Most Penalized NASCAR Sprint Cup Drivers In 2012

 

Photo By Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images North America

Kurt Busch and David Gilliland were the two most penalized drivers in NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series in 2012 by quite a wide margin.  Both drivers accrued 27 penalties in the 36 race season, eight more than the next closest driver, Travis Kvapil.  Of the drivers who made the Chase For The Sprint Cup, Kevin Harvick tallied the least three penalties on the year with three.  2012 champion, Brad Keselowski recorded 10 penalties on his way to the crown.

Driver, Total Penalties In 2012 (Names In Bold And Yellow Represent Chase Drivers)

Kurt Busch - 27
David Gilliland - 27
Travis Kvapil - 19
David Ragan - 18
Kyle Busch - 16
Casey Mears - 16
Dave Blaney - 15
Jeff Burton - 15
Landon Cassill - 15
Bobby Labonte - 15
Marcos Ambrose - 13
Juan Pablo Montoya - 13
A.J. Allmendinger - 12
Carl Edwards - 12
Sam Hornish, Jr. - 12
Jimmie Johnson - 12
Joey Logano - 12
Ryan Newman - 12
David Reutimann - 12
Regan Smith - 12
Aric Almirola - 11
Jeff Gordon - 11
Kasey Kahne - 11
Brad Keselowski - 10
Trevor Bayne - 9
Michael McDowell - 9
Paul Menard - 9
Tony Stewart - 9
Clint Bowyer - 8
Jamie McMurray - 8
J.J. Yeley - 8
David Stremme - 7
Greg Biffle - 6
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 6
Denny Hamlin - 6
Matt Kenseth - 6
Stephen Leicht - 6
Ken Schrader - 6
Martin Truex, Jr. - 6
Terry Labonte - 4
Danica Patrick - 4
T.J. Bell - 3
Kevin Harvick - 3
Jason Leffler - 3
Joe Nemechek - 3
Scott Speed - 3
Brendan Gaughan - 2
Tony Raines - 2
Scott Riggs - 2
Boris Said - 2
Reed Sorenson - 2
Brian Vickers - 2
Kelly Bires - 1
Mike Bliss - 1
Tomy Drissi - 1
Bill Elliott - 1
Timmy Hill - 1
Mark Martin - 1
Robert Richardson - 1
Elliott Sadler - 1
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - 1
Michael Waltrip - 1
Josh Wise - 1

Drivers' Pit Crews With The Most Penalties In 2012

Photo By John Harrelson/Getty Images North America

Three drivers led all of NASCAR with most penalties caused by their pit crews in 2012, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears and Ryan Newman.  Busch's penalties came between two different teams as he drove for Phoenix Racing the first 3/4 of the season while finishing out with Furniture Row Racing in the final handful of events.  Unlike the other penalty categories, there were numerous drivers/teams who avoided penalty in this category namely 2012 Sprint Cup Champion, Brad Keselowski who's team did not register a single penalty all year long.

Driver, Total Pit Crew Penalties In 2012
Kurt Busch - 4
Casey Mears - 4
Ryan Newman - 4
Landon Cassill - 3
Kasey Kahne - 3
A.J. Allmendinger - 2
Aric Almirola - 2
Dave Blaney - 2
Jimmie Johnson - 2
Travis Kvapil - 2
Stephen Leicht - 2
Paul Menard - 2
Jamie McMurray - 2
Juan Pablo Montoya - 2
David Ragan - 2
Tony Stewart - 2
Marcos Ambrose - 1
Trevor Bayne - 1
Jeff Burton - 1
Kyle Busch - 1
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 1
Carl Edwards - 1
Jeff Gordon - 1
Sam Hornish, Jr. - 1
Bobby Labonte - 1
David Stremme - 1
Greg Biffle - 0
Clint Bowyer - 0
David Gilliland - 0
Denny Hamlin - 0
Kevin Harvick - 0
Matt Kenseth - 0
Brad Keselowski - 0
Joey Logano - 0
David Reutimann - 0
Regan Smith - 0
Martin Truex, Jr. - 0

Drivers With The Most Penalties In 2012

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David Gilliland lead all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers in 2012 with 13 total penalties through the season.  Gilliland's number was nearly twice as much as Kyle Busch who was closest with 7 penalties.  2012 Sprint Cup Series Champion, Brad Keselowski was caught speeding in the pits six times but thankfully for him, his penalties occurred in the early stages of the season.  Tony Stewart, Jamie McMurray and Kevin Harvick all avoided NASCAR's wrath in 2012.

Driver, Total Speeding Penalties In 2012
David Gilliland -  13
Kyle Busch - 7
Brad Keselowski - 6
Bobby Labonte - 6
Michael McDowell - 6
David Ragan - 6
David Reutimann - 6
J.J. Yeley - 6
Kurt Busch - 5
Travis Kvapil - 5
A.J. Allmendinger - 4
Aric Almirola - 4
Landon Cassill - 4
Carl Edwards - 4
T.J. Bell - 3
Greg Biffle - 3
Dave Blaney - 3
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 3
Jeff Gordon - 3
Jimmie Johnson - 3
Jason Leffler - 3
Joey Logano - 3
Paul Menard - 3
Regan Smith - 3
Marcos Ambrose - 2
Jeff Burton - 2
Denny Hamlin - 2
Brendan Gaughan - 2
Kasey Kahne - 2
Stephen Leicht - 2
Juan Pablo Montoya - 2
Danica Patrick - 2
David Stremme - 2
Martin Truex, Jr. - 2
Trevor Bayne - 1
Clont Bowyer - 1
Tomy Drissi - 1
Sam Hornish, Jr. - 1
Matt Kenseth - 1
Terry Labonte - 1
Casey Mears - 1
Ryan Newman - 1
Tony Raines - 1
Scott Riggs - 1
Boris Said - 1
Scott Speed - 1
Brian Vickers - 1
Kevin Harvick - 0
Jamie McMurray - 0
Tony Stewart - 0

Drivers With The Most Penalties For Pitting Too Early In 2012

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More often than not, the penalty for entering pit road too early is the result of a driver having to pit in order to fix damage on their race car from an accident on the track.  Kurt Busch found himself in this position 16 times in 2012, more than any other driver.  The majority of these instances came while Busch drove for Phoenix Racing.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was the only driver who made the Chase who didn't get the orange designated penalty however he did miss two events during the season.  Greg Biffle had the least amount of penalties of all drivers who started or attempted to start and race the full distance all 36 points events with two.

Driver, Total Times Pitting Before Pit Road Was Open In 2012
Kurt Busch - 16
Casey Mears - 11
David Ragan - 10
Marcos Ambrose - 9
Jeff Burton - 9
David Gilliland - 9
Travis Kvapil - 9
Landon Cassill - 8
Bobby Labonte - 8
Trevor Bayne - 7
Kyle Busch - 7
Carl Edwards - 7
Jeff Gordon - 7
Sam Hornish, Jr. - 7
Joey Logano - 7
Juan Pablo Montoya - 7
Regan Smith - 7
Tony Stewart - 7
A.J. Allmendinger - 6
Clint Bowyer - 6
Jamie McMurray - 6
Kasey Kahne - 5
Matt Kenseth - 5
David Reutimann - 5
Aric Almirola - 4
Jimmie Johnson - 4
Brad Keselowski - 4
Ken Schrader - 4
Martin Truex, Jr. - 4
Denny Hamlin - 3
Kevin Harvick - 3
Terry Labonte - 3
Paul Menard - 3
Joe Nemechek - 3
David Stremme - 3
Greg Biffle - 2
Scott Speed - 2
J.J. Yeley - 2
Kelly Bires - 1
Mike Bliss - 1
Bill Elliott - 1
Timmy Hill - 1
Stephen Leicht - 1
Mark Martin - 1
Michael McDowell - 1
Danica Patrick - 1
Tony Raines - 1
Robert Richardson - 1
Scott Riggs - 1
Elliott Sadler - 1
Boris Said - 1
Reed Sorenson - 1
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. - 1
Michael Waltrip - 1
Josh Wise - 1

Drivers With The Most Pre-Race Penalties In 2012

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David Gilliland led all NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers with five pre-race penalties in the 2012 season.  Next closest to Gilliland were Jeff Burton, Sam Hornish, Jr., Jimmie Johnson and Travis Kvapil who tied with three pre-race penalties.  Gilliland's penalties came in the season opening race, the Daytona 500, the first race of the year at Talladega, the Sonoma event and the second races at Dover and Charlotte.

Driver, Penalties, Races Penalized In Parenthesis
David Gilliland - 5 (Daytona 1, Talladega 1, Sonoma, Dover 2, Charlotte 2)
Jeff Burton - 3 ( Charlotte 2, Kansas 2, Phoenix 2)
Sam Hornish, Jr. - 3 (Daytona 2, Michigan 2, Loudon 2)
Jimmie Johnson - 3 (Las Vegas, Michigan 1, Michigan 2)
Travis Kvapil - 3 (Talladega 1, Watkens Glen, Charlotte 2)
Dave Blaney - 2 (Bristol 1, Talladega 2)
Kurt Busch - 2 (Daytona 1, Charlotte 1)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. - 2 (Michigan 2, Chicago)
Joey Logano - 2 (Texas 1, Homestead)
Juan Pablo Montoya - 2 (Las Vegas, Charlotte 2)
Ryan Newman - 2 (Michigan 1, Charlotte 2)
Regan Smith - 2 (Las Vegas, Homestead)
Aric Almirola - 1 (Michigan 2)
Marcos Ambrose - 1 (Daytona 2)
Greg Biffle - 1 (Homestead)
Clint Bowyer - 1 (Atlanta)
Kyle Busch - 1 (Las Vegas)
Denny Hamlin -1 (Homestead)
Kasey Kahne - 1 (Daytona 1)
Stephen Leicht - 1 (Sonoma)
Michael McDowell - 1 (Daytona 2)
Paul Menard - 1 (Daytona 1)
Danica Patrick - 1 (Daytona 1)
David Reutimann -1 (Kansas 2)
Ken Schrader - 1 (Las Vegas)
Reed Sorenson - 1 (Charlotte 2)
David Stremme - 1 (Bristol 1)
Brian Vickers - 1 (Loudon 2)

#14 Tony Stewart 2012 Penalties

Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 10
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 13
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 22
Removing equipment from assigned pit area, stop and go/tail end

Race 23
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 31
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end 

Race 32
Removing equipment from assigned pit area, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 35
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 7, 0, 2 (2 serious penalties)

#42 Juan Pablo Montoya 2012 Penalties

Race 3
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car

Race 6
Pitting before pit road is open, tail of field

Race 13
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 14
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 16
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end 
Safety violation, pit, below minimum speed
Outside half of the pit box tire violation/Team member not in contact with the outside tires, pass thru

Race 18
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 22
Too many crew member(s) in contact with pit service area, Tail of Field 
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 24
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru

Race 31
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, engine change  

Race 32
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage
2, 7, 2, 2 (4 serious penalties)

#13 Casey Mears 2012 Penalties

Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 2
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 10
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 13
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 18
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 20
Too many crewmember(s) in contact with pit service area, Tail of Field
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 24
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Too many crew member(s) in contact with pit service area, tail end
Lug nut(s) not installed, pit
Too many crew member(s) in contact with pit service area, tail end

Race 27
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage

Race 29
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru

Race 31
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end 

Race 32
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage

Race 34
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
0, 11, 1, 4 (5 serious penalties)

#5 Kasey Kahne 2012 Penalties

Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 6
Pitting before pit road is open, garage

Race 14
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 15
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage
Outside half of the pit box tire violation/Team member not in contact with the outside tires, garage

Race 22
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru

Race 29
Lug nut(s) not installed, pit

Race 30
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 34
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 36
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru
1, 5, 2, 3 (5 serious penalties)

#88 Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 2012 Penalties

Race 4
Speed-Entering pits, Tail of Field

Race 23
Pre-Race to the rear, Tail of Field, Back Up

Race 24
Speed-Exiting pits, tail end
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 27
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, engine change

Race 30 
Speed-Exiting pits, Pass Thru
2, 0, 3, 1 (4 serious penalties)

#32 T.J. Bell 2012 Penalties

Race 12
Speed-Exiting pits, pass thru

Race 27
Speed-Exiting pits, pass thru

Race 29
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru
0, 0, 3, 0 (3 serious penalties)

#23 Scott Riggs 2012 Penalties

Race 4
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 17
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
0, 1, 1, 0 (1 serious penalty)

#17 Matt Kenseth 2012 Penalties

Race 10
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 20
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 21
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 24
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 29
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end 

Race 31
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 5, 1, 0 (1 serious penalty)

#95/#79 Scott Speed 2012 Penalties

Race 12
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru, garage

Race 13
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 25
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
0, 2, 1, 0 (1 serious penalty)

#33/#36 Tony Raines 2012 Penalties

Race 7
Speed-Exiting pits, pass thru

Race 14
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
0, 1, 1, 0 (1 serious penalty)

#33 Stephen Leicht 2012 Penalties

Race 12
Speed-Exiting pits, pass thru

Race 13
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 16
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, engine change

Race 22
Speed-Exiting pits, pass thru 
Removing equipment from assigned pit area, stop and go

Race 28
Crew member(s) over the wall too soon, tail end
1, 1, 2, 2 (4 serious penalties)

#32 Ken Schrader 2012 Penalties

Race 3
Lug nut(s) not installed, pit

Race 4
Pitting before pit road is open, Garage

Race 5
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, transmission change

Race 15
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of FieldPitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 20
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
1, 4, 0, 1 (1 serious penalty)

#27 Paul Menard 2012 Penalties

Race 1
Pre-Race to the rear, tail end, backup car

Race 6
Speed-Exiting pits, pass thru

Race 10
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 18
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 24
Speed-Exiting pits, tail end

Race 31
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end
Crew member(s) over the wall too soon, tail end 
Too many crew member(s) in contact with pit service area, tail end
Speed-Entering pits, pass thru 
1, 3, 3, 2 (5 serious penalties)

#21 Trevor Bayne 2012 Penalties

Race 1
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage
Safety violation, bumper bar loose

Race 10
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 15
Speed-Exiting pits, Garage

Race 18
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 23
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 30
Speed-Entering pits, Pass Thru

Race 32
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end  
0, 7, 1, 1 (2 serious penalties)

#56 Martin Truex, Jr. 2012 Penalties

Race 10
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end, garage

Race 14
Pitting before pit road is open 
Speed-Exiting pits, tail end 
Pitting before pit road is open, tail end

Race 18
Pitting before pit road is open, Tail of Field

Race 33
Passing on a start or restart, Pass Thru  
0, 4, 2, 0 (2 serious penalties)