2012 Quicken Loans 400

2012 Quicken Loans 400

Race details[1][2]
Race 15 of 36 in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season
Date	June 17, 2012
Location	Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.0 mi (4 km)
Distance	200 laps, 400 mi (643.737 km)
Weather	Isolated thunderstorms with a high around 89; wind out of the SSW at 9 mph
Average speed	139.144 miles per hour (223.931 km/h)[3]
Pole position
Driver	Marcos Ambrose	Richard Petty Motorsports
Time	35.426
Most laps led
Driver	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Hendrick Motorsports
Laps	95
Winner
No. 88	Dale Earnhardt, Jr.	Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	TNT
Announcers	Adam Alexander, Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach, Jr.

The 2012 Quicken Loans 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on June 17, 2012 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, United States. Contested over 200 laps on the two–mile (3.2 km) superspeedway, it was the fifteenth race of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series championship. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won the race, his first Cup Series win since 2008. Tony Stewart finished second and Matt Kenseth finished third.

Report

Background

Michigan International Speedway is one of thirteen speedways on the Sprint Cup schedule. More specifically, MIS and its "sister track", the Auto Club Speedway, are the only two speedways on the Cup schedule to be at 2.0 miles in total length. During the 2012 season, the speedway was repaved.

Prior to the race, Matt Kenseth was the Drivers' Championship points leader with 523 points. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. followed in second 10 points behind Kenseth. The "Wild Card" spots were held by Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman.

Practice & Qualifying

Marcos Ambrose set one of the fastest top speeds, breaking the 200 mph barrier, to claim pole.

References

1. "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved May 28, 2012.
2. Brown, Brian (June 17, 2012). "The Quicken Loans 400". Rotoworld.com. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
3. "2012 Quicken Loans 400". Racing-reference.info. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-06-21.