2012 Quaker State 400
The 2012 Quaker State 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on June 30, 2012, at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. Contested over 267 laps, it was the 17th race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Brad Keselowski won the race, his third of the season. Kasey Kahne finished second and Denny Hamlin was third.
| Race details[1][2] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 17 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 The 2012 Quaker State 400 program cover, featuring Kyle Busch. | |||
| Date | June 30, 2012 | ||
| Official name | Quaker State 400 | ||
| Location | Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | 88 degrees Fahrenheit Wind NW 10 mph Partly Cloudy skies | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Hendrick Motorsports | ||
| Time | 29.700 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 116 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNT | ||
| Announcers | Larry McReynolds, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Kyle Petty | ||
Report
Background
Kentucky Speedway, is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races.[3] The standard track at Kentucky Speedway is a four-turn tri-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long.[4] The track's turns are banked at 14 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is 8 degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, is at only 4 degrees.[4] The racetrack has seats for 107,000 spectators.[5] The defending winner of the event is Kyle Busch, who won it in 2011.[6] The inaugural race was plagued by a massive traffic problem where many of the fans who expected to attend the race were turned away after several hours on Interstate 71. Following the problem, Kentucky Speedway announced that they bought more land for parking and began to work with the state government to improve traffic around the speedway in time for the 2012 race.[7][8][9][10]
Practice and qualifying
Race
The race, the 17th of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season began at 7:48 EDT. The race was televised live in the United States on TNT. Jimmie Johnson started on pole position. The Kentucky Army National Guard and the Boone County Sheriff's Office presented the flag. The invocation was offered by Pastor John Roberts of Raceway Ministries. Laura Bell Bundy performed the national anthem. The grand marshal was Quaker State Official Steve Reindl.
Results
Qualifying
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Race results
Standings after the race
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References
- "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- "Johnson grabs pole at Kentucky Speedway". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- "NASCAR Race Tracks". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- "NASCAR Tracks—The Kentucky Speedway". NASCAR. Turner Sports. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
- "Track Fast Facts". Kentucky Speedway. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- "2011 Quaker State 400". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. July 9, 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
- Jensen, Tom. What now, Kentucky? Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine. Speed, 2011-07-10.
- Hembree, Mike. Kentucky Speedway To Add Parking Area Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine. Speed, 2011-07-10.
- Kentucky Speedway apologizes to fans Archived 2012-05-12 at the Wayback Machine. Speedway Motorsports, 2011-07-11.
- Blount, Terry. Kentucky Speedway gets a mulligan. ESPN, 2011-07-12.
- "NASCAR Kentucky Starting Lineup 2012: Jimmie Johnson Leads Qualifying". SBNation.com. 29 June 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-03. Retrieved 2012-07-01.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)