2012 Budweiser Shootout
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 2 exhibition races in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
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| Date | February 18, 2012 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4 km) |
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| Distance | 82 laps, 205 mi (329.915 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures up to 78.1 °F (25.6 °C); wind speeds up to 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) | ||
| Average speed | 124.096 miles per hour (199.713 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Michael Waltrip Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | |
| Laps | 17 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
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The 2012 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was held on February 18, 2012 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 82,000. The 82-lap race was won by Kyle Busch of the Joe Gibbs Racing team. It was Busch's first victory in the event; Tony Stewart finished second and Marcos Ambrose came in third.
Pole position driver Martin Truex, Jr. was immediately passed by Jeff Gordon before the first turn, and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. led at the end of the first lap. On the ninth lap, a multiple-car accident prompted the first caution flag. Sixteen laps later the second caution was issued, with Jamie McMurray leading. During the caution period, all teams made pit stops. On lap 62 Gordon reclaimed the lead, holding it until he was involved in an accident (the race's final caution). Stewart took the lead, holding it until the final lap when Busch passed him to win. Five cautions were issued during the race, which saw twenty-six lead changes by thirteen different drivers and attracted 7.46 million television viewers.
Daytona International Speedway is one of six superspeedways to hold NASCAR races; the others are Michigan International Speedway, Auto Club Speedway, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Talladega Superspeedway. Its standard track is a four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.0 km) superspeedway. Daytona's turns are banked at 31 degrees, and the front stretch (the location of the finish line) is banked at 18 degrees.
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