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| 2012 NASCAR RCA Cup Series (Johnsonverse) | |||
| Previous: | 2011 | Next: | 2013 |
Adam Petty, the 2012 champion.
The 2012 NASCAR RCA Cup Series was the 64th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 41st modern-era Cup season. The season started on January 15, 2012 at Sonoma Raceway, with the Toyota/Save Mart 350, followed by a two-week stop at Daytona International Speedway with the Budweiser Shootout, Gatorade 125s, and the Daytona 500. The season concluded with the Los Angeles Times 500 on December 9 at Ontario Motor Speedway.
During the 2011 season, NASCAR announced the RCA Cup Series would be changing to fuel injection from carburetors, which had been used since NASCAR's founding in 1949. Coca-Cola Corporation announced at the 2011 Awards Ceremony that they had extended their sponsorship of the series until 2016. Richard Petty won the Owners' Championship, while Adam Petty won his second Drivers' Championship at the final race of the season. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 249 points.
This was also the final season for Tim Steele.
Teams, Drivers and Manufacturers[]
Manufacturers[]
| Company | Marquee | Model | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Chevrolet | Camaro | Full factory support |
| Impala | Full factory support | ||
| Caprice | RETURNING, full factory support | ||
| Ford Motor Company | Ford | Fusion | Full factory support |
| Taurus | RETURNING, full factory support | ||
| Mustang | Full factory support | ||
| Roush Mustang | Full factory support | ||
| Shelby Mustang | Full factory support | ||
| Chrysler Corporation | Dodge | Charger | Full factory support |
| Challenger | Full factory support | ||
| Avenger | Full factory support | ||
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Toyota | Camry | Full factory support |
| Avalon | Full factory support |
Manufacturer notes[]
2012 saw several changes to the manufacturer line-up. Chevrolet brought back the Caprice, while Ford brought back the Taurus, both hoping to jumpstart a Fourth Aero War. This effort was in vain, though, as the Horsepower Wars were still going strong. The 2012 Coke Zero 400 saw the introduction of the second-generation Ford Fusion.
Complete Schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model | Primary Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Earnhardt-Childress Racing * | 01 | Brad Keselowski | 2012 Impala | U.S. Army | |
| 3 | Renee Walters | Wrangler | ||||
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | National Guard | ||||
| 38 | Kelley Earnhardt | Pennzoil | ||||
| 81 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops | ||||
| Furniture Row Racing | 78 | Kurt Busch | Pete Rondeau | 2011 Impala | Furniture Row | |
| Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | Ricky Hendrick | Alan Gustafson | 2012 Camaro | GoDaddy.com | |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Steve Letarte | DuPont | |||
| 25 | Shane Hmiel | Lowe's | ||||
| 52 | Casey Atwood | Chad Knaus | M&M's | |||
| Phoenix Racing | 51 | Boston Reid | Nick Harrison | 2011 Impala | various | |
| SFS Racing | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 2012 Impala | Budweiser | ||
| 10 | Kyle Busch | Tony Gibson | Valvoline | |||
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Greg Zipadelli | Home Depot | |||
| Tommy Baldwin Racing | 36 | Landon Cassill | Ryan Pemberton
Tommy Baldwin Jr. |
2012 Impala | various | |
| Dodge | AK Racing | 7 | Marcos Ambrose | 2012 Charger | Walmart | |
| 11 | Jamie McMurray | Microsoft | ||||
| Bill Davis Racing | 22 | Jeff Burton | 2012 Charger | Caterpillar | ||
| 23 | Scott Wimmer | |||||
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 2012 Challenger | UAW-Delphi | ||
| 41 | Emily Senn | Target | ||||
| 46 | Bryan Clauson | Tums | ||||
| Elliott-Evernham Motorsports | 9 | Kasey Kahne | 2012 Charger | Coors Light | ||
| 13 | Jerry Nadeau | Nickelodeon | ||||
| 94 | Casey Elliott | Flonase | ||||
| Moroso-Rudd Racing | 82 | Rob Moroso | 2012 Charger | Mountain Dew | ||
| 83 | Michelle Basone | Tide | ||||
| 84 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | RCA | ||||
| Penske Racing | 02 | Joey Logano | 2012 Challenger | Verizon | ||
| 2 | James Buescher (R) | Miller Lite | ||||
| Petty Enterprises | 43 | Adam Petty | Mike Shiplett | 2012 Challenger | STP | |
| 44 | Chad McCumbee | Kevin Buskirk | McDonald's | |||
| Phil Parsons Racing | 89 | Michael McDowell | Gene Nead | 2011 Charger | K-Love | |
| David Mayhew | ||||||
| Mike Skinner | ||||||
| Team SABCO | 40 | Jane Brewer | 2012 Charger | Kmart | ||
| 42 | Blaise Alexander | Juicy Fruit | ||||
| 45 | Alana Houston | UPS | ||||
| Ford | Allison-Yates Racing | 28 | Jeremy Mayfield | Jimmy Fennig | 2012 Fusion | Texaco/Havoline |
| 88 | Stephen Leicht | Citi Financial | ||||
| 98 | Ryan Newman | AT&T | ||||
| Brett Favre Racing | 15 | Tim Steele | 2012 Taurus | Nike/Sony | ||
| 90 | Katrina Goode | Folgers | ||||
| FAS Lane Racing | 32 | Terry Labonte | Frank Stoddard | 2011 Fusion | various | |
| Mike Bliss | ||||||
| Ken Schrader | ||||||
| Reed Sorenson | ||||||
| T. J. Bell | ||||||
| Boris Said | ||||||
| Jason White | ||||||
| Mike Olsen | ||||||
| Timmy Hill | ||||||
| Front Row Motorsports | 26 | Josh Wise (R) | Charles Dickey Jr. | 2012 Fusion | various | |
| 34 | J. J. Yeley | Jay Guy | various | |||
| 35 | David Gilliland | Pat Tryson
Derrick Finley |
various | |||
| Germain Racing | 30 | Aric Almirola | Bootie Barker | 2012 Mustang | GEICO | |
| Roush Racing | 6 | David Ragan | Drew Blickensderfer | 2012 Roush Mustang | Best Buy | |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Donnie Wingo | 3M | |||
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Bob Osborne | Office Depot | |||
| Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Donnie Wingo | 2012 Shelby Mustang | Motorcraft | |
| Toyota | Inception Motorsports
Swan Racing |
37 | David Stremme | Steve Lane | 2011 Avalon | unsponsored |
| Brian Simo | ||||||
| Patrick Long | ||||||
| Joe Gibbs Racing * | 18 | Matt Kenseth | Mike Ford | 2012 Camry | DeWalt Tools | |
| 19 | Kelly Watson | Circuit City | ||||
| 20 | Denny Hamlin | Steve Addington | FedEx | |||
| 80 | Michael McDowell | Darian Grubb | Rheem | |||
| JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Todd Berrier
David Hyder Brian Burns |
2012 Avalon | Kroger | |
| Michael Waltrip Racing * | 00 | Brian Vickers | Rodney Childers | 2012 Camry | Aaron's Dream Machine | |
| 17 | Clint Bowyer | NAPA Auto Parts | ||||
| NEMCO Motorsports | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Stephen Gray | 2012 Camry | AM FM Energy Stove Pellets | |
| Team Red Bull | 85 | Justin Allgaier (R) | Jimmy Elledge | 2012 Avalon | Red Bull | |
| 86 | Scott Speed | Ryan Pemberton | Red Bull | |||
| Chevrolet
Dodge |
Circle Sport | 33 | Tony Raines | Tony Glover | 2012 Challenger | various |
| Jeff Green | ||||||
| Cole Whitt |
Limited schedule[]
| Manufactuer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Max Q Motorsports
Tommy Baldwin Racing |
137 | J.J. Yeley | Bill Henderson
Tony Furr |
2012 Impala |
| Dave Blaney | |||||
| Turn One Motorsports | 74 | Reed Sorenson | Peter Sospenzo | 2009 Impala | |
| Stacy Compton | |||||
| Tony Raines | |||||
| Cole Whitt | |||||
| Turner Motorsports | 150 | Bill Elliott | Trent Owens | 2012 Camaro | |
| Dodge | Go Green Racing | 79 | Tim Andrews | Paul Andrews
Mike Abner |
2010 Challenger |
| Scott Speed | |||||
| Kelly Bires | |||||
| Mike Skinner | |||||
| Reed Sorenson | |||||
| Hamilton Means Racing | 52 | Scott Speed | Scott Eggleston | 2009 Charger | |
| Mike Skinner | |||||
| Humphrey Smith Racing | 119 | Mike Bliss | Paul Clapprood
Skip Pope |
2012 Charger | |
| Chris Cook | |||||
| Jason Leffler | |||||
| Jeff Green | |||||
| 191 | Reed Sorenson | Peter Sospenzo | |||
| Jason Leffler | |||||
| Penske Racing | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Chad Walter | 2012 Charger | |
| R3 Motorsports | 123 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Bryan Cook
Greg Conner Cruz Gonzalez |
2011 Challenger | |
| Scott Riggs | |||||
| RAB Racing | 109 | Kenny Wallace | Scott Zipadelli | 2011 Challenger | |
| Robby Gordon Motorsports | 107 | Robby Gordon | Samuel Stanley
Shane Bourgeois |
2012 Charger | |
| SS Motorsports | 0 | Mark Green | Brad Smales | 2009 Challenger | |
| Xxxtreme Motorsports | 144 | David Reutimann | Frank Kerr | 2011 Charger | |
| Ford | Leavine Family Racing | 95 | Scott Speed | Wally Rogers | 2012 Mustang |
| Max Q Motorsports
Rick Ware Racing |
37 | Mike Wallace | Bill Henderson | 2012 Taurus | |
| Timmy Hill (R) | |||||
| Tony Raines | |||||
| Roush Racing | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Chad Norris
Scott Graves |
2012 Roush Mustang | |
| Toyota | BK Racing | 173 | Travis Kvapil | Buddy Sisco | 2012 Avalon |
| David Reutimann | |||||
| Hillman Racing | 140 | Michael Waltrip | Buddy Sisco | 2012 Camry | |
| Tony Raines | |||||
| NEMCO Motorsports | 97 | Bill Elliott | Scott Eggleston | 2012 Camry | |
| Timmy Hill | |||||
| Robinson-Blakeney Racing | 49 | J.J. Yeley | Tony Furr
Scott Eggleston |
2010 Avalon | |
| Jason Leffler |
Changes[]
Technology[]
On January 21, 2011, NASCAR announced that the RCA Cup Series would change to electronic fuel injection from carburetors, which had been used since 1949, for the 2012 season. During the 2010 off-season, NASCAR had discussed doing the change during the 2011 season; however, in the January 21 announcements, Robin Pemberton stated, "We don't anticipate any points races this year, or races with fuel injection. It'll be a year dedicated to finetuning and getting the process down, whether it be inspection or the team side of it, with building engines. That's going along quite well." Afterward, John Darby, NASCAR's managing director of competition, said he hoped to debut the electronic fuel injection engine at least in the second race of the 2012 season.
Schedule[]
On September 28, 2011, the final calendar was released containing 43 races, with the addition of two exhibition races. The schedule also includes two Gatorade 125s, which are the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.
| No. | Race title | Track | Date | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma | January 29 | WBC |
| Budweiser Shootout | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 12 | WBC | |
| Gatorade 125s | February 16 | WBC | ||
| 2 | Daytona 500 | February 19 | WBC | |
| 3 | Subway 400 | Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham | February 26 | WBC |
| 4 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas | March 4 | ESPN |
| 5 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | March 11 | TNN |
| 6 | TranSouth Financial 400 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | March 18 | ESPN |
| 7 | San Jose 500 | San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy | March 25 | WBC |
| 8 | Goody's Fast Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | April 1 | TNN |
| 9 | Diet Coke 500 | Denver International Speedway, Denver | April 8 | WBC |
| 10 | Texas 400 | Texas World Speedway, College Station | April 15 | WBC |
| 11 | Wells Fargo 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | April 22 | ESPN |
| 12 | Capitol City 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | April 28 | TNN |
| 13 | Aaron's 499 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln | May 6 | WBC |
| 14 | Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway, Fontana | May 13 | WBC |
| RCA Open | Huntsville Speedway, Huntsville | May 19 | TNN | |
| RCA All-Star Challenge XXVIII | WBC | |||
| 15 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | May 27 | WBC |
| 16 | FedEx 400 | Dover International Speedway, Dover | June 3 | TNN |
| 17 | Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 | The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis | June 10 | ESPN |
| 18 | Motorcraft 400 | Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth | June 17 | WBC |
| 19 | Budweiser 400 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside | June 24 | WBC |
| 20 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky Speedway, Sparta | June 30 | ESPN |
| 21 | Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | July 7 | WBC |
| 22 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon | July 15 | WBC |
| 23 | Music City USA 420 | Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville | July 22 | TNN |
| 24 | Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway | July 29 | WBC |
| 25 | Pennsylvania 400 | Pocono Raceway, Long Pond | August 5 | ESPN |
| 26 | Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen | August 12 | ESPN |
| 27 | Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn | August 19 | TNN |
| 28 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | August 25 | TNN |
| 29 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | September 2 | WBC |
| 30 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | September 8 | TNN |
| 31 | GEICO 400 | Chicago Motor Speedway, Cicero | September 16 | ESPN |
| 32 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | September 23 | WBC |
| 33 | AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway, Dover | September 30 | TNN |
| 34 | Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln | October 7 | WBC |
| 35 | Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | October 13 | WBC |
| 36 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City | October 21 | TNN |
| 37 | Iowa Corn 400 | Iowa Speedway, Newton | October 28 | TNN |
| 38 | AdvoCare 500 (Atlanta) | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton | November 4 | ESPN |
| 39 | AdvoCare 500 (Phoenix) | Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale | November 11 | TNN |
| 40 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead | November 18 | WBC |
| 41 | Roblox 500 | San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy | November 25 | WBC |
| 42 | Sprite 500 | Denver International Speedway, Denver | December 2 | WBC |
| 43 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario | December 9 | WBC |
Season summary[]
Results[]
| No. | Race title | Pole Position | Most Laps Led | Winner | Make/Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Tony Stewart | Greg Biffle | Greg Biffle | Roush Mustang |
| Budweiser Shootout | Martin Truex Jr. | Greg Biffle | Kyle Busch | Toyota Camry | |
| Gatorade 125s | Carl Edwards | Denny Hamlin | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet Camaro | |
| Greg Biffle | Greg Biffle | Matt Kenseth | Roush Mustang | ||
| 2 | Daytona 500 | Carl Edwards | Denny Hamlin | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 3 | Subway 400 | Mark Martin | Kevin Harvick | Denny Hamlin | Toyota Camry |
| 4 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Kasey Kahne | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 5 | Food City 500 | Greg Biffle | Brad Keselowski | Chad McCumbee | Dodge Charger |
| 6 | TranSouth Financial 400 | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 7 | San Jose 500 | Kyle Busch | Tony Stewart | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 8 | Goody's Fast Relief 500 | Kasey Kahne | Jeff Gordon | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 9 | Diet Coke 500 | Jeff Gordon | Kasey Kahne | Davey Allison | Ford Taurus |
| 10 | Texas 400 | Martin Truex Jr. | Jimmie Johnson | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 11 | Wells Fargo 400 | A.J. Allmendinger | Martin Truex Jr. | Mark Martin | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 12 | Capitol City 400 | Mark Martin | Carl Edwards | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 13 | Aaron's 499 | Jeff Gordon | Matt Kenseth | Brad Keselowski | Dodge Charger |
| 14 | Auto Club 400 | Greg Biffle | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet Camaro |
| RCA Open | A.J. Allmendinger | A.J. Allmendinger | A.J. Allmendinger | Dodge Charger | |
| RCA All-Star Challenge XXVIII | Kyle Busch | Brad Keselowski | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet Camaro | |
| 15 | Coca-Cola 600 | Aric Almirola | Greg Biffle | Kasey Kahne | Dodge Charger |
| 16 | FedEx 400 | Mark Martin | Jimmie Johnson | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 17 | Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 | Joey Logano | Joey Logano | Joey Logano | Toyota Camry |
| 18 | Motorcraft 400 | Marcos Ambrose | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 19 | Budweiser 400 | Marcos Ambrose | Clint Bowyer | Clint Bowyer | Toyota Camry |
| 20 | Quaker State 400 | Jimmie Johnson | Kyle Busch | Brad Keselowski | Dodge Charger |
| 21 | Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola | Matt Kenseth | Bill Elliott | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 22 | Lenox Industrial Tools 301 | Kyle Busch | Denny Hamlin | Kasey Kahne | Dodge Charger |
| 23 | Music City USA 420 | Marcos Ambros | Bobby Labonte | Bobby Labonte | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 24 | Crown Royal presents the Curtiss Shaver 400 | Denny Hamlin | Jimmie Johnson | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 25 | Pennsylvania 400 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Jimmie Johnson | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 26 | Finger Lakes 355 at The Glen | Juan Pablo Montoya | Kyle Busch | Marcos Ambrose | Dodge Avenger |
| 27 | Pure Michigan 400 | Mark Martin | Mark Martin | Mark Martin | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 28 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Casey Mears | Joey Logano | Trevor Bayne | Shelby Mustang |
| 29 | Southern 500 | Tony Stewart | Denny Hamlin | Denny Hamlin | Toyota Camry |
| 30 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Denny Hamlin | Clint Bowyer | Toyota Camry |
| 31 | GEICO 400 | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson | Brad Keselowski | Dodge Charger |
| 32 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | Jeff Gordon | Adam Petty | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 33 | AAA 400 | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch | John Andretti | Dodge Charger |
| 34 | Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500 | Kasey Kahne | Jamie McMurray | Michael Waltrip | Toyota Camry |
| 35 | Bank of America 500 | Greg Biffle | Brad Keselowski | Clint Bowyer | Toyota Camry |
| 36 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kasey Kahne | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth | Roush Mustang |
| 37 | Iowa Corn 400 | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 38 | AdvoCare 500 (Atlanta) | Jimmie Johnson | Trevor Bayne | Trevor Bayne | Shelby Mustang |
| 39 | AdvoCare 500 (Phoenix) | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 40 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Joey Logano | Kyle Busch | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 41 | Roblox 500 | Adam Petty | Trevor Bayne | Davey Allison | Ford Taurus |
| 42 | Sprite 500 | Rob Moroso | Adam Petty | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 43 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Mark Martin | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Casey Elliott | Dodge Charger |