On Saturday night, Jeff Gordon joined 42 other drivers under the lights at the beloved Darlington Raceway for the 2012 Southern 500. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race was where Gordon hoped he could turn around his dismal luck and begin making headway after the worst start to a year in his professional career. Alas, he luck did not change on Saturday.
Although Gordon has seven career victories at Darlington, he had to pit twice due to flat tires and lost crucial laps on the tricky course. Gordon finished in 35th place. Fellow Bay Area native A.J. Allmendinger did not fare much better, finishing 33rd. Jimmie Johnson took home the checkered flag in his first win of the year and moves to fifth place in the Sprint Cup standings.
Here are the full results for Saturday night's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway:
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Denny Hamlin
3. Tony Stewart
4. Kyle Busch
5. Martin Truex Jr.
6. Matt Kenseth
7. Carl Edwards
8. Kasey Kahne
9. Marcos Ambrose
10. Joey Logano
11. Clint Bowyer
12. Greg Biffle
13. Paul Menard
14. Regan Smith
15. Brad Keselowski
16. Kevin Harvick
17. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
18. Jeff Burton
19. Aric Almirola
20. Mark Martin
21. Kurt Busch
22. Casey Mears
23. Ryan Newman
24. Juan Montoya
25. David Gilliland
26. Landon Cassill
27. Dave Blaney
28. David Ragan
29. Bobby Labonte
30. Reed Sorenson
31. Danica Patrick
32. Travis Kvapil
33. A.J. Allmendinger
34. Jamie McMurray
35. Jeff Gordon
26. David Reutimann
37. J.J. Yeley
38. Cole Whitt
39. David Stremme
40. Joe Nemecheck
41. Mike Skinner
42. Scott Speed
43. Jose Wise
For all news and information regarding the 2012 Sprint Cup Series, please visit NASCAR Ranting & Raving or check out SB Nation's dedicated NASCAR hub.
