2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Keselowski Takes the Title at Homestead

The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series was the 64th season of NASCAR stock car racing and the 41st of the modern era. The campaign started in February and ended in November, with Brad Keselowski securing the title on the final weekend at Homestead.

What was the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?

This was NASCAR's 64th top-flight stock car championship in the United States, and the 41st of the modern era. It opened with the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona on February 18 and closed with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami on November 18.

There were 40 full-time teams that year, and the Chase for the Sprint Cup began on September 16 at Chicagoland Speedway. Sprint Nextel extended its sponsorship of the series to 2016.

The season was also the last for the fifth-generation Car of Tomorrow. The Generation 6 cars came in the following year, and 2012 was the last of the older design.

Keselowski won the title on the final weekend, while a Daytona 500 that ran into Tuesday set the tone for a long season.

Who won the 2012 championships?

Brad Keselowski won the Drivers' Championship at the final race, and Roger Penske took the Owners' Championship. Chevrolet won the Manufacturers' Championship with 249 points, and Stephen Leicht was Rookie of the Year ahead of Josh Wise.

Keselowski finished 15th at Homestead to secure the title, which was the first Sprint Cup Championship for both him and Roger Penske. The result came after Jimmie Johnson's late collapse in the same race.

Leicht started his season late but still beat Wise to the rookie award.

Which teams and drivers changed for 2012?

Red Bull Racing Team closed in December 2011, while Richard Childress Racing and Roush Fenway Racing both cut to three teams. A. J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer and Kurt Busch all switched rides for 2012, and Kasey Kahne replaced Mark Martin at Hendrick Motorsports.

Roush Fenway Racing closed one of its teams after sponsorship troubles, and it kept only three cars in the Cup field. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. drove for the team in the Daytona 500.

Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 entry was shared by several drivers in the early races, and Joe Falk acquired the ownership after Martinsville. The car was still fielded in races where Austin Dillon competed.

Germain Racing switched from Toyota to Ford, and Turner Motorsports tried a Cup debut with Bill Elliott at Daytona. Stewart-Haas Racing allied with Tommy Baldwin Racing for 2012, and Danica Patrick drove for Stewart-Haas for part of the season.

BK Racing was formed from the former Red Bull Racing Team assets, and Landon Cassill and Travis Kvapil drove for it at most races.

What were the key rule changes?

NASCAR planned to move from carburettors to fuel injection, a system that replaced carburettors used since 1949. Driver-to-spotter communication was also banned at all races after the 2011 season.

Robin Pemberton said there would be no points races with fuel injection that year, and that the season would be used to fine-tune the process. John Darby hoped to debut the new engine by the second race.

The communication ban was first made to break up two-car racing at restrictor-plate tracks, but it was later applied at every race.

How did the schedule change?

The final calendar, released on September 28, 2011, had 36 races plus two exhibition races. Two Gatorade Duels set the field for the Daytona 500, and the season opener moved a week later than usual.

Kansas moved its first race from June to April, and its second race became the sixth race of the Chase. Pocono's races were shortened from 500 miles to 400 miles.

The races at Phoenix and Las Vegas were also moved a week later, after the Daytona 500 was pushed back.

How did pre-season testing go?

Testing began on January 12, 2012 at Daytona with NASCAR Preseason Thunder. Jeff Gordon was quickest on the first day at 46.687 seconds, and Kyle Busch and six other cars broke 200 mph in the afternoon.

The three days of testing had a morning and an afternoon session each. Martin Truex Jr. was quickest in the morning of day two at 43.962 seconds, and Gordon topped the charts on the final day.

Defending champion Tony Stewart said he was excited to return to Daytona. The third day focused on drafting, and Pemberton said the drivers and teams had made good progress.

How did the season open at Daytona?

Kyle Busch passed Tony Stewart on the last lap to win his first Shootout. Kenseth won the second Duel over Greg Biffle, while Stewart had earlier won his third Duel.

The Daytona 500 was postponed to Monday for the first time in 53 years because of persistent showers. Juan Pablo Montoya's car caught fire under a caution after a part failure, and a 2-hour red flag pushed the race into Tuesday, another first.

Kenseth held off teammate Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the green-white-checkered finish to win his second Daytona 500. It was also Jack Roush's 300th NASCAR victory.

How did the early races play out?

Denny Hamlin won at Phoenix for his first win of 2012, and Tony Stewart took Las Vegas. Brad Keselowski led 232 laps at Bristol to win, and Greg Biffle ended a 49-race wait at Texas.

At Phoenix, Kevin Harvick dominated the race, but Hamlin grabbed the lead late and held him off. At Las Vegas, Stewart held off Jimmie Johnson on a late restart for his first win there.

At California, Kyle Busch led 80 laps, but rain came on lap 124 and the race was called on lap 129. Stewart stayed on track and was declared the winner.

At Martinsville, Jeff Gordon led 329 laps. A late crash involving Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson set up a green-white-checkered finish, and Ryan Newman took the lead to beat A. J. Allmendinger.

How did the spring races at Richmond and Talladega go?

Kyle Busch won at Richmond, his fourth straight spring win there, after Tony Stewart's late stop went wrong. Brad Keselowski won at Talladega, his second win of 2012, with help from Busch in the closing laps.

At Richmond, Carl Edwards dominated before a black flag on the restart knocked him out of contention. Stewart held the lead but got caught up by a faulty final stop, and Busch inherited the lead.

At Talladega, a late flurry of cautions took out a number of contenders. Keselowski drove past Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle to take the win.

At Kansas, Hamlin held off Martin Truex Jr. to take his second win of 2012, and the Southern 500 went to Johnson, who stayed out during the final pit stops on advice from Chad Knaus.

What did Hendrick Motorsports achieve in the spring?

Johnson dominated the Southern 500, held off Denny Hamlin, and gave Rick Hendrick his 200th victory. Johnson later won the All-Star race, and Bobby Labonte won the fan vote to transfer in.

Kasey Kahne won the Coke 600 on the final restart, his first win of 2012 with Hendrick Motorsports, after driving past Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Greg Biffle had the dominant car through much of the race.

How did Dover, Pocono and Michigan go?

Johnson won at Dover, his second win of the year. Joey Logano won at Pocono, his first since 2009, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. led 95 laps at Michigan on the way to his first win in 143 races.

At Pocono, Logano pulled a bump and run on Mark Martin, his former mentor, to score the win. The race was run at a repaved track.

At Michigan, drivers had to contend with a new tyre and a pre-race shower. Earnhardt had gone 143 races without a win before Michigan.

What happened at Sonoma, Kentucky and Daytona in the summer?

Clint Bowyer led 71 laps at Sonoma and won his first race for Michael Waltrip Racing. Brad Keselowski won at Kentucky, his third win of the year, and Tony Stewart won at Daytona for his fourth Daytona victory.

At Sonoma, Bowyer held off Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch on a green-white-checkered finish. Bowyer had moved to the team from Richard Childress Racing that season.

At Kentucky, Kyle Busch dominated the early stages until a broken shock took him out. A late crash by Ryan Newman set up a fuel-mileage race, which Keselowski won by preserving enough fuel.

At Daytona, the Roush duo of Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle dominated before a late push from Kasey Kahne handed Stewart the lead.

What happened at Loudon, Indianapolis and Watkins Glen?

Johnson won at Indianapolis, his fourth Brickyard victory. Jeff Gordon won the rain-hit Pocono race, which was called after 98 laps, and Marcos Ambrose won at Watkins Glen.

At Loudon, Denny Hamlin led 150 laps but dropped to 13th after a decision to take four tyres on a final stop. Kasey Kahne held the lead on the final restart and held off Hamlin for his second win of 2012.

At Indianapolis, Hamlin lost the lead to Johnson after a cycle of green-flag pit stops. Johnson took over and easily held off Kyle Busch.

At Watkins Glen, Kyle Busch spun in the esses with 2 laps to go, which handed the win to Ambrose after a bump and run on Brad Keselowski.

What happened at Michigan and Bristol in the late summer?

Greg Biffle won at Michigan, his second win of 2012, after Johnson's engine blew on lap 195. Denny Hamlin won at Bristol, his third win of the season, after Joey Logano had led early on.

At Michigan, polesitter Mark Martin dominated the early stages until a wreck with Kasey Kahne. Johnson took the lead late on before his engine failed, which set up a green-white-checkered finish.

At Bristol, the lead changed hands several times as pit strategy dictated the race. Carl Edwards stayed out after a caution, and dropped through the pack, handing the lead to Hamlin.

How did the Chase begin at Chicagoland and Loudon?

The Chase for the Sprint Cup began at Chicagoland Speedway on September 16, and Brad Keselowski won there, his fourth win of the season. Denny Hamlin won at Loudon from 32nd on the grid, his fifth win.

At Chicagoland, Jimmie Johnson led 172 laps from pole, but Keselowski got ahead of him after the final round of pit stops. Keselowski pulled away to score the win.

At Loudon, Hamlin backed up a promise he had made on Twitter, which he later said was overblown. He led most of the race from 32nd and took the win.

What happened at Dover, Talladega and Charlotte in the Chase?

At Dover, Kyle Busch and Hamlin dominated, but a lack of cautions set up a fuel-mileage race. Keselowski inherited the points lead when he stretched his fuel to win, his fifth win of the year.

At Talladega, leader Jamie McMurray spun with six laps to go. Matt Kenseth stayed out on track and stayed in front when the big one erupted, giving him his second win of 2012.

At Charlotte, Keselowski dominated until a timing mistake on his last stop left him out of fuel on pit road. Clint Bowyer took the win ahead of Denny Hamlin, his third of the year, and that tightened the points race.

Who won at Kansas, Martinsville and Texas in the Chase?

Matt Kenseth won at Kansas, a track repaved only recently, which made the race a war of attrition. Jimmie Johnson took Martinsville for his fourth win of the season and then won at Texas from pole, holding off a late charge from Brad Keselowski.

At Kansas, Kenseth stayed out for the final caution and pulled clear of the field to take his third win of the year.

At Texas, Johnson dominated from pole and held off Keselowski to take his second win in a row. Keselowski's title push was still alive heading into the last two races.

How was the title decided at Phoenix and Homestead?

Kevin Harvick won at Phoenix, his first win in 44 races, after points leader Jimmie Johnson crashed out. At Homestead, Jeff Gordon took his first win there, and Brad Keselowski finished 15th to take the title.

At Phoenix, Kyle Busch dominated the race, but the championship took a turn when Johnson crashed out. Clint Bowyer, third in the standings, was also knocked out of contention after Jeff Gordon intentionally wrecked him on lap 311.

At Homestead, Johnson tried to make the race on one fewer stop than his rivals, but his drivetrain failed. Gordon took the points lead on lap 254 and used Johnson's strategy to win.

What were the 2012 season's headline results?