion symptoms that lasted more than three days later, convincing him to see a neurologist, who said that Earnhardt Jr. needed to miss the next two races because of a concussion. It was the first time since the 1979 Southern 500 (the last race his father missed after an accident at Pocono in his rookie season) that a Sprint Cup race did not have an Earnhardt in the field, and the first race in the modern era that did not have a driver from North Carolina in the field, as Scott Riggs, the only North Carolina driver entered, failed to qualify.

### Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held over the course of the race weekend. The first, held on Thursday, October 11, was used to set the qualifying order. The session was led by Denny Hamlin with a time of 28.170 seconds. Mark Martin was second, only .037 seconds behind Hamlin, with Matt Kenseth in third .016 seconds behind Martin. Joey Logano and Gordon completed the top five, while Kyle Busch, Regan Smith, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, and Brad Keselowski completed the top 10.

Qualifying was held after the first practice session. 47 cars took 2 qualifying laps to set the 43 car field. Greg Biffle would win the pole position, setting a track record with a lap of 27.877 seconds, breaking the old track record set by Elliott Sadler in 2005. After being awarded the pole, Biffle proclaimed his excitement during the lap. "I was super excited about that lap because I drove it farther into Turn 1 than I thought would work," Mark Martin would claim the outside pole, Ryan Newman claimed the third position, and Chase drivers Bowyer, Johnson, Truex Jr., Kenseth, Hamlin, and Kahne rounded out the top 10.

A second practice was held on Friday, with Greg Biffle leading the pack with a time of 28.867. Kahne, Harvick, Johnson, Martin, Truex Jr., Keselowski, Smith, Newman, and Gordon completed the top 10. Happy Hour was also held on Friday, led by Kyle Busch.

### Race

The race was held under clear conditions with light winds. Pre-race ceremonies began with the Air Force ROTC Detachment 592 from UNC-Charlotte. K-LOVE CEO Mike Novak then delivered the invocation, followed by gospel group NewSong delivering the National Anthem. At 7:40, Wounded Warrior Project executive vice president Dave Nevins gave the command to start engines. Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Burton, and Reed Sorenson went to the rear of the field due to engine changes, while Travis Kvapil and David Gilliland went to the back for unapproved transmission changes. The race started at 7:50, with front row starters Biffle and Martin running side by side for the first 4 laps of the race, with Biffle clearing Martin in turn 4. The first caution came out when Chase driver Matt Kenseth had a left rear tire go down, resulting in him spinning in turn 4 on lap 11.

On the lap 15 restart, Biffle continued to lead when David Ragan, Jeff Burton, and Tony Stewart all collided.

## Results

### Qualifying

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed | Grid |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.877 | 193.708 | 1 |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 27.927 | 193.361 | 2 |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.943 | 193.251 | 3 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 27.973 | 193.043 | 4 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.980 | 192.995 | 5 |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 27.991 | 192.919 | 6 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.996 | 192.885 | 7 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.001 | 192.850 | 8 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.008 | 192.802 | 9 |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.031 | 192.644 | 10 |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.032 | 192.637 | 11 |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.043 | 192.561 | 12 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.094 | 192.212 | 13 |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.174 | 191.666 | 14 |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 28.183 | 191.605 | 15 |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.229 | 191.293 | 16 |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.230 | 191.286 | 17 |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.231 | 191.279 | 18 |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.236 | 191.245 | 19 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.238 | 191.232 | 20 |
| 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 28.239 | 191.225 | 21 |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.318 | 190.691 | 22 |
| 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 28.318 | 190.691 | 23 |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.329 | 190.617 | 24 |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.364 | 190.382 | 25 |
| 88 | Regan Smith | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.394 | 190.181 | 26 |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 28.417 | 190.027 | 27 |
| 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 28.417 | 190.027 | 28 |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.423 | 189.987 | 29 |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.441 | 189.867 | 30 |
| 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | 28.468 | 189.687 | 31 |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.483 | 189.587 | 32 |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 28.483 | 189.587 | 33 |
| 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 28.493 | 189.520 | 34 |
| 37 | J. J. Yeley | Max Q Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.520 | 189.341 | 35 |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.533 | 189.255 | 36 |
| 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.546 | 189.168 | 37 |
| 51 | A. J. Allmendinger | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 28.550 | 189.142 | 38 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.652 | 188.469 | 39 |
| 32 | Timmy Hill | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 28.689 | 188.225 | 40 |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.918 | 186.735 | 41 |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 28.982 | 186.323 | 42 |
| 91 | Reed Sorenson | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 28.556 | 189.102 | 43 |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 28.581 | 188.937 | |
| 26 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.858 | 187.123 | |
| 23 | Scott Riggs | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.191 | 184.989 | |
| 33 | Cole Whitt | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 29.425 | 183.517 | |
| Source: |||||||

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 4 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 47 |
| 2 | 5 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 43 |
| 3 | 9 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 42 |
| 4 | 1 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 334 | 41 |
| 5 | 8 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 39 |
| 6 | 2 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 39 |
| 7 | 19 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 334 | 37 |
| 8 | 10 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 36 |
| 9 | 12 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 35 |
| 10 | 6 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 34 |
| 11 | 20 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 334 | 35 |
| 12 | 17 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 334 | 32 |
| 13 | 32 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 31 |
| 14 | 7 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 334 | 30 |
| 15 | 14 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Dodge | 334 | 0 |
| 16 | 11 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 28 |
| 17 | 30 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 27 |
| 18 | 13 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 332 | 27 |
| 19 | 22 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 25 |
| 20 | 3 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 24 |
| 21 | 21 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 23 |
| 22 | 16 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 332 | 0 |
| 23 | 36 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 331 | 21 |
| 24 | 38 | 51 | A. J. Allmendinger | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 330 | 20 |
| 25 | 41 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 330 | 19 |
| 26 | 37 | 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 329 | 18 |
| 27 | 24 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 328 | 17 |
| 28 | 39 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 327 | 16 |
| 29 | 27 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 327 | 15 |
| 30 | 34 | 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 327 | 14 |
| 31 | 33 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 326 | 13 |
| 32 | 15 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 324 | 12 |
| 33 | 18 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 303 | 12 |
| 34 | 25 | 35 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 287 | 10 |
| 35 | 29 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush-Fenway Racing | Ford | 190 | 0 |
| 36 | 40 | 32 | Timmy Hill | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 182 | 0 |
| 37 | 31 | 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | 62 | 7 |
| 38 | 26 | 88 | Regan Smith | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 61 | 6 |
| 39 | 28 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 53 | 0 |
| 40 | 23 | 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 50 | 4 |
| 41 | 43 | 91 | Reed Sorenson | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 32 | 0 |
| 42 | 35 | 37 | J. J. Yeley | Max Q Motorsports | Ford | 30 | 2 |
| 43 | 42 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 25 | 1 |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| | 1 | Brad Keselowski | 2214 |
| | 2 | Jimmie Johnson | 2207 (–7) |
| | 3 | Denny Hamlin | 2199 (–15) |
| 1 | 4 | Clint Bowyer | 2186 (–28) |
| 1 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | 2179 (–35) |
| 3 | 6 | Greg Biffle | 2171 (–43) |
| 1 | 7 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2165 (–49) |
| 1 | 8 | Tony Stewart | 2164 (–50) |
| 3 | 9 | Jeff Gordon | 2164 (–50) |
| | 10 | Kevin Harvick | 2158 (–58) |
| 1 | 11 | Matt Kenseth | 2147 (–67) |
| 1 | 12 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2128 (–86) |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 209 |
| 2 | Toyota | 185 |
| 3 | Ford | 151 |
| 4 | Dodge | 137 |
