The 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on August 24, 2013, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps, it was the twenty-fourth race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his fifth victory of the season, while Kasey Kahne finished second. Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 24 of 36 in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race program cover created by Sam Bass, showing Tony Stewart throwing his helmet at Matt Kenseth's car from last year's race. The painting is called "Bristol Battles!" | |||
| Date | August 24, 2013 | ||
| Location | Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 0.533 mi (0.858 km) | ||
| Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 500 laps, 266.5 mi (428.89 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching as low as 63 °F (17 °C); wind speeds up to 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 90.279 mph (145.290 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 14.878 seconds | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 149 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN on ABC | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, and Andy Petree | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 3.9 (6.322 million viewers) | ||
Report
editEntry list
edit(R) - Denotes rookie driver.
(i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Denny Hamlin took the pole and led the first 22 laps. After being passed by Kurt Busch, Hamlin would fall back to mid-field. Busch would lead most of the laps until lap 81, when he came down pit road for a loose wheel and was given a pass-through for speeding. Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared the lead during the next two stints, before Clint Bowyer passed Earnhardt for the lead on lap 126. Bowyer led until getting spun on lap 176, causing the fourth caution. Edwards retook the lead, showing the way until being passed by Matt Kenseth on lap 236. After a lap 259 debris caution, Kenseth was caught speeding on pit road and relegated to the back, while Paul Menard stayed out to take the lead. Edwards once again claimed the lead on lap 322.
Kevin Harvick took the lead after the seventh caution on lap 335, but he was quickly passed by Edwards on lap 344. Edwards held the lead through two more cautions, but dropped a cylinder on lap 380 and blew his engine on lap 389. Kenseth held the lead through most of the final 120 laps and held off a final 10-lap charge by Kasey Kahne to score his fifth victory of the season. Juan Pablo Montoya finished third, and Brian Vickers and Joey Logano rounded out the top five. Eleven caution flags waved during the race, three of which were for debris. Drivers involved in seven, mostly minor, crashes included Ryan Truex, Josh Wise, Clint Bowyer, Tony Raines, Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann, Aric Almirola, and Jeff Burton. The eleventh caution on lap 448, as Hamlin blew a tire and ran into Ryan Newman, causing a large crash also involving Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Terry Labonte, David Stremme, Casey Mears, David Ragan and Kevin Harvick. After the crash, Harvick stopped for a few moments in Hamlin's pitbox preventing the #11 to access his box. Truex Jr. suffered a broken wrist after the accident.
Qualifying
editRace results
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- Lap leaders
| Leader | First Lap | Last Lap | Number Of Laps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denny Hamlin | 1 | 22 | 22 |
| Kurt Busch | 23 | 76 | 54 |
| Carl Edwards | 77 | 92 | 16 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 93 | 93 | 1 |
| Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 94 | 125 | 32 |
| Clint Bowyer | 126 | 175 | 50 |
| Carl Edwards | 176 | 178 | 3 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | 179 | 179 | 1 |
| Carl Edwards | 180 | 235 | 56 |
| Matt Kenseth | 236 | 258 | 23 |
| Denny Hamlin | 259 | 259 | 1 |
| Paul Menard | 260 | 322 | 63 |
| Carl Edwards | 323 | 335 | 13 |
| Paul Menard | 336 | 336 | 1 |
| Kevin Harvick | 337 | 343 | 7 |
| Carl Edwards | 344 | 374 | 31 |
| Matt Kenseth | 375 | 500 | 126 |
| Source:[3] | |||
- Notes
Standings after the race
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References
edit- ^ "2013 Irwin Tools Night Race weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
- ^ "Bristol Irwin Tools Night Race Qualifying and Starting Lineup". ESPN. Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
- ^ a b "Bristol Irwin Tools Night Race Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2013.[]