By Zane Miller
First round
(8) #11 Denny Hamlin v. (1) #16 Greg Biffle
(7) #15 Clint Bowyer v. (2) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr.
(6) #56 Martin Truex Jr. v. (3) #48 Jimmie Johnson
(5) #2 Brad Keselowski v. (4) #17 Matt Kenseth
Despite Greg Biffle being the #1-seed for the opening race at New Hampshire, it would be his competitor Denny Hamlin who stole the show. The Virginia native led nearly two-thirds of the race’s 300 laps on the way to a comfortable victory while Biffle underwhelmed in 18th. Clint Bowyer also had a strong run, sneaking into the top-five for a fourth-place finish as Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 13th. Jimmie Johnson also ended up towards the front, taking the runner-up spot as Martin Truex Jr. took the checkered flag in 17th, while Brad Keselowski put together a solid race in sixth to outdo Matt Kenseth’s 14th-place run.
Keselowski would build onto his effort from New Hampshire by grabbing the race win at Dover, while Kenseth fell multiple laps down after a couple incidents and wound up in 35th. Meanwhile, Hamlin also took out Biffle in a surprising upset, grabbing the eighth spot while Biffle was an uncharacteristic three laps down in 16th. Despite both Bowyer and Earnhardt Jr. failing to finish on the lead lap, Bowyer was able to eliminate his adversary with a ninth-place run as Junior was just outside the top-10 in 11th. Finally, Johnson completed the full round sweep with a fourth-place finish, as Truex Jr.’s postseason efforts came to an end in sixth.
Semifinal
(8) #11 Denny Hamlin v. (3) #48 Jimmie Johnson
(7) #15 Clint Bowyer v. (5) #2 Brad Keselowski
Bowyer seized control of the semifinal round at Charlotte, leading the final 25 laps for what would be his final race win until six years later, while Keselowski was unable to take advantage of a fantastic run in which he led a race-high 139 laps and dropped back to 11th. Hamlin and Johnson battled tooth and nail for the early victory, but Johnson was ultimately unable to keep pace as Hamlin scored the runner-up spot with Johnson in third.
Bowyer backed up his performance at his home track of Kansas Speedway, as he led a few laps on the way to a strong sixth-place finish. This was enough to punch his ticket to the championship finals as Keselowski could only get back up to eighth after a 25th-place starting spot. Hamlin was unable to put away Johnson, as he finished 13th while Johnson took the ninth spot to keep his shot at a third championship afloat. Johnson made his statement loud and clear at Martinsville, dominating for 193 laps led and taking the race win, as Hamlin was knocked out of contention with mechanical issues and was saddled in the 33rd spot.
Final
(7) #15 Clint Bowyer v. (3) #48 Jimmie Johnson
Johnson resumed his winning ways at Texas, leading 168 laps and getting around Keselowski for the race win on a green-white-checkered restart. Despite an impressive showing, Bowyer could only manage a sixth-place run as he quickly found himself behind the 8-ball going into Phoenix.
The Phoenix race would easily be the strangest undertaking of the entire postseason, starting with Johnson smacking the wall with 77 laps to go after suffering a blown tire. Despite the heavy damage to the #48 car, the team was able to get it back rolling, albeit several laps down. Bowyer looked as though he had an easy path to pushing the series to Homestead, but Jeff Gordon, both in retaliation for an on-track incident with Bowyer a few laps prior and possibly in an attempt to assist his teammate, intentionally crashed Bowyer and himself with just two laps remaining. Despite Bowyer’s car being completely demolished, there wasn’t enough time left for Johnson to make up the necessary laps. The checkered flag fell with Bowyer out of the race in 28th, while Johnson was credited with 32nd. However, Bowyer would get the last laugh.
Now emboldened by extra motivation, Bowyer stayed near the front throughout the 267 laps around Homestead-Miami Speedway. In contrast, Johnson’s night was over after his rear gear failed, putting him behind the wall in 36th. Meanwhile, Bowyer cruised to a runner-up finish and, most importantly, scored his first career Cup Series title as well as the first championship for Michael Waltrip as a team owner.
Bowyer’s stats for 2012 included three victories, 10 top-fives and 23 top-10s, ending the season second in the real-life point standings to champion Jimmie Johnson.
2012 Cup Series standings in real life: https://scorum.com/en-us/nascar/@zmiller82/2012-nascar-cup-series-season-recap
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