# 2012 Kobalt Tools 400

The 2012 Kobalt Tools 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on March 11, 2012 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Contested over 267 laps, it was the third race of the 2012 season. The race was won by Tony Stewart for the Stewart-Haas Racing team. Jimmie Johnson finished second, and Greg Biffle clinched third.

## Report
### Entry list

(R) - Denotes rookie driver.
(i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | McDonald's |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | Speed Energy |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | DeWalt / Stanley Tools |
| 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Accell Construction |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Freight |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Office Depot / Mobil 1 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 5-hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3M Meguiar's |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Zest |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | M&M's Brown |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Dollar General |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (i) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |
| 22 | A. J. Allmendinger | Penske Racing | Dodge | Shell / Pennzoil |
| 23 | Scott Riggs | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | North Texas Pipe / Riviera Hotel |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | DuPont 20 Years |
| 26 | Josh Wise (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 1-800-LoanMart |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Schrock / Menards |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | Berry's Manufacturing |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | Federated Auto Parts |
| 33 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Rick Santorum for President |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Ollie's Bargain Outlet |
| 37 | Timmy Hill (R) | Max Q Motorsports | Ford | Poynt.com |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | ModSpace |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Quicken Loans |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Clorox |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Richard Petty Fantasy Racing Camp |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Kingsford / Bush's Beans |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's / Kobalt Tools |
| 49 | J. J. Yeley | Robinson-Blakeney Racing | Toyota | America Israel Racing |
| 51 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Phoenix Racing |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | Furniture Row / Denver Mattress |
| 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr Pepper |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (i) | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | AM/FM Energy Pellet & Wood Stoves |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | National Guard / Diet Mountain Dew |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr Pepper |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | K-Love |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Aflac |
| Official entry list |||||

## Results
### Qualifying

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed | Grid |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.353 | 190.456 | 1 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.415 | 190.040 | 2$^1$ |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.419 | 190.014 | 3 |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.440 | 189.873 | 4 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.450 | 189.807 | 5 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.455 | 189.773 | 6$^1$ |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.471 | 189.667 | 7 |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.478 | 189.620 | 8 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.496 | 189.500 | 9 |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.508 | 189.421 | 10 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.540 | 189.208 | 11 |
| 51 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 28.549 | 189.148 | 12 |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.576 | 188.970 | 13 |
| 22 | A. J. Allmendinger | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.581 | 188.937 | 14 |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.585 | 188.910 | 15 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.608 | 188.758 | 16 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.615 | 188.712 | 17 |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.657 | 188.436 | 18 |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.699 | 188.160 | 19 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 28.703 | 188.134 | 20 |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.710 | 188.088 | 21 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.761 | 187.754 | 22 |
| 33 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.774 | 187.669 | 23 |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 28.775 | 187.663 | 24 |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.821 | 187.363 | 25 |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.830 | 187.305 | 26 |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.879 | 186.987 | 27 |
| 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 28.879 | 186.987 | 28$^1$ |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.911 | 186.780 | 29$^1$ |
| 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 29.087 | 185.650 | 30 |
| 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.088 | 185.644 | 31 |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 29.146 | 185.274 | 32 |
| 26 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.215 | 184.837 | 33 |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.239 | 184.685 | 34 |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 29.286 | 184.388 | 35 |
| 49 | J. J. Yeley | Robinson-Blakeney Racing | Toyota | 29.289 | 184.370 | 36 |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 29.320 | 184.175 | 37 |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.356 | 183.949 | 38 |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 29.370 | 183.861 | 39 |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 29.421 | 183.542 | 40 |
| 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 29.459 | 183.306 | 41 |
| 37 | Timmy Hill | Rick Ware Racing/Max Q Motorsports | Ford | 29.528 | 182.877 | 42 |
| 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | 29.556 | 182.704 | 43 |
| Did not qualify |||||||
| 23 | Scott Riggs | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.601 | 182.426 | |
| 7 | Robby Gordon | Robby Gordon Motorsports | Dodge | 29.624 | 182.285 | |
| $^1$ Car moved to the back of the grid for going to a backup car: (#18, #48). changing engines: (#42), changing transmission: (#78). |||||||
| Source: |||||||

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Led | Points |
| 1 | 7 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 127 | 48 |
| 2 | 6 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 35 | 43 |
| 3 | 9 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 2 | 42 |
| 4 | 18 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 40 |
| 5 | 21 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | 39 |
| 6 | 5 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 3 | 39 |
| 7 | 26 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 37 |
| 8 | 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 36 |
| 9 | 25 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 267 | 0 | – |
| 10 | 4 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 70 | 35 |
| 11 | 3 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 4 | 34 |
| 12 | 16 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 2 | 33 |
| 13 | 15 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 0 | 31 |
| 14 | 22 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 30 |
| 15 | 28 | 78 | Regan Smith | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 29 |
| 16 | 8 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 0 | 28 |
| 17 | 10 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 0 | 27 |
| 18 | 13 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 0 | 26 |
| 19 | 1 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 0 | 25 |
| 20 | 17 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 0 | 24 |
| 21 | 35 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 1 | 24 |
| 22 | 11 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 21 | 23 |
| 23 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 266 | 0 | 21 |
| 24 | 27 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 0 | 20 |
| 25 | 29 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 0 | 19 |
| 26 | 24 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 264 | 0 | 18 |
| 27 | 32 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 264 | 0 | 17 |
| 28 | 43 | 30 | David Stremme | Inception Motorsports | Toyota | 263 | 0 | 16 |
| 29 | 38 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 263 | 0 | 15 |
| 30 | 41 | 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 263 | 0 | 14 |
| 31 | 31 | 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 261 | 0 | 13 |
| 32 | 20 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Dodge | 259 | 1 | 13 |
| 33 | 34 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 258 | 0 | 11 |
| 34 | 23 | 33 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 252 | 0 | 10 |
| 35 | 12 | 51 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 251 | 0 | 9 |
| 36 | 30 | 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 240 | 0 | 8 |
| 37 | 14 | 22 | A. J. Allmendinger | Penske Racing | Dodge | 238 | 1 | 8 |
| 38 | 39 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | 6 |
| 39 | 37 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 123 | 0 | 5 |
| 40 | 33 | 26 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 64 | 0 | 4 |
| 41 | 40 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 44 | 0 | – |
| 42 | 42 | 37 | Timmy Hill | Rick Ware Racing/Max Q Motorsports | Ford | 42 | 0 | 2 |
| 43 | 36 | 49 | J. J. Yeley | Robinson-Blakeney Racing | Toyota | 39 | 0 | 1 |
| Source: |||||||||

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Wins | Points |
| 1 | Greg Biffle | 0 | 125 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 0 | 115 |
| 3 | Denny Hamlin | 1 | 113 |
| 4 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 0 | 107 |
| 5 | Matt Kenseth | 1 | 102 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Wins | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 1 | 21 |
| 2 | Ford | 1 | 19 |
| 3 | Toyota | 1 | 17 |
| 4 | Dodge | 0 | 9 |