The 2013 Sprint Cup Series was the 65th season of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 24 and ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 17.
Jimmie Johnson led the points standings through much of the regular season and entered the Chase with 4 wins, including a win at the season opening Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, entered the Chase with 5 wins and was seeded first. Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Greg Biffle would also enter the chase with high seeding due to wins.
After the Chase cutoff race at Richmond, it was discovered that Michael Waltrip Racing had manipulated the standings by having Brian Vickers pit improperly and Clint Bowyer intentionally spin, causing a timely caution and allowing Martin Truex, Jr. to qualify for the Chase. Additionally, Front Row Motorsports aided Joey Logano in making the Chase as well. Subsequent points penalties effectively removed Truex from the Chase while allowing Ryan Newman into the first wild card position in the chase, and since Logano earned the second wild card position as a result of Front Row Motorsports’ manipulation, a special third wild card position was added to the Chase for Jeff Gordon. In subsequent years, the controversy became known as “Spingate”.
In the Chase, Kenseth won the first two races, while Johnson won the third. Johnson finished higher than Kenseth at the fourth race, which narrowed the points lead Kenseth had over Johnson. At Talladega, Johnson led the most laps and finished seven positions better than Kenseth, causing Johnson to inherit the points lead. A second place finish by Kenseth at Martinsville caused both drivers to be tied in points, but then Johnson dominated the race at Texas, and finished 3rd at Phoenix, while Kenseth finished one lap down in 23rd at Phoenix, opening a 28 point lead for Johnson entering the final race of the season. At Homestead, Kenseth finished second while Johnson finished ninth, ensuring Johnson his sixth championship in his twelfth full time season, and Hendrick Motorsports’ eleventh championship.
The 2013 season was the first season to use the Generation 6 car, and marked a return to the qualifying procedure that was used before 2005, except at road courses where group qualifying was used. In addition, a ban on testing at any premier series tracks was removed, and replaced with a testing limit. It was the first season without Dodge, while Chevrolet took the opportunity with the new car to replace the Impala with the Chevrolet SS.
Full Time Teams[]
Major Part Time Teams[]
Manufacturer | Team | Number | Driver | Sponsor |
---|---|---|---|---|
Leavine Family Racing | 95 | Scott Speed (14) Reed Sorenson (6) Scott Riggs (1) Blake Koch (1) |
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Phil Parsons Racing | 98 | Michael McDowell (31) Johnny Sauter (2) |
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Humphrey Smith Racing | 19 | Mike Bliss (18) Alex Kennedy (3) Jason Leffler (1) Scott Riggs (1) |
Schedule[]
Round | Date | Race Name | Track | TV |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 16, 2013 | Sprint Unlimited | Daytona International Speedway | FOX | |
February 21, 2013 | Budweiser Duels | Daytona International Speedway | SPEED Channel | |
1 | February 24, 2013 | Daytona 500 | Daytona International Speedway | FOX |
2 | March 3, 2013 | Subway Fresh Fit 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | FOX |
3 | March 10, 2013 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | FOX |
4 | March 17, 2013 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | FOX |
5 | March 24, 2013 | Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway | FOX |
6 | April 7, 2013 | STP Gas Booster 500 | Martinsville Speedway | FOX |
7 | April 13, 2013 | NRA 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | FOX |
8 | April 21, 2013 | STP 400 | Kansas Speedway | FOX |
9 | April 27, 2013 | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond International Raceway | FOX |
10 | May 5, 2013 | Aaron's 499 | Talladega Superspeedway | FOX |
11 | May 11, 2013 | Bojangles' Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | FOX |
May 18, 2013 | Sprint All-Star Race | Charlotte Motor Speedway | SPEED Channel | |
12 | May 26, 2013 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | FOX |
13 | June 2, 2013 | FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks | Dover International Speedway | FOX |
14 | June 9, 2013 | Party in the Poconos 400 Presented by Walmart | Pocono Raceway | TNT |
15 | June 16, 2013 | Quicken Loans 400 | Michigan International Speedway | TNT |
16 | June 23, 2013 | Toyota / Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | TNT |
17 | June 29, 2013 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky Speedway | TNT |
18 | July 6, 2013 | Coke Zero 400 | Daytona International Speedway | TNT |
19 | July 14, 2013 | Camping World RV Sales 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | TNT |
20 | July 28, 2013 | Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | ESPN |
21 | August 4, 2013 | GoBowling.com 400 | Pocono Raceway | ESPN |
22 | August 11, 2013 | Cheez-It 355 at the Glen | Watkins Glen International | ESPN |
23 | August 18, 2013 | Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway | ESPN |
24 | August 24, 2013 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | ABC |
25 | September 1, 2013 | AdvoCare 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | ESPN |
26 | September 7, 2013 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond International Raceway | ABC |
Chase for the Sprint Cup | ||||
27 | September 15, 2013 | GEICO 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | ESPN |
28 | September 22, 2013 | Sylvania 300 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | ESPN |
29 | September 29, 2013 | AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway | ESPN |
30 | October 6, 2013 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | ESPN |
31 | October 12, 2013 | Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | ABC |
32 | October 20, 2013 | Camping World RV Sales 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | ESPN |
33 | October 27, 2013 | Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Martinsville Speedway | ESPN |
34 | November 3, 2013 | AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | ESPN |
35 | November 10, 2013 | AdvoCare 500 | Phoenix International Raceway | ESPN |
36 | November 17, 2013 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | ESPN |
Results[]
Round | Race | Pole Winner | Winner | Make | Cautions | Caution Laps | Average Speed | Number of Lead Changes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2013 Sprint Unlimited | Carl Edwards | Kevin Harvick | 3 | 6 | 177.538 | 9 | ||
2013 Budweiser Duel #1 | Danica Patrick | Kevin Harvick | 1 | 3 | 177.282 | 4 | ||
2013 Budweiser Duel #2 | Jeff Gordon | Kyle Busch | 0 | 0 | 193.966 | 6 | ||
1 | 2013 Daytona 500 | Danica Patrick | Jimmie Johnson | 6 | 24 | 159.250 | 28 | |
2 | 2013 Subway Fresh Fit 500 | Mark Martin | Carl Edwards | 8 | 43 | 105.187 | 12 | |
3 | 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 | N/A | Matt Kenseth | 5 | 25 | 146.287 | 22 | |
4 | 2013 Food City 500 | Kyle Busch | Kasey Kahne | 10 | 66 | 92.206 | 17 | |
5 | 2013 Auto Club 400 | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch | 9 | 46 | 135.351 | 17 | |
6 | 2013 STP Gas Booster 500 | Jimmie Johnson | Jimmie Johnson | 12 | 85 | 72.066 | 12 | |
7 | 2013 NRA 500 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch | 7 | 36 | 144.751 | 18 | |
8 | 2013 STP 400 | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth | 8 | 40 | 133.611 | 13 | |
9 | 2013 Toyota Owners 400 | Matt Kenseth | Kevin Harvick | 11 | 75 | 92.141 | 10 | |
10 | 2013 Aaron's 499 | N/A | David Ragan | 5 | 31 | 148.729 | 30 | |
11 | 2013 Bojangles' Southern 500 | Kurt Busch | Matt Kenseth | 5 | 25 | 141.383 | 9 | |
2013 Sprint All-Star Race | Carl Edwards | Jimmie Johnson | 7 | 16 | 90.672 | 8 | ||
12 | 2013 Coca-Cola 600 | Denny Hamlin | Kevin Harvick | 11 | 61 | 130.521 | 24 | |
13 | 2013 FedEx 400 Benefiting Autism Speaks | Denny Hamlin | Tony Stewart | 7 | 32 | 123.172 | 21 | |
14 | 2013 Party in the Poconos 400 Presented by Walmart | N/A | Jimmie Johnson | 6 | 19 | 144.202 | 12 | |
15 | 2013 Quicken Loans 400 | Carl Edwards | Greg Biffle | 8 | 38 | 139.278 | 22 | |
16 | 2013 Toyota / Save Mart 350 | Jamie McMurray | Martin Truex, Jr. | 7 | 19 | 76.658 | 10 | |
17 | 2013 Quaker State 400 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Matt Kenseth | 10 | 42 | 131.948 | 11 | |
18 | 2013 Coke Zero 400 | Kyle Busch | Jimmie Johnson | 6 | 27 | 154.313 | 18 | |
19 | 2013 Camping World RV Sales 301 | Brad Keselowski | Brian Vickers | 12 | 58 | 98.735 | 10 | |
20 | 2013 Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 | Ryan Newman | Ryan Newman | 3 | 14 | 153.485 | 20 | |
21 | 2013 GoBowling.com 400 | Jimmie Johnson | Kasey Kahne | 9 | 35 | 129.009 | 27 | |
22 | 2013 Cheez-It 355 at the Glen | Marcos Ambrose | Kyle Busch | 8 | 21 | 87.001 | 5 | |
23 | 2013 Pure Michigan 400 | Joey Logano | Joey Logano | 9 | 34 | 144.593 | 20 | |
24 | 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race | Denny Hamlin | Matt Kenseth | 11 | 74 | 90.279 | 16 | |
25 | 2013 AdvoCare 500 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | Kyle Busch | 9 | 47 | 135.128 | 28 | |
26 | 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 | Jeff Gordon | Carl Edwards | 5 | 29 | 105.028 | 17 | |
27 | 2013 GEICO 400 | Joey Logano | Matt Kenseth | 9 | 46 | 125.855 | 25 | |
28 | 2013 Sylvania 300 | Ryan Newman | Matt Kenseth | 7 | 37 | 107.573 | 19 | |
29 | 2013 AAA 400 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | Jimmie Johnson | 4 | 21 | 130.909 | 19 | |
30 | 2013 Hollywood Casino 400 | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick | 15 | 71 | 114.884 | 24 | |
31 | 2013 Bank of America 500 | Jeff Gordon | Brad Keselowski | 4 | 20 | 158.308 | 24 | |
32 | 2013 Camping World RV Sales 500 | N/A | Jamie McMurray | 3 | 10 | 178.795 | 52 | |
33 | 2013 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 | Denny Hamlin | Jeff Gordon | 17 | 111 | 70.337 | 15 | |
34 | 2013 AAA Texas 500 | Carl Edwards | Jimmie Johnson | 5 | 26 | 151.754 | 28 | |
35 | 2013 AdvoCare 500 | Jimmie Johnson | Kevin Harvick | 8 | 49 | 105.733 | 23 | |
36 | 2013 Ford EcoBoost 400 | Matt Kenseth | Denny Hamlin | 8 | 37 | 130.693 | 22 |
Final Points Standings[]
Pos. | Driver | Races | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s | Poles | Points | Difference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Jimmie Johnson | 36 | 6 | 16 | 24 | 3 | 2419 | |
2 | Matt Kenseth | 36 | 7 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 2400 | -19 |
3 | Kevin Harvick | 36 | 4 | 9 | 21 | 1 | 2385 | -34 |
4 | Kyle Busch | 36 | 4 | 16 | 22 | 3 | 2364 | -55 |
5 | Dale Earnhardt, Jr. | 36 | 0 | 10 | 22 | 2 | 2363 | -56 |
6 | Jeff Gordon | 36 | 1 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 2337 | -82 |
7 | Clint Bowyer | 36 | 0 | 10 | 19 | 0 | 2336 | -83 |
8 | Joey Logano | 36 | 1 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 2323 | -96 |
9 | Greg Biffle | 36 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 0 | 2321 | -98 |
10 | Kurt Busch | 36 | 0 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 2309 | -110 |
11 | Ryan Newman | 36 | 1 | 6 | 18 | 2 | 2286 | -133 |
12 | Kasey Kahne | 36 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 0 | 2283 | -136 |
13 | Carl Edwards | 36 | 2 | 9 | 16 | 2 | 2282 | -137 |
14 | Brad Keselowski | 36 | 1 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 1041 | -1,378 |
15 | Jamie McMurray | 36 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1007 | -1,412 |
16 | Martin Truex Jr | 36 | 1 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 998 | -1,421 |
17 | Paul Menard | 36 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 949 | -1,470 |
18 | Aric Almirola | 36 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 913 | -1,506 |
19 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 36 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 909 | -1,510 |
20 | Jeff Burton | 36 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 906 | -1,513 |
21 | Juan Pablo Montoya | 36 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 894 | -1,525 |
22 | Marcos Ambrose | 36 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 872 | -1,547 |
23 | Denny Hamlin | 32 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 753 | -1,666 |
24 | Casey Mears | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 719 | -1,700 |
25 | Mark Martin | 28 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 649 | -1,770 |
26 | David Gilliland | 36 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 648 | -1,771 |
27 | Danica Patrick | 36 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 646 | -1,773 |
28 | David Ragan | 36 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 633 | -1,786 |
29 | Tony Stewart | 21 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 594 | -1,825 |
30 | Dave Blaney | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 526 | -1,893 |
31 | Travis Kvapil | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 496 | -1,923 |
32 | J.J. Yeley | 35 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 472 | -1,947 |
33 | David Reutimann | 36 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 465 | -1,954 |
34 | Bobby Labonte | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 412 | -2,007 |
35 | A.J. Allmendinger | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 410 | -2,009 |
36 | David Stremme | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 362 | -2,057 |
37 | Michael McDowell | 33 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 210 | -2,209 |
38 | Timmy Hill | 19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 190 | -2,229 |
39 | Ken Schrader | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 118 | -2,301 |
40 | Michael Waltrip | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 114 | -2,305 |
41 | Scott Speed | 12 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 99 | -2,320 |
42 | Terry Labonte | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 | -2,332 |
43 | Boris Said | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 48 | -2,371 |
44 | Ron Fellows | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | -2,388 |
45 | Alex Kennedy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | -2,398 |
46 | Justin Marks | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | -2,405 |
47 | Scott Riggs | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | -2,408 |
48 | Victor Gonzalez, Jr. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | -2,409 |
49 | Brian Keselowski | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | -2,410 |
50 | Tomy Drissi | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | -2,411 |
51 | Jacques Villeneuve | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -2,416 |
52 | Jason Leffler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | -2,418 |
53 | Brian Vickers | 17 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 0 | -50 | -2,469 |
Only Cup Series points-eligible drivers shown. Drivers in the Chase for the Sprint Cup are highlighted in yellow.
Complete statistics can be found at Racing-Reference.info.
Rookie of the Year[]
Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. won the Sunoco Rookie of the Year Award for 2013.[1]
Position | Driver | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. | 253 | 0 |
2 | Danica Patrick | 232 | 0 |
3 | Timmy Hill | 189 | 0 |
Manufacturer's Championship[]
With 16 wins, Chevrolet won the Manufacturer's Championship for 2013.[2]
Position | Make | Points | Race Wins |
---|---|---|---|
1 | 254 | 16 | |
2 | 229 | 14 | |
3 | 194 | 6 |
References[]
NASCAR Cup Series seasons |
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