| Race details[1][2][3][4] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 2 exhibition races in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 18, 2012 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course | 2.5 mi (4 km) | ||
| 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)[5] | ||
| Average speed | 124.096 miles per hour (199.713 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Michael Waltrip Racing | ||
| Time | N/A | ||
| 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 |
| ||
The 2012 Budweiser Shootout was the first exhibition stock car race of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The 34th annual running of the Budweiser Shootout, it was held on February 18, 2012 at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida, before a crowd of 82,000 people. Kyle Busch of the Joe Gibbs Racing team won the 82-lap race. It was Busch's first victory in the event; Stewart-Haas Racing driver Tony Stewart finished second with Richard Petty Motorsports racer Marcos Ambrose 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 led at the final restart, 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.
- ^ "2012 Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on February 26, 2013. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
- ^ "Jayski's® NASCAR Silly Season Site – 2012 Budweiser Shootout". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
- ^ "2012 Budweiser Shootout". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
- ^ Jensen, Tom (February 17, 2012). "Cup: Truex Grabs Bud Shootout Pole". Speed. Archived from the original on February 19, 2012. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
- ^ "Weather Information for Daytona Beach, Florida". Old Farmer's Almanac. Archived from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ^ "2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup TV Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN Internet Ventures. Archived from the original on July 8, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2015.