The 2012 DRIVE4COPD 300 was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held on February 25, 2012 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the first race of the 2012 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. The race was the 31st running of the event. Danica Patrick won the pole but in the race's end, a surprise winner happened with James Buescher winning his first and only Nationwide Series race of his entire career in an last lap wreck that took out most of the top 10 cars.
Entry list (R) denotes rookie driver (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points #DriverTeamMake 01 Mike Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet 1 Kurt Busch (i) Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 2 Elliott Sadler Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4 Danny Efland JD Motorsports Chevrolet 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 7 Danica Patrick JR Motorsports Chevrolet 08 Casey Roderick Randy Hill Racing Ford 09 Kenny Wallace RAB Racing Toyota 10 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota 11 Brian Scott Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 14 Eric McClure TriStar Motorsports Toyota 15 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 18 Denny Hamlin (i) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 19 Tayler Malsam TriStar Motorsports Toyota 20 Joey Logano (i) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 22 Brad Keselowski (i) Penske Racing Dodge 23 Robert Richardson Jr. R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 24 Benny Gordon (R) SR² Motorsports Toyota 27 David Ragan (i) GC Motorsports International Ford 28 J. J. Yeley (i) Robinson-Blakeney Racing Chevrolet 30 James Buescher (i) Turner Motorsports Chevrolet 31 Justin Allgaier Turner Motorsports Chevrolet 33 Tony Stewart (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 36 Ryan Truex Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 38 Kasey Kahne (i) Turner Motorsports Chevrolet 39 Joey Gase (R) Go Green Racing Ford 40 Josh Wise (i) The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 41 Blake Koch Rick Ware Racing Ford 42 Erik Darnell The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 43 Michael Annett Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 44 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Toyota 46 Chase Miller The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 47 Scott Speed (i) The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 50 T. J. Bell MAKE Motorsports Chevrolet 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 52 Reed Sorenson Hamilton Means Racing Chevrolet 54 Kyle Busch (i) Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 60 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 70 Johanna Long (R) ML Motorsports Chevrolet 73 Derrike Cope CFK Motorsports Chevrolet 74 Mike Harmon Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet 76 Donnie Neuenberger Ray Hackett Racing Ford 81 Jason Bowles (R) MacDonald Motorsports Dodge 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 88 Cole Whitt (R) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Chevrolet 97 Johnny Sauter (i) NEMCO Motorsports ToyotaOfficial Entry List
Qualifying Danica Patrick won the pole for the race. Her time was 49.250 with a speed of 182.741 mph. Grid Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed 1 7 Danica Patrick JR Motorsports Chevrolet 49.250 182.741 2 60 Trevor Bayne Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.257 182.715 3 2 Elliott Sadler Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 49.269 182.671 4 5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 49.290 182.593 5 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 49.339 182.411 6 12 Sam Hornish Jr. Penske Racing Dodge 49.367 182.308 7 33 Tony Stewart (i) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 49.383 182.249 8 88 Cole Whitt (R) JR Motorsports Chevrolet 49.421 182.109 9 22 Brad Keselowski (i) Penske Racing Dodge 49.425 182.094 10 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 49.497 181.829 11 38 Kasey Kahne (i) Turner Motorsports Chevrolet 49.550 181.635 12 31 Justin Allgaier Turner Motorsports Chevrolet 49.588 181.496 13 44 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Toyota 49.606 181.430 14 1 Kurt Busch Phoenix Racing Chevrolet 49.634 181.327 15 30 James Buescher (i) Turner Motorsports Chevrolet 49.669 181.200 16 43 Michael Annett Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 49.708 181.057 17 18 Denny Hamlin (i) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.733 180.966 18 36 Ryan Truex Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 49.743 180.930 19 11 Brian Scott Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.755 180.886 20 14 Eric McClure TriStar Motorsports Toyota 49.796 180.737 21 70 Johanna Long (R) ML Motorsports Chevrolet 49.831 180.610 22 20 Joey Logano (i) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 49.840 180.578 23 27 David Ragan (i)* GC Motorsports International Ford 49.908 180.332 24 54 Kyle Busch (i) Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota 50.023 179.917 25 19 Tayler Malsam TriStar Motorsports Toyota 50.096 179.655 26 09 Kenny Wallace RAB Racing Toyota 50.113 179.594 27 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 50.209 179.251 28 01 Mike Wallace JD Motorsports Chevrolet 50.259 179.072 29 15 Timmy Hill (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 50.331 178.816 30 97 Johnny Sauter (i)* NEMCO Motorsports Toyota 50.374 178.664 31 41 Blake Koch Rick Ware Racing Ford 50.420 178.501 32 08 Casey Roderick Randy Hill Racing Ford 50.532 178.105 33 24 Benny Gordon (R) SR² Motorsports Toyota 50.539 178.080 34 23 Robert Richardson Jr. R3 Motorsports Chevrolet 50.559 178.010 35 39 Joey Gase (R) Go Green Racing Ford 50.664 177.641 36 51 Jeremy Clements Jeremy Clements Racing Chevrolet 50.780 177.235 37 40 Josh Wise (i) The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 50.793 177.190 38 28 J. J. Yeley (i)* Robinson-Blakeney Racing Chevrolet 50.819 177.099 39 50 T. J. Bell MAKE Motorsports Chevrolet 50.867 176.932 40 81 Jason Bowels (R)** MacDonald Motorsports Dodge 50.891 176.849 41 4 Danny Efland** JD Motorsports Chevrolet 51.016 176.415 42 52 Reed Sorenson** Hamilton Means Racing Chevrolet 51.286 175.486 43 10 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Toyota 50.853 176.981Failed to Qualify, withdrew, or driver changes 44 89 Morgan Shepherd Shepherd Racing Ventures Chevrolet 50.616 177.809 45 73 Derrike Cope CFK Motorsports Chevrolet 50.818 177.103 46 42 Erik Darnell The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 50.857 176.967 47 47 Scott Speed (i) The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 51.076 176.208 48 74 Mike Harmon Mike Harmon Racing Chevrolet 51.166 175.898 49 46 Chase Miller The Motorsports Group Chevrolet 51.428 175.002 50 76 Donnie Neuenberger Ray Hackett Racing Ford 51.801 173.742Official Qualifying results
* – David Ragan, J. J. Yeley, and Johnny Sauter all had to start at the rear of the field. Ragan and Yeley missed the drivers meeting while Sauter had adjustments outside impound.
** – Jason Bowels, Danny Efland, and Reed Sorenson qualified in 44th, 45th, and 48th but all 3 still made the field via owners points.
Race Pole sitter Danica Patrick led the first lap of the race with a push by her boss at JR Motorsports in Dale Earnhardt Jr. Patrick lost the lead on lap 3 to Trevor Bayne as Bayne got a push by Elliott Sadler. Bayne gave up the lead on the next lap to Sadler as the two swapped spots to prevent Sadler's car from overheating. Tony Stewart, who has won 6 of the last 7 DRIVE4COPD 300 races at Daytona, took the lead from Sadler and Bayne. Kasey Kahne took the lead from Stewart on lap 9. On lap 13, Denny Hamlin took the lead from Kahne. Bayne and Sadler took the lead back on lap 14 of the race. Sam Hornish Jr. took the lead from Bayne on lap 16 with a push from his teammate in Brad Keselowski. On lap 21, Mike Bliss took the lead from the Penske cars. On lap 26, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead with a push by Kurt Busch but Bliss took it back on the next lap when Jr. and Busch swapped. On the next lap, Kurt Busch took the lead with Jr. helping him. On lap 30, the first caution of the race flew when rookie Jason Bowels' engine blew laying fluid on the racetrack. Kurt Busch won the race off of pit road and he was the race leader. The race restarted on lap 36. On lap 37, Tony Stewart battled for the lead with Busch and Stewart led lap 37 before he took full control on lap 38. On lap 44, Kurt Busch took the lead when Stewart and his draft partner Joey Logano swapped spots. On lap 45, a close call occurred when J. J. Yeley's engine let go in the middle of the pack. Yeley was able to get his car to the apron unscathed and no caution was flown. On lap 49, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead. On the same lap, the second caution flew when Danica Patrick got turned by Cole Whitt in turn 3 and hit the outside wall. Patrick complained on her radio about Whitt being too aggressive on the push even dropping f-bombs. During the pitstops, Kyle Busch came out of his pit box while Cole Whitt was coming to his and the 2 made contact turning Whitt around. No one was hurt and Whitt made his pitstop facing the right way. Denny Hamlin won the race off of pit road making him the race leader. The race restarted on lap 54 and Kurt Busch took the lead from Hamlin. On lap 60, the third caution flew when Mike Bliss got turned by Joe Nemechek in the backstretch. Some drivers pitted while others stayed out and Elliott Sadler was the race leader. The race restarted with 56 laps to go and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Sadler. But Sadler took it back on the same lap. With 54 to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr. beat Sadler to the line and led the lap before Sadler took it back with 53 to go. With 48 to go and after being in the back all day, Kyle Busch took the lead. On the next lap, Kyle's brother Kurt took the lead from his brother. On the same lap, the 4th caution flew when Brian Scott got turned by Michael Annett and Scott turned into James Buescher and hit the outside wall. Joe Nemechek won the race off of pit road which made him the race leader. The race restarted with 41 laps to go and Sam Hornish Jr. took the lead. With 39 to go, Kurt Busch took the lead from Sam Hornish Jr. with his brother Kyle helping him. With 38 laps to go, Tony Stewart took the lead from the Busch brothers. Kyle took the lead from Stewart with 32 to go. Denny Hamlin took the lead from his Cup Series teammate with 31 laps to go. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Hamlin on the next lap.
Final laps