GEICO 400 2012: Start Time, Lineup, TV Schedule and More

The 2012 Chase for the Sprint Cup Series will get underway at the 1.5 mile-Chicagoland tri-oval in Joliet, Illinois on Sunday. 

Having entered the Chase with the lead, Denny Hamlin begins with a three-point cushion. However, that certainly is not enough to keep him from looking over his shoulder. 

Three points is a negligible amount to begin with, but considering that five-time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson and defending champ Tony Stewart are two of the three drivers just three points back, Hamlin has no room to rest on his laurels.

Johnson wasted no time letting everyone know he was ready to go for the Chase, as he grabbed the top spot in qualifying for this race. Hamlin will start in eighth. 

Stewart will start way back in 28th, which might be a concern for his prospects had it not been for his performance last year. He limped into the Chase, yet still managed to win this very race. 

Last year's results were largely determined by fuel mileage gambles, and no one played that game better than Stewart, Kevin Harvick and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (who finished second and third respectively). 

Earnhardt, who enters the Chase in seventh, qualified in fourth, but as Speed.com's Tom Jensen reports, Jr. will be starting from the back of the pack after being forced to switch engines. 

This is surely not the way Earnhardt wanted to start the Chase, but by no means does this mean his chances are doomed. As a member of Hendrick Motorsports, Dale's backup engine is going to be top notch, and that team will have his car ready to perform. 

Check out all the vitals below. 

Start Time: Sunday, September 16 at 2 p.m. ET

Where: Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois 

TV: ESPN 

Chase Standings

1	Denny Hamlin	---
2	Jimmie Johnson	-3
3	Tony Stewart	-3
4	Brad Keselowski	-3
5	Greg Biffle	-6
6	Clint Bowyer	-6
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	-9
8	Matt Kenseth	-9
9	Kevin Harvick	-12
10	Martin Truex Jr.	-12
11	Kasey Kahne	-12
12	Jeff Gordon	-12

Lineup

Pos.	Driver	Car	Make	Qual. Speed
1	Jimmie Johnson	48	Chevrolet	182.865
2	Aric Almirola	43	Ford	182.636
3	Matt Kenseth	17	Ford	182.334
4	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	88	Chevrolet	182.070
5	Carl Edwards	99	Ford	182.045
6	Kasey Kahne	5	Chevrolet	181.971
7	Regan Smith	78	Chevrolet	181.953
8	Denny Hamlin	11	Toyota	181.928
9	Clint Bowyer	15	Toyota	181.855
10	Joey Logano	20	Toyota	181.629
11	Paul Menard	27	Chevrolet	181.616
12	Jamie McMurray	1	Chevrolet	181.525
13	Brad Keselowski	2	Dodge	181.507
14	Trevor Bayne	21	Ford	181.354
15	Mark Martin	55	Toyota	181.257
16	Sam Hornish Jr.	22	Dodge	181.251
17	Marcos Ambrose	9	Ford	181.050
18	Martin Truex Jr.	56	Toyota	180.989
19	Jeff Gordon	24	Chevrolet	180.874
20	Ryan Newman	39	Chevrolet	180.729
21	Kyle Busch	18	Toyota	180.705
22	Greg Biffle	16	Ford	180.524
23	Bobby Labonte	47	Toyota	180.463
24	Michael McDowell	98	Ford	180.276
25	Scott Speed	195	Ford	180.210
26	Landon Cassill	83	Toyota	180.120
27	Casey Mears	13	Ford	180.048
28	Juan Pablo Montoya	42	Chevrolet	179.940
29	Tony Stewart	14	Chevrolet	179.892
30	Kurt Busch	51	Chevrolet	179.671
31	David Stremme	30	Toyota	179.575
32	Jeff Burton	31	Chevrolet	179.569
33	Joe Nemechek	87	Toyota	179.539
34	Mike Bliss	119	Toyota	179.533
35	Kevin Harvick	29	Chevrolet	179.456
36	Cole Whitt	33	Chevrolet	179.438
37	David Ragan	34	Ford	179.265
38	Travis Kvapil	93	Toyota	178.986
39	T.J. Bell	32	Ford	177.003
40	David Gilliland	38	Ford	176.702
41	Danica Patrick	10	Chevrolet	176.188
42	Dave Blaney	36	Chevrolet	176.033
43	Josh Wise	26	Ford	179.164