2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen
# 2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen

The 2012 Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on August 12, 2012 at the Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Contested over 90 laps, it was the twenty-second race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and the second of two road course competitions on the schedule. After the tragedy at the previous race, the track prepared in the event that thunderstorms pass through the track. The track had set up more than 30 police cars with loudspeakers, nine television screens, and the staff has text message availabilities, all intended on warning fans of any thunderstorms approaching. Marcos Ambrose, from the Richard Petty Motorsports racing team, won the race ahead of Brad Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson finished in the third position. The race was most notable for a "chaotic" finish.

## Report

### Background

Watkins Glen International is one of two road courses to hold NASCAR races, the other being Sonoma Raceway. The standard short road course at Watkins Glen International is a 7-turn course that is 2.45 miles (3.94 km) long; the track was modified in 1992, adding the Inner Loop, which lengthened the long course to 3.4 miles (5.5 km) and the short course to the current length of 2.45 miles (3.94 km). Marcos Ambrose was the defending race winner after winning the race in 2011.

## Results

### Qualifying

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time (s) | Speed (mph) | Grid |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 69.438 | 127.020 | 1 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 69.488 | 126.928 | 2 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 69.490 | 126.925 | 3 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 69.654 | 126.626 | 4 |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 69.710 | 126.524 | 5 |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 69.827 | 126.312 | 6 |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 69.917 | 126.150 | 7 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 69.966 | 126.061 | 8 |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 69.973 | 126.049 | 9 |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 70.023 | 125.959 | 10 |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 70.160 | 125.713 | 11 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70.199 | 125.643 | 12 |
| 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 70.216 | 125.612 | 13 |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 70.269 | 125.518 | 14 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 70.270 | 125.516 | 15 |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70.279 | 125.500 | 16 |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Dodge | 70.324 | 125.419 | 17 |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 70.330 | 125.409 | 18 |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 70.341 | 125.389 | 19 |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 70.369 | 125.339 | 20 |
| 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 70.372 | 125.334 | 21 |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 70.448 | 125.199 | 22 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 70.515 | 125.080 | 23 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 70.607 | 124.917 | 24 |
| 32 | Boris Said | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 70.678 | 124.791 | 25 |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 70.721 | 124.715 | 26 |
| 51 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 70.869 | 124.455 | 27 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 71.010 | 124.208 | 28 |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 71.022 | 124.187 | 29 |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 71.054 | 124.131 | 30 |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 71.067 | 124.108 | 31 |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 71.205 | 123.868 | 32 |
| 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 71.296 | 123.710 | 33 |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 71.373 | 123.576 | 34 |
| 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 71.434 | 123.471 | 35 |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 71.454 | 123.436 | 36 |
| 10 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 71.550 | 123.270 | 37 |
| 26 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 71.982 | 122.531 | 38 |
| 33 | Stephen Leicht | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 72.097 | 122.335 | 39 |
| 19 | Chris Cook | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 74.193 | 118.879 | 40 |
| 49 | Jason Leffler | Robinson-Blakeney Racing | Toyota | 74.279 | 118.742 | 41 |
| 30 | Patrick Long | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | 75.031 | 117.551 | 42 |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | Provisional | Provisional | 43 |

## Final Lap

With three laps to go and Kyle Busch leading, Bobby Labonte's number 47 suffered a drawn-out engine failure, leaving oil all around the track. Brad Keselowski passed Marcos Ambrose to challenge Busch for the final lap. Busch was losing traction from the oil, and slid up the racetrack, followed by Ambrose. Keselowski attempted to pass on the inside, blocked by Busch with car-to-car contact causing Busch to spin, leaving Keselowski in the lead with a damaged front quarter. Keselowski and Ambrose battled hard for first place, both driving through the grass to avoid more oil in turn 8. Ambrose took the flag, followed by Keselowski. Busch finished 7th.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Make | Team | Sponsor | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 5 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports | Stanley, DeWalt | 90 | 8 | running | 47 | $259,558 |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | Penske Racing | Miller Lite | 90 | 37 | running | 43 | $187,180 |
| 3 | 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | Lowe's Cortez Silver | 90 | 0 | running | 41 | $166,821 |
| 4 | 8 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | 5-hour Energy | 90 | 0 | running | 40 | $142,399 |
| 5 | 17 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Dodge | Penske Racing | Shell, Pennzoil | 90 | 0 | running | 0 | $141,935 |
| 6 | 15 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | 3M | 90 | 0 | running | 38 | $109,610 |
| 7 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | M&M's | 90 | 43 | running | 39 | $140,968 |
| 8 | 24 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford EcoBoost | 90 | 0 | running | 36 | $127,771 |
| 9 | 13 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevy | Furniture Row Racing | Furniture Row, Denver Mattress | 90 | 0 | running | 35 | $107,568 |
| 10 | 9 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | NAPA Auto Parts | 90 | 0 | running | 34 | $108,424 |
| 11 | 6 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | Stewart-Haas Racing | U.S. Army | 90 | 0 | running | 33 | $118,443 |
| 12 | 22 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | Menards, Rheem | 90 | 0 | running | 32 | $85,610 |
| 13 | 20 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | Farmers Insurance | 90 | 0 | running | 31 | $83,935 |
| 14 | 18 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing | Fastenal | 90 | 1 | running | 31 | $116,576 |
| 15 | 19 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | Budweiser Folds of Honor | 90 | 0 | running | 29 | $119,821 |
| 16 | 30 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | Germain Racing | GEICO | 90 | 0 | running | 28 | $89,093 |
| 17 | 21 | 95 | Scott Speed | Ford | Leavine Family Racing | Leavine Family Racing | 90 | 0 | running | 27 | $68,710 |
| 18 | 29 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | Richard Petty Motorsports | Smithfield | 90 | 0 | running | 26 | $109,246 |
| 19 | 7 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevy | Stewart-Haas Racing | Office Depot, Mobil 1 | 90 | 0 | running | 25 | $121,260 |
| 20 | 34 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | ModSpace | 90 | 0 | running | 24 | $87,068 |
| 21 | 12 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | Drive to End Hunger, AARP | 90 | 0 | running | 23 | $115,721 |
| 22 | 32 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Scorpion Coatings, Al's Liners | 90 | 0 | running | 22 | $82,793 |
| 23 | 35 | 83 | Landon Cassill | Toyota | BK Racing | Burger King, Dr. Pepper | 90 | 0 | running | 21 | $97,155 |
| 24 | 42 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | BK Racing | Burger King, Dr. Pepper | 90 | 0 | running | 20 | $93,082 |
| 25 | 25 | 32 | Boris Said | Ford | FAS Lane Racing | Hendrickcars.com | 90 | 0 | running | 19 | $78,835 |
| 26 | 39 | 33 | Stephen Leicht | Chevy | Circle Sport | Circle Sport | 90 | 0 | running | 18 | $79,560 |
| 27 | 26 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | JTG Daugherty Racing | Miller Welders, Freightliner | 90 | 0 | running | 17 | $77,735 |
| 28 | 16 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevy | Hendrick Motorsports | National Guard, Diet Mountain Dew | 89 | 0 | running | 16 | $77,485 |
| 29 | 36 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | NEMCO Motorsports | Genny Light, AMFM Energy | 88 | 0 | running | 0 | $66,310 |
| 30 | 28 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevy | Richard Childress Racing | Caterpillar | 84 | 0 | running | 14 | $108,735 |
| 31 | 27 | 51 | Kurt Busch | Chevy | Phoenix Racing | Phoenix Racing | 81 | 0 | running | 13 | $78,010 |
| 32 | 14 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | The Home Depot | 71 | 0 | running | 12 | $76,285 |
| 33 | 1 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevy | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Target | 63 | 1 | crash | 12 | $101,526 |
| 34 | 23 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing | FedEx Freight | 57 | 0 | engine | 10 | $110,501 |
| 35 | 41 | 49 | Jason Leffler | Toyota | Robinson-Blakeney Racing | Robinson-Blakeney Racing | 42 | 0 | engine | 0 | $65,360 |
| 36 | 31 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Chevy | Tommy Baldwin Racing | TMone | 41 | 0 | suspension | 8 | $65,185 |
| 37 | 11 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing | Traqm.com | 30 | 0 | rear gear | 7 | $65,055 |
| 38 | 38 | 26 | Josh Wise | Ford | Front Row Motorsports | Morristown Drivers Service | 25 | 0 | electrical | 6 | $64,853 |
| 39 | 10 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | McDonald's | 24 | 0 | crash | 5 | $93,008 |
| 40 | 37 | 10 | J. J. Yeley | Chevy | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Tommy Baldwin Racing | 15 | 0 | brakes | 4 | $61,845 |
| 41 | 40 | 19 | Chris Cook | Toyota | Humphrey Smith Racing | Humphrey Smith Racing | 5 | 0 | brakes | 3 | $61,680 |
| 42 | 43 | 30 | Patrick Long | Toyota | Inception Motorsports | Inception Motorsports | 2 | 0 | brakes | 2 | $61,555 |
| 43 | 33 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | Michael Waltrip Racing | MyClassicGarage.com, Aaron's | 0 | 0 | engine | 1 | $61,930 |
