Jet dryers, rain showers, and giant wrecks… oh my! But when the smoke cleared from this year’s 36 Hours of… err, Daytona 500 the historic race left us with a familiar face on top. Here’s the unofficial Cup Series order of finish from Monday night:
KEY:
*- Led The Most Laps
® = Rookie of the Year Candidate
(I) = Ineligible to earn points
Editor’s Note: Remember, some drivers will score zero points as they’re only allowed to accumulate them in one of NASCAR’s top three series: Sprint Cup, Nationwide, or Camping World Trucks.
| Sprint Cup Series Finishing Order | |||||||
| Daytona 500 | |||||||
| Pos | Car No. | Driver | Manufacturer | Laps | Status | Points | Laps Led |
| 1 | 17 | Matt Kenseth | Ford | 202 | Running | 47 | 50 |
| 2 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Chevy | 202 | Running | 42 | 0 |
| 3 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 202 | Running | 42 | 44 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin* | Toyota | 202 | Running | 42 | 57 |
| 5 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevy | 202 | Running | 40 | 24 |
| 6 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevy | 202 | Running | 39 | 2 |
| 7 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevy | 202 | Running | 37 | 0 |
| 8 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 202 | Running | 36 | 0 |
| 9 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | 202 | Running | 36 | 2 |
| 10 | 55 | Mark Martin | Toyota | 202 | Running | 35 | 2 |
| 11 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 202 | Running | 33 | 0 |
| 12 | 56 | Martin Truex, Jr. | Toyota | 202 | Running | 33 | 7 |
| 13 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 202 | Running | 31 | 0 |
| 14 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | Toyota | 202 | Running | 30 | 0 |
| 15 | 36 | Dave Blaney | Chevy | 202 | Running | 30 | 6 |
| 16 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Chevy | 202 | Running | 29 | 2 |
| 17 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 202 | Running | 27 | 0 |
| 18 | 32 | Terry Labonte | Ford | 202 | Running | 27 | 3 |
| 19 | 26 | Tony Raines | Ford | 202 | Running | 25 | 0 |
| 20 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (I) | Ford | 202 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 21 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevy | 202 | Running | 23 | 0 |
| 22 | 83 | Landon Cassill | Toyota | 202 | Running | 22 | 0 |
| 23 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 201 | Running | 21 | 0 |
| 24 | 78 | Regan Smith | Chevy | 200 | Running | 21 | 2 |
| 25 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 199 | Running | 19 | 0 |
| 26 | 93 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 196 | Accident | 18 | 0 |
| 27 | 33 | Elliott Sadler (I) | Chevy | 196 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 28 | 87 | Joe Nemechek (I) | Toyota | 194 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 29 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevy | 189 | Accident | 15 | 0 |
| 30 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 189 | Running | 14 | 0 |
| 31 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevy | 188 | Accident | 13 | 0 |
| 32 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | 187 | Accident | 12 | 0 |
| 33 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 187 | Accident | 11 | 0 |
| 34 | 22 | A.J. Allmendinger | Dodge | 177 | Running | 10 | 0 |
| 35 | 21 | Trevor Bayne (I) | Ford | 164 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevy | 159 | Accident | 8 | 0 |
| 37 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 156 | Engine | 7 | 0 |
| 38 | 7 | Danica Patrick (I) | Chevy | 138 | Running | 0 | 0 |
| 39 | 51 | Kurt Busch | Chevy | 113 | Running | 5 | 0 |
| 40 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevy | 81 | Engine | 5 | 1 |
| 41 | 7 | Robby Gordon | Dodge | 25 | Engine | 3 | 0 |
| 42 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevy | 1 | Accident | 2 | 0 |
| 43 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 1 | Accident | 1 | 0 |
2012 Championship Standings – With One Race Complete
1) Matt Kenseth: 47
T2) Dale Earnhardt, Jr.: 42 (-5)
T2) Greg Biffle: 42 (-5)
T2) Denny Hamlin: 42 (-5)
5) Jeff Burton: 40 (-7)
6) Paul Menard: 39 (-8)
7) Kevin Harvick: 37 (-10)
T8) Carl Edwards: 36 (-11)
T8) Joey Logano: 36 (-11)
10) Mark Martin: 35 (-12)
T11) Clint Bowyer: 33 (-14)
T11) Martin Truex, Jr.: 33 (-14)
Race Awards
3M Lap Leader: Denny Hamlin, 57 Laps
Coors Light Pole Award: Carl Edwards (194.738 MPH)
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder Of The Race: Toyota Racing Development (No. 11 car)
Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver Of The Race: Paul Menard / Slugger Labbe
American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award: Bobby Labonte
DirecTV Crew Chief Of The Race: Jimmy Fennig (Crew Chief, Matt Kenseth)
Mobil1 Oil Driver Of The Race: Denny Hamlin
USG Improving The Finish Award: Denny Hamlin, +27 Spots
Thursday on the Frontstretch:
NASCAR Mailbox: Hall of Fame Anomalies, Career Shifts, and High Expectations
Going The Distance: Fantasy Picks For The Coca-Cola 600
The Indianapolis 500 History Lesson, Part II
Tech Talk: Jason Ratcliff Looks Back On Suspension, Moves Forward To 600
Truckin’ Thursdays: Off Week Observations
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