NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington

Darlington Raceway — May 12, 2012

Jimmie Johnson
Winner
368
Laps
43
Entries
8
Leaders

Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington at Darlington Raceway on May 12, 2012, leading 134 of 368 laps. Denny Hamlin finished second; Tony Stewart rounded out the podium. The race featured 8 different leaders.

Race Details
Date
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Season
2012
Leaders
8 drivers
Pos Start +/- Driver
1 2 +1 Jimmie Johnson
2 8 +6 Denny Hamlin
3 17 +14 Tony Stewart
4 5 +1 Kyle Busch
5 6 +1 Martin Truex, Jr.
6 19 +13 Matt Kenseth
7 7 Carl Edwards
8 3 -5 Kasey Kahne
9 28 +19 Marcos Ambrose
10 21 +11 Joey Logano
11 26 +15 Clint Bowyer
12 1 -11 Greg Biffle
13 14 +1 Paul Menard
14 9 -5 Regan Smith
15 15 Brad Keselowski
16 23 +7 Kevin Harvick
17 24 +7 Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
18 10 -8 Jeff Burton
19 13 -6 Aric Almirola
20 18 -2 Mark Martin
21 25 +4 Kurt Busch
22 31 +9 Casey Mears
23 4 -19 Ryan Newman
24 27 +3 Juan Pablo Montoya
25 36 +11 David Gilliland
26 20 -6 Landon Cassill
27 34 +7 Dave Blaney
28 37 +9 David Ragan
29 22 -7 Bobby Labonte
30 42 +12 Reed Sorenson
31 38 +7 Danica Patrick
32 33 +1 Travis Kvapil
33 16 -17 A.J. Allmendinger
34 11 -23 Jamie McMurray
35 12 -23 Jeff Gordon
36 41 +5 David Reutimann
37 43 +6 J.J. Yeley
38 39 +1 Cole Whitt
39 32 -7 David Stremme
40 40 Joe Nemechek
41 35 -6 Mike Skinner
42 29 -13 Scott Speed
43 30 -13 Josh Wise
Model Performance

How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 9 matched drivers, the model averaged 9.4 positions off — worse than the season average of 8.5. Below Average

Pos Driver Predicted Actual Delta
1 Jimmie Johnson 19.9 1 +18.9
2 Denny Hamlin 8.2 2 +6.2
4 Kyle Busch 17.0 4 +13.0
5 Martin Truex, Jr. 15.4 5 +10.4
10 Joey Logano 14.7 10 +4.7
15 Brad Keselowski 11.2 15 -3.8
22 Casey Mears 16.9 22 -5.1
33 A.J. Allmendinger 18.3 33 -14.7
37 J.J. Yeley 28.8 37 -8.2

Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.

Historical Context

  • Jimmie Johnson: has 29 career starts at Darlington Raceway with a 16.0 avg finish (3 wins) — the model may have underweighted this track history.
  • Denny Hamlin: was the model’s top pick based on 41 career starts at Darlington Raceway with a 7.6 avg finish (10 wins), finishing P2 on the day.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington?
Jimmie Johnson won the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington at Darlington Raceway.
Where was the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington held?
The 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Darlington was held at Darlington Raceway on May 12, 2012.