Race details | |||
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Race 4 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
Date | March 18, 2012 | ||
Location | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol, Tennessee | ||
Course | Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) |
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Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
Weather | Temperatures up to 73.9 °F (23.3 °C); wind speeds up to 8.9 miles per hour (14.3 km/h) | ||
Average speed | 93.037 miles per hour (149.729 km/h) | ||
Pole position | |||
Driver | Roush Fenway Racing | ||
Time | 15.324 | ||
Most laps led | |||
Driver | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | |
Laps | 231 | ||
Winner | |||
No. 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | |
Television in the United States | |||
Network | Fox Broadcasting Company | ||
Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, Larry McReynolds | ||
Nielsen Ratings | 4.4/11 (Final) 4.0/10 (Overnight) (7.307 million) |
The 2012 Food City 500 was the fourth of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on March 18, 2012 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee before a crowd of 102,000. The 500-lap race was won by Brad Keselowski of the Penske Racing team after he started from fifth position. Matt Kenseth finished second and Martin Truex, Jr. came in third.
Greg Biffle won the pole position and maintained into the first corner, as A.J. Allmendinger, who started in the second position of the grid, was passed by Jeff Gordon on the first lap. After a competition caution that started on lap 40, Allmendinger became the leader of the race. After the final pitstops, Keselowski took over the first position from Matt Kenseth. He maintained the first position to lead the most laps of 231, and to win his first race of the 2012 season. There were five cautions and thirteen lead changes among seven different drivers during the course of the race.
The race was Keselowski's first win of the season, and the fifth of his career. The result kept Biffle in the lead of the Drivers' Championship with 157 points, nine ahead of Kevin Harvick and twelve ahead of Kenseth. Ford took over the lead in the Manufacturers' Championship, and bumped Chevrolet to second place with 24 points. Toyota followed in third with 21 points, while Dodge remained in fourth with 18. The race attracted 7.307 million television viewers.