# 2012 Ford EcoBoost 400

The 2012 Ford EcoBoost 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on November 18, 2012 at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida. Contested over 267 laps, it was the thirty-sixth in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, as well as the final race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season. Jeff Gordon of Hendrick Motorsports won the race, his second win of the season and Hendrick's first win at Homestead Miami (and their 10th win of the season), while Clint Bowyer finished second and Ryan Newman finished third.
The race was notable for three lasts: the last race for Dodge in the foreseeable future, the last race with the fifth-generation Sprint Cup car body, and the last for long-time Hendrick Motorsports sponsor DuPont with Jeff Gordon, as DuPont was leaving the #24 team at the end of the season following a spinoff of its automotive coatings division to The Carlyle Group. This race was also notable for Brad Keselowski winning his first Sprint Cup Championship

## Report
### Background

Homestead Miami Speedway is one of ten intermediate tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Atlanta Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Texas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and Charlotte Motor Speedway. The race was held on the standard track at Homestead Miami Speedway; a four-turn oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. The track's turns are banked from 18 to 20 degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at three degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a three degree banking. The racetrack has seats for 65,000 spectators.
Heading into the final race of the season, Brad Keselowski was leading the Drivers' Championship with 2,371 points while Jimmie Johnson was second with 2,351 points, twenty points behind Keselowski. A maximum of 48 points were available for the final race. Behind Keselowski and Johnson in the Drivers' Championship, Kasey Kahne was third with 2,321 points, three points ahead of Clint Bowyer and twelve ahead of Denny Hamlin in fourth and fifth. Matt Kenseth with 2,297 was four points ahead of Greg Biffle, as Kevin Harvick with 2,285 points, was one point ahead of Tony Stewart and twenty-five ahead of Martin Truex Jr. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. was eleventh and twelfth with 2,256 and 2,211 points, respectively.
Chevrolet had already secured the Manufacturer's Championship, and entered the race on 240 points, thirty-three points ahead of Toyota with 203 points, with a maximum of nine points available at the Ford EcoBoost 400. Ford was third with 170 points, seventeen ahead of Dodge. Stewart was the race's defending winner, after his victory at the 2011 race.

### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
* (CC) denotes chase contender
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (CC) | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (i) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford |
| 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer (CC) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (CC) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (CC) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 19 | Mike Bliss (i) | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota |
| 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (i) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. (i) | Penske Racing | Dodge |
| 23 | Scott Riggs | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Josh Wise (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (CC) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford |
| 33 | Stephen Leicht (R) | Circle Sport | Chevrolet |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet |
| 37 | J. J. Yeley | Max Q Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 51 | Regan Smith | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota |
| 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet |
| 79 | Reed Sorenson (i) | Go Green Racing | Ford |
| 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (i) | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 91 | Jason Leffler (i) | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| Official Entry list ||||

## Results
### Qualifying

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed | Grid |
| 20 | Joey Logano* | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.672 | 176.056 | 1 |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 30.797 | 175.342 | 2 |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski (CC) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 30.841 | 175.092 | 3 |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 30.857 | 175.001 | 4 |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 30.877 | 174.887 | 5 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer (CC) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 30.901 | 174.752 | 6 |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 30.920 | 174.644 | 7 |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 30.934 | 174.565 | 8 |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 30.954 | 174.452 | 9 |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.020 | 174.081 | 10 |
| 17 | Matt Kenseth (CC) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 31.038 | 173.980 | 11 |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.040 | 173.969 | 12 |
| 16 | Greg Biffle (CC)* | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 31.047 | 173.930 | 13 |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 31.069 | 173.807 | 14 |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.081 | 173.740 | 15 |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.129 | 173.472 | 16 |
| 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. (i) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 31.194 | 173.110 | 17 |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.200 | 173.077 | 18 |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 31.216 | 172.988 | 19 |
| 21 | Trevor Bayne (i) | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 31.275 | 172.662 | 20 |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 31.279 | 172.640 | 21 |
| 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 31.293 | 172.563 | 22 |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick (CC) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.296 | 172.546 | 23 |
| 51 | Regan Smith* | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 31.303 | 172.507 | 24 |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 31.909 | 172.474 | 25 |
| 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 31.347 | 172.265 | 26 |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (i) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 31.376 | 172.106 | 27 |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 31.385 | 172.057 | 28 |
| 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 31.417 | 171.881 | 29 |
| 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 31.440 | 171.756 | 30 |
| 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 31.442 | 171.745 | 31 |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 31.454 | 171.679 | 32 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 31.463 | 171.630 | 33 |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 31.472 | 171.581 | 34 |
| 14 | Tony Stewart (CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 31.490 | 171.483 | 35 |
| 26 | Josh Wise (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 31.497 | 171.445 | 36 |
| 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 31.538 | 171.222 | 37 |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 31.610 | 170.832 | 38 |
| 37 | J. J. Yeley | Max Q Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.623 | 170.762 | 39 |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 31.641 | 170.664 | 40 |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC)* ** | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 31.755 | 170.052 | 41 |
| 32 | Ken Schrader* | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 31.863 | 169.476 | 42 |
| 23 | Scott Riggs | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 31.636 | 170.692 | 43 |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||
| 79 | Reed Sorenson | Go Green Racing | Ford | 31.713 | 170.277 | |
| 33 | Stephen Leicht (R) | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 31.754 | 170.057 | |
| 91 | Jason Leffler | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 31.758 | 170.036 | |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 31.838 | 169.609 | |
| Official Starting grid |||||||
* - Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, Regan Smith, and Denny Hamlin had to start at the rear of the field because of going to backup cars.
** - Made the field via owners points.

### Race results

| Pos | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps Run | Points |
| 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 47 |
| 2 | 15 | Clint Bowyer (CC) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 42 |
| 3 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 42 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch* | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 42 |
| 5 | 16 | Greg Biffle (CC) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 39 |
| 6 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. (CC) | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 39 |
| 7 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 37 |
| 8 | 29 | Kevin Harvick (CC) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 36 |
| 9 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 35 |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 34 |
| 11 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 33 |
| 12 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 32 |
| 13 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 32 |
| 14 | 20 | Joey Logano | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 30 |
| 15 | 2 | Brad Keselowski (CC) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 266 | 29 |
| 16 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 266 | 28 |
| 17 | 14 | Tony Stewart (CC) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 27 |
| 18 | 17 | Matt Kenseth (CC) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 266 | 27 |
| 19 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 25 |
| 20 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 24 |
| 21 | 5 | Kasey Kahne (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 266 | 24 |
| 22 | 22 | Sam Hornish Jr. (i) | Penske Racing | Dodge | 266 | 0 |
| 23 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 266 | 0 |
| 24 | 11 | Denny Hamlin (CC) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 266 | 20 |
| 25 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 265 | 19 |
| 26 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 265 | 18 |
| 27 | 83 | Landon Cassill | BK Racing | Toyota | 265 | 17 |
| 28 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 16 |
| 29 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 264 | 15 |
| 30 | 51 | Regan Smith | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 14 |
| 31 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 263 | 13 |
| 32 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 263 | 12 |
| 33 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 262 | 11 |
| 34 | 10 | David Reutimann | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 261 | 10 |
| 35 | 37 | J. J. Yeley | Max Q Motorsports | Chevrolet | 261 | 9 |
| 36 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson (CC) | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 224 | 9 |
| 37 | 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 219 | 7 |
| 38 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 183 | 6 |
| 39 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (i) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 157 | 0 |
| 40 | 26 | Josh Wise (R) | Front Row Racing | Ford | 38 | 4 |
| 41 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 34 | 3 |
| 42 | 23 | Scott Riggs | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 23 | 2 |
| 43 | 19 | Mike Bliss (i) | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | 16 | 0 |
| Official Race results |||||||
* - led the most laps

## Standings after the race

| Pos | Driver | Points |
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 2400 |
| 2 | Clint Bowyer | 2361 |
| 3 | Jimmie Johnson | 2360 |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne | 2345 |
| 5 | Greg Biffle | 2332 |
| 6 | Denny Hamlin | 2329 |
| 7 | Matt Kenseth | 2324 |
| 8 | Kevin Harvick | 2321 |
| 9 | Tony Stewart | 2311 |
| 10 | Jeff Gordon | 2303 |
| 11 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2299 |
| 12 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 2245 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 249 |
| 2 | Toyota | 213 |
| 3 | Ford | 174 |
| 4 | Dodge | 156 |