2013 Federated Auto Parts 400
The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on September 7, 2013, at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia.[1] This 400-lap event, contested over a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) D-shaped short track, marked the 26th and final race of the 2013 regular season, with the primary objective of setting the 12-driver field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoffs.[2] Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing drove his No. 99 Ford to victory, his second win of the season and 21st of his career, after taking the lead on the final restart with three laps to go and holding off Kurt Busch by 0.668 seconds.[1][2] The race featured intense competition among contenders vying for playoff spots, with 17 lead changes among nine drivers and five caution periods for 29 laps, resulting in a total race time of 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 23 seconds at an average speed of 105.028 mph.[2] Jeff Gordon started from the pole position with a qualifying speed of 130.599 mph, while Brad Keselowski led the most laps with 142.[2] The top five finishers were Edwards, Kurt Busch (Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet), Ryan Newman (Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet), Jamie McMurray (Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chevrolet), and Paul Menard (Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet).[2] A major highlight—and point of controversy—was a late-race incident on lap 394 when Clint Bowyer of Michael Waltrip Racing spun out his No. 15 Toyota, triggering a caution that allowed his teammate Martin Truex Jr. to gain positions and secure a Wild Card playoff berth via tiebreaker over Newman.[1] This "SpinGate" maneuver, along with strategic pit decisions and a wave-around that benefited Joey Logano, ultimately excluded four-time champion Jeff Gordon from the Chase by just one point, while advancing Logano and Truex.[1] NASCAR later penalized Michael Waltrip Racing, docking 50 owner and 50 driver points each to Bowyer, Truex Jr., and Brian Vickers, and fining the team $300,000 for attempting to manipulate the outcome.[3] The Chase field consisted of Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, Kurt Busch, and Ryan Newman.[1]Background
Event details
The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 served as the 26th event in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, marking the conclusion of the regular season and setting the stage for the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff format.[4][5] Held on September 7, 2013, at 7:30 PM EDT, the race consisted of 400 laps on an asphalt surface, spanning a total distance of 300 miles.[4][6][7] The event was broadcast on ABC, featuring play-by-play announcer Allen Bestwick alongside analysts Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree in the broadcast booth; pit reporters Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch, and Dave Burns provided on-site updates, with Brent Musburger hosting the pre-race coverage.[8][9][10] Goodyear acted as the tire supplier, while Sunoco supplied the fuel for all participating teams.[11][12] Conditions during the race were favorable, with mild temperatures around 70°F (21°C) amid partly cloudy skies and no significant interruptions from weather.[13][14]Track and race format
The Richmond International Raceway is a 0.75-mile (1.21 km) D-shaped oval located in Richmond, Virginia.[15] The track features 14-degree banking in the turns, 8-degree banking on the front straightaway, and 2-degree banking on the back straightaway.[16] It opened in 1946 as a half-mile dirt oval, was paved in 1968, and reconfigured to its current layout in 1988.[17][18] The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a standard 400-lap race on the short track, covering a total distance of 300 miles, with caution periods issued for on-track incidents.[19] It operated under NASCAR's green-white-checkered finish rules, which mandated overtime restarts—consisting of a green-flag lap followed by a white-flag lap and checkered flag—if a caution occurred with two or fewer laps remaining. As the 26th and final race of the regular season, it determined the 12-driver field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup, with the top 10 drivers in points standings after the regular season qualifying automatically, plus two wild card spots awarded to drivers ranked 11th through 20th with the most wins during the regular season; ties were broken by second-place finishes, then third-place finishes, and so on.[20][21] Richmond has hosted NASCAR Cup Series events since 1953, establishing a tradition of two races per year starting in 1959, with the September event serving as the Chase cutoff since the playoff format's introduction in 2004.[17][22] The track's night racing tradition began with the first scheduled Cup Series event under the lights in September 1991.[23] Teams received four sets of Goodyear Eagle radial tires for the event, suitable for the short track's demands.[24] Fuel capacity was limited to approximately 18 U.S. gallons per stint, influencing pit strategy on the 0.75-mile layout.[25]Participants
Entry list
The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway drew 44 entries from various teams, with Chevrolet fielding 18 cars, Ford 14, and Toyota 12, reflecting the competitive manufacturer balance in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at that time.[6] The field included a mix of full-time contenders, veterans, and limited-schedule drivers, with one failing to qualify for the 43-car starting grid.[6] Notable participants encompassed defending 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski, driving the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford for Team Penske, alongside rookies Danica Patrick in the No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Stewart-Haas Racing and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in the No. 17 Nationwide Insurance Ford for Roush Fenway Racing.[6] Part-time entries featured drivers such as Mike Bliss in the No. 19 Plinker Tactical Toyota for Mark Smith and Jeff Burton in the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, while Landon Cassill took the wheel of the No. 40 CRC Brakleen Chevrolet for Circle Sport Racing in a season-long rotation of pilots for the team.[6][26] Drivers on the Chase playoff bubble, such as Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr., added tension to the pre-race atmosphere. The complete entry list is as follows:| Car # | Driver | Team/Owner | Make | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Cessna |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Roger Penske | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance |
| 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin, Jr. | Chevrolet | Tommy Baldwin Racing |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | DeWalt / Stanley Tools |
| 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | GoDaddy.com |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs | Toyota | FedEx Express |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | GEICO |
| 14 | Mark Martin | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | 5-hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Jack Roush | Ford | Scotchgard / 3M |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Jack Roush | Ford | Nationwide Insurance |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs | Toyota | M&M's American Heritage Chocolate |
| 19 | Mike Bliss | Mark Smith | Toyota | Plinker Tactical |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs | Toyota | Husky Tools |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Roger Penske | Ford | Shell / Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | Drive to End Hunger / AARP |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | Menards / Pittsburgh Paints |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | Budweiser |
| 30 | David Stremme | Brandon Davis | Toyota | Swan Energy |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 32 | Ken Schrader | Frank Stoddard | Ford | Federated Auto Parts |
| 33 | Tony Raines | Joe Falk | Chevrolet | Circle Sport |
| 34 | David Ragan | Bob Jenkins | Ford | Farm Rich |
| 35 | Josh Wise | Bob Jenkins | Ford | The Pete Store |
| 36 | J.J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin, Jr. | Chevrolet | United Mining Equipment / Pitt Lite |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Bob Jenkins | Ford | Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Quicken Loans |
| 40 | Landon Cassill | Joe Falk | Chevrolet | CRC Brakleen / Moon Shine Attitude |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Target |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Gwaltney |
| 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | JTG-Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Bush's Beans |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | Lowe's / Kobalt Tools |
| 51 | Ryan Truex | Harry Scott, Jr. | Chevrolet | SeaWatch Intl. / 1-800-SEA-CLAMS |
| 55 | Brian Vickers | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | LG / Aaron's |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 78 | Kurt Busch | Barney Visser | Chevrolet | Furniture Row / Beautyrest |
| 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr. Pepper |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Rick Hendrick | Chevrolet | Time Warner Cable / Hendrickcars.com |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr. Pepper |
| 95 | Reed Sorenson | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | Crusader Staffing |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Mike Curb | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Jack Roush | Ford | Kellogg's Frosted Flakes / Cheez-It |
Qualifying
Qualifying for the 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 occurred on Friday, September 6, 2013, at Richmond International Raceway, utilizing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' 36-6-1 format introduced that season.[27] Under this procedure, all entered cars completed single-lap runs in a random draw order to set positions 1 through 36 based on the fastest times, while spots 37 through 42 were assigned to the highest-ranked teams in owner points not already qualified on speed, and the 43rd position went to the highest-ranked past champion not otherwise qualified.[28] This system replaced the prior top-35 owner points guarantee, emphasizing pure speed for the majority of the starting grid.[29] Jeff Gordon captured the pole position with a track-record lap of 20.674 seconds at 130.599 mph in the No. 24 Chevrolet, marking his 74th career pole and first at Richmond since 2009.[30] Kurt Busch qualified second at 130.334 mph in the No. 78 Chevrolet, followed by Brad Keselowski in third at 130.158 mph aboard the No. 2 Ford.[31] Other notable top-10 starters included Clint Bowyer (fourth, 130.020 mph, No. 15 Toyota), Matt Kenseth (fifth, 129.864 mph, No. 20 Toyota), Denny Hamlin (sixth, No. 11 Toyota), Jamie McMurray (seventh, No. 1 Chevrolet), Joey Logano (eighth, No. 22 Ford), Greg Biffle (ninth, No. 16 Ford), and Regan Smith (tenth, No. 48 Chevrolet, substituting for Jimmie Johnson who was on paternity leave).[32] The session produced tight competition, with the top 10 separated by less than 0.7 seconds overall. No major incidents disrupted the qualifying runs, allowing a clean session under mild evening conditions with temperatures around 81°F (27°C) and light winds.[32] All 43 cars from the entry list made the field except for Mike Bliss in the No. 19 Toyota, who was the lone driver to not qualify (DNQ).[32] The starting grid reflected strong performances from Chase contenders, setting up intense positioning battles for the regular season finale.[31]Race summary
Key events
Jeff Gordon seized the lead at the start from his pole position and paced the field for the first 49 laps of the 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway.[33] Brad Keselowski overtook Gordon on lap 50 and held the top spot until lap 65.[34] Kurt Busch then assumed command for laps 66 through 94, followed by Jamie McMurray leading laps 95-96, Keselowski laps 97-104, and Matt Kenseth laps 105-109, showcasing strong handling from the Furniture Row Racing entry amid early battles among the top Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing cars that dominated the opening half of the race. Busch regained the lead for laps 110-137 until the first caution flag flew on laps 137-141 for debris on the track, bunching the leaders and prompting a wave of pit stops.[34][35] Following the restart, Busch led laps 142-208 before the second caution on laps 208-214 for a spin by the No. 30 car in turn 4.[35] Busch led the following laps 209-217 before Keselowski powered ahead for a 51-lap stint from 218 to 268, during which green-flag pit cycles shuffled the order among contenders like Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards in intense mid-race positioning battles. The third caution emerged on laps 268-273 for debris.[34][33][35] The race saw 17 lead changes among nine drivers, with Keselowski topping the charts at 142 laps led across four segments.[33] Clint Bowyer then took over from lap 270 to 341 for 72 laps, building a substantial advantage before handing the lead to Busch for laps 342-347. A critical caution on laps 345-351 resulted from debris caused by a tire failure for Jimmie Johnson on lap 343 while running in the top 10, erasing Bowyer's lead and sending leaders to pit road.[36][1] Edwards inherited the lead on lap 348 and held it for 43 laps until lap 390, fending off challenges until Ryan Newman surged ahead on lap 391. With seven laps remaining, Bowyer spun in turn 4 on lap 393 without apparent contact, triggering the fifth and final caution on laps 394-397 and prompting another round of stops.[37] After the restart on lap 398, Brian Vickers made an unnecessary green-flag pit stop for a reported chassis adjustment, but no additional caution was triggered.[38] The five cautions accounted for 29 laps in total.[19][35]Finish and leaders
The race concluded under intense pressure following a caution period triggered by Clint Bowyer's spin on lap 393, which bunched the leaders after a long green-flag run.[1] This incident, the fifth and final caution of the night, lasted through lap 397 and set up a restart on lap 398 with three laps remaining.[39][35] Carl Edwards, driving the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway Racing, seized the lead from Paul Menard on the restart and fended off a strong challenge from Kurt Busch to secure the victory by a margin of 0.668 seconds.[1][2] Edwards' win marked his second of the 2013 season and came in a race run at an average speed of 105.028 mph over the 400 laps on the 0.75-mile short track.[2] The top five finishers were Edwards in first, Kurt Busch (No. 78 Chevrolet) in second, Ryan Newman (No. 39 Chevrolet) in third, Jamie McMurray (No. 1 Chevrolet) in fourth, and Paul Menard (No. 27 Chevrolet) in fifth, all completing the full distance without significant mechanical issues in the closing stages.[2][39] The event featured 17 lead changes among nine different drivers, highlighting the competitive nature of the short-track action.[2] Brad Keselowski paced the field for the most laps with 142, primarily during mid-race segments, while Kurt Busch led 73 laps across five stints, and Edwards commanded 46 laps, including the crucial final three.[39][35] Jeff Gordon led the opening 49 laps from the pole position, setting an early tone before handing off the point.[33]Results
Race results
The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 concluded with Carl Edwards taking the victory, marking his 21st career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win and second of the season.[6][40] Kurt Busch finished second after leading 73 laps, while Brad Keselowski led a race-high 142 laps; the event saw 17 lead changes among nine drivers.[6] The race, held over 400 laps at Richmond International Raceway, featured five caution periods for 29 laps, with an average speed of 105.028 mph.[6]| Finish | Start | # | Driver | Make | Laps | Status | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 400 | Running | 46 |
| 2 | 2 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 73 |
| 3 | 24 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 4 |
| 4 | 7 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 6 |
| 5 | 22 | 27 | Paul Menard | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 3 |
| 6 | 5 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Toyota | 400 | Running | 5 |
| 7 | 11 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Toyota | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 8 | 1 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 49 |
| 9 | 16 | 14 | Mark Martin | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 10 | 21 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 11 | 17 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 12 | 9 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Ford | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 13 | 14 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 14 | 18 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 15 | 34 | 47 | A.J. Allmendinger | Toyota | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 16 | 12 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 17 | 3 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Ford | 400 | Running | 142 |
| 18 | 19 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Chevrolet | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 19 | 13 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 20 | 15 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Ford | 400 | Running | 0 |
| 21 | 6 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Toyota | 399 | Running | 0 |
| 22 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Ford | 399 | Running | 0 |
| 23 | 37 | 38 | David Gilliland | Ford | 399 | Running | 0 |
| 24 | 20 | 55 | Brian Vickers | Toyota | 399 | Running | 0 |
| 25 | 4 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Toyota | 398 | Running | 72 |
| 26 | 25 | 13 | Casey Mears | Ford | 397 | Running | 0 |
| 27 | 32 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Ford | 397 | Running | 0 |
| 28 | 33 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | Toyota | 397 | Running | 0 |
| 29 | 23 | 34 | David Ragan | Ford | 397 | Running | 0 |
| 30 | 36 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | 396 | Running | 0 |
| 31 | 40 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Chevrolet | 396 | Running | 0 |
| 32 | 35 | 83 | David Reutimann | Toyota | 395 | Running | 0 |
| 33 | 41 | 33 | Tony Raines | Chevrolet | 395 | Running | 0 |
| 34 | 28 | 40 | Landon Cassill | Chevrolet | 395 | Running | 0 |
| 35 | 38 | 51 | Ryan Truex | Chevrolet | 395 | Running | 0 |
| 36 | 43 | 36 | J.J. Yeley | Chevrolet | 393 | Running | 0 |
| 37 | 42 | 32 | Ken Schrader | Ford | 393 | Running | 0 |
| 38 | 29 | 30 | David Stremme | Toyota | 391 | Running | 0 |
| 39 | 31 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Toyota | 388 | Running | 0 |
| 40 | 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet | 372 | Running | 0 |
| 41 | 27 | 35 | Josh Wise | Ford | 142 | Vibration | 0 |
| 42 | 39 | 95 | Reed Sorenson | Ford | 126 | Brakes | 0 |
| 43 | 30 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Ford | 76 | Brakes | 0 |
Chase standings
Prior to the 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400, the Chase for the Sprint Cup eligibility was particularly competitive in the lower echelons of the standings. Ryan Newman entered the race in 12th place, trailing the points leader Jimmie Johnson by 201 points, while Martin Truex Jr. sat in 13th position. Joey Logano occupied 10th place, bolstered by his single regular-season win that helped secure his automatic qualification within the top 10.[41] Following the completion of the race, the initial Chase field was determined based on the final regular-season standings. The top 10 drivers in points qualified directly, with Kasey Kahne claiming the first wild-card spot via his two regular-season victories and Truex securing the second wild-card position with one win and superior points among other single-win drivers outside the top 10. Newman, despite a strong performance that saw him leading late before a late-race caution, finished outside the cutoff in 13th place overall. Carl Edwards, the race winner, was already locked into the Chase through his two prior victories. All 12 Chase participants had their points reset to 2,000, with an additional three points awarded per regular-season win.| Position | Driver | Team | Starting Points | Regular-Season Wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2,015 | 5 |
| 2 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | 2,012 | 4 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | 2,012 | 4 |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | 2,000 | 0 |
| 5 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | 2,006 | 2 |
| 6 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | 2,003 | 1 |
| 7 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | 2,000 | 0 |
| 8 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | 2,003 | 1 |
| 9 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | 2,000 | 0 |
| 10 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | 2,003 | 1 |
| WC1 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | 2,006 | 2 |
| WC2 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | 2,003 | 1 |