2012 Gatorade Duels

rdf:langString 2012 Gatorade Duels

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rdf:langString Permanent racing facility

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rdf:langString Greg Biffle – Roush Fenway Racing

rdf:langString Greg Biffle – Roush Fenway Racing –

rdf:langString Matt Kenseth – Roush Fenway Racing

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rdf:langString Race details

rdf:langString Race 1

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rdf:langString Winner

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rdf:langString Pole position

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rdf:langString The 2012 Gatorade Duels were a pair of stock car races held on February 23, 2012, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 60-lap races, held before a crowd of 80,000 spectators, were the qualifying races for the 2012 Daytona 500, the premier event of the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The first race was won by Tony Stewart for the Stewart-Haas Racing team. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second, with Marcos Ambrose third. Matt Kenseth driving for the Roush Fenway Racing team won the second race, which was Kenseth's and his team's first victory in the Gatorade Duels. Regan Smith followed in the second position and Jimmie Johnson was third. Carl Edwards led the first race from pole position on the first lap until he shared the lead with Stewart over the following three laps. Afterward, Earnhardt moved into the first position on the fifth lap, holding it until a caution period for a multi-car accident on lap nine. Denny Hamlin assumed the lead at the lap 15 before Stewart retook it a lap later. Hamlin returned to the lead with a pass on Stewart during the 17th lap, and he maintained the position until his pit stop 26 laps later. Stewart reclaimed the lead on lap 43 and he maintained it for the remaining 17 laps and two further caution periods to achieve victory in the first Gatorade Duel. There were three cautions and eight lead changes among five different drivers over the course of the first race. During the second race, Greg Biffle was the leader at the start. On the fourth lap, Kenseth passed Biffle to take over the lead. He lost the position when Joey Logano and Kyle Busch moved into the top two places on the 13th lap. Biffle passed Kyle Busch by the 23rd lap and held it during his pit stop 14 laps later. With three laps remaining in the race, Kenseth attempted a race-winning slingshot and passed Biffle when the final lap started and he maintained it to finish first in the second Gatorade Duel. There were five lead changes among five different drivers and no cautions were shown during the course of the second race.