2012 STP 400

Welcome NASCAR race fans to my NASCAR blog. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is at the Kansas Speedway for the STP 400. Coors Light Pole Qualifying took place on Saturday morning. A. J. Allmendinger captured the Pole with a speed of 175.993 mph and 30.483 seconds around this 1.5-mile D-shaped oval, his second career Pole. The track will be repaved after the race.

43 Aric Almirola is sporting the STP retro colours on his car for this race. Tim Andrews, Jeff Green and Tony Raines failed to qualify for the race. No Pole sitter has won a race this year. Joey Logano qualified third for this race but had to change the engine, so will be starting the race last.

So, here we go! 22 A. J. Allmendinger leads from the Pole. 29 Kevin Harvick wiggles and slows everyone else up. 11 Denny Hamlin and 29 race for second. 29 keeps second. 17 Matt Kenseth and 39 Ryan Newman race for position. 51 Kurt Busch and 12 Sam Hornish, Jr. race side by side. 24 Jeff Gordon drives under 31 Jeff Burton and they almost touch. 56 Martin Truex, Jr. drives around 11 for third. 56 is closing in on the leaders, 22 and 29. 99 Carl Edwards gets by 31. 55 Mark Martin and 48 Jimmie Johnson race side by side and 55 closes the door on 48. 48 drives under 55 and this time gets by. 56 drives under 29 for a second.

22 and 56 race for the lead and Green Flag Pitting begins. 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. misses the entrance to pit road. 99 leads, then pit. 56 is in the lead after the pitting. 15 Clint Bowyer is slow on the track and thinks it’s the engine. 22 was out of fuel and stays in the pits to make sure it is full this time.

The first caution comes out when 15 spins trying to get to pit road. He heads for the garage. 10 David Reutimann gets back onto the lead lap. Twelve drivers stay out, while the back of the packed pit. At the restart, they are bunched up altogether. 18 Kyle Busch gets into 16 Greg Biffle. 83 Landon Cassill goes to the apron as they are already three-wide. 11, 2 Brad Keselowski and 48 race three-wide. 11 pulls ahead and 48 gets by 2. 48 drives under 11 for fourth. 16 drives under 39. 56 is leading and pulls away. 29 and 5 Kasey Kahne race for second. 15 is out on the track racing on seven cylinders.

29 is short on fuel and starts another round of Green Flag Pitting. 5 is out of fuel. 48 leads. 48 pits and 17 Matt Kenseth leads. 43 misses his pit stall. 42 Juan Pablo Montoya leads. 48 has to take the time to get a lug nut on. After the pitting, 56 is back in the lead. 11 and 17 race for second and 17 gets by. 48 and 88 race for fourth and 48 get by. 18 is sideways. 51 drives under 2.

The second caution comes out for debris as 1 Jamie McMurray completes his pit stop. The leaders all pit.  22 is in the pits with the hood up. 47 Bobby Labonte is having engine problems. 15 blows up and heads for the garage. 27 Paul Menard gets his lap back. Restart 17 doesn’t get going. 18 and 29 race for position. 18 slides in front of 29. 48 gets by 11, into second. 48 catches leader 56. 56 and 48 race for the lead.

51 pits, starting another round of Green Flag Pitting. 56 and 48 pits together and 2 leads. 10 stalls on pit road. 2 misses pit road entrance. He was going too fast to turn in. 56 and 48 are upfront after it all. The third caution comes out when 42 hits a strip on the track (which is why they will repave after the race) and wiggles into the wall. 48 pits while the first seven stay out.

They restart with 75 laps to go and 56 takes off. 29 gets by 18. 39 makes another pit stop. He took two tires and the car is chattering, so he comes in for four tires. 55 Mark Martin drives under 18. 24 gets by 18. 24 gets by 29. 29 and 18 race side by side but 18 cannot get by. 48 gets by 17 for third. 5 gets by 18.

Another round of Green Flag Pitting starts and 14 Tony Stewart leads. 42 leads, then pit. 12 stays out, leading while 56 and 11 race for what will be the lead when 12 pits. 39 drives by 12 to get his lap back. 12 finally pits and 56 leads. 11 is catching 56 who does not like these last set of tires. 11 and 56 race for the lead. 11 drives under 56 for the lead. 56 dives under 11, but can’t get by.24 loses a cylinder and with 28 laps to go, he pits. 5 gets by 18. 18 gets by 99 for ninth.

56 dives to the bottom again to battle for the lead, but cannot make the pass. 11 Denny Hamlin wins the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway, his second win this year and nineteenth of his career. 56 Martin Truex, Jr. led the most laps and finishes second. 48 Jimmie Johnson comes in third, followed by 17 Matt Kenseth, Greg Biffle, 29 Kevin Harvick, 88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr., 5 Kasey Kahne, 99 Carl Edwards and 18 Kyle Busch for the top ten. There were nine different leaders in the race.

Greg Biffle remains on top of the points by 12 over Martin Truex, Jr. who moved up two with this win. Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. each fall one spot to third and fourth. Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick trade fifth and sixth. Jimmie Johnson and Tony Stewart trade seventh and eighth. Carl Edwards moves up two spots into ninth, while Ryan Newman falls a position to tenth.

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