Note: This article uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia.
| 2013 NASCAR RCA Cup Series (Johnsonverse) | |||
| Previous: | 2012 | Next: | 2014 |
Adam Petty, the 2013 champion.
The 2013 NASCAR RCA Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on January 27, 2013, at Sonoma Raceway, with the Toyota/Save Mart 350, followed by a two-week stop at Daytona International Speedway, with the Busch Clash, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 17. The season ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on December 8. Adam Petty won his third championship, and second in a row. Rookie James Kulwicki, son of 1992 champion Alan Kulwicki, finished second in points, becoming the highest-finishing rookie, and easily winning Rookie of the Year. The Manufacturer's Championship was won by Dodge.
This would be the first season without NASCAR legend Bill Elliott since 1974, although he did come out of retirement for a one-off start in the Busch Series in 2018 at Road America. This was also the final season for Ricky Hendrick, Rob Moroso, Jeff Burton, Kenny Irwin Jr., and the fourth-generation car introduced in 1990, being replaced by the fifth-generation car (the Strictly Stock Car) in 2014, as well as the final season for Benny Parsons covering races in the booth, as he announced during the season that the 2013 Los Angeles Times 500 would be his last race as a broadcaster; Dale Jarrett succeeded him for the 2014 season.
Teams, drivers, and manufacturers[]
Manufacturers[]
| Company | Marquee | Model | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Motors | Chevrolet | Camaro | Full factory support |
| Impala | Full factory support | ||
| SS | NEW, full factory support | ||
| Caprice | No factory support | ||
| Ford Motor Company | Ford | Fusion | Full factory support |
| Taurus | Full factory support | ||
| Mustang | Full factory support | ||
| Roush Mustang | Full factory support | ||
| Shelby Mustang | Full factory support | ||
| Chrysler Corporation | Dodge | Charger | Full factory support |
| Challenger | Full factory support | ||
| Avenger | Full factory support | ||
| Dart | NEW, full factory support | ||
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Toyota | Camry | Full factory support |
| Avalon | Full factory support |
Manufacturer notes[]
2013 saw a few changes. First, Chevrolet cut all factory support for the Caprice in favor of the brand-new SS, a rebadged Holden Commodore (VF). Dodge also introduced a fourth model, the newly-revived Dart.
Complete schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model | Primary Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Earnhardt-Childress Racing * | 01 | Brad Keselowski | 2013 Impala | U.S. Army | |
| 3 | Renee Walters | Wrangler | ||||
| 8 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | National Guard | ||||
| 38 | Kelley Earnhardt | Pennzoil | ||||
| 81 | Martin Truex Jr. | Bass Pro Shops | ||||
| Furniture Row Racing | 78 | Kurt Busch | Pete Rondeau | 2013 Impala | Furniture Row | |
| Hendrick Motorsports | 5 | Ricky Hendrick | Alan Gustafson | 2013 Camaro | Farmers | |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Steve Letarte | Axalta | |||
| 25 | Shane Hmiel | Lowe's | ||||
| 52 | Casey Atwood | Chad Knaus | M&M's | |||
| Phoenix Racing (Finch)
Phoenix Racing (Scott) |
51 | Boston Reid | Nick Harrison
Jimmy Elledge |
2013 SS | various | |
| Stewart-Foyt Racing | 4 | Kevin Harvick | 2013 Camaro | Budweiser | ||
| 10 | Kyle Busch | Tony Gibson | Valvoline | |||
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Greg Zipadelli | Home Depot | |||
| Tommy Baldwin Racing | 36 | Landon Cassill | Tommy Baldwin Jr. | 2013 SS | various | |
| Dodge | AK Racing | 7 | James Kulwicki (R) | 2013 Avenger | Zerex by Valvoline | |
| 11 | Jamie McMurray | Microsoft | ||||
| Bill Davis Racing | 22 | Jeff Burton | 2013 Charger | Caterpillar | ||
| 23 | Scott Wimmer | |||||
| Chip Ganassi Racing | 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 2013 Challenger | UAW-Delphi | ||
| 41 | Emily Senn | Target | ||||
| 46 | Bryan Clauson | Tums | ||||
| Elliott-Evernham Motorsports | 9 | Kasey Kahne | 2013 Dart | Coors Light | ||
| 13 | Jerry Nadeau | Nickelodeon | ||||
| 94 | Casey Elliott | Flonase | ||||
| Moroso-Rudd Racing | 82 | Rob Moroso | 2013 Charger | Mountain Dew | ||
| 83 | Michelle Basone | Tide | ||||
| 84 | Kenny Irwin Jr. | RCA | ||||
| Penske Racing | 02 | Joey Logano | 2013 Challenger | Verizon | ||
| 2 | James Buescher | Miller Lite | ||||
| Petty Enterprises | 43 | Adam Petty | Mike Shiplett | 2013 Challenger | STP | |
| 44 | Chad McCumbee | Kevin Buskirk | McDonald's | |||
| Team SABCO | 40 | Jane Brewer | 2013 Charger | Kmart | ||
| 42 | Blaise Alexander | Juicy Fruit | ||||
| 45 | Alana Houston | UPS | ||||
| Ford | Allison-Yates Racing | 28 | Jeremy Mayfield | Jimmy Fennig | 2013 Fusion | Texaco/Havoline |
| 88 | Stephen Leicht | Citi Financial | ||||
| 98 | Ryan Newman | AT&T | ||||
| Brett Favre Racing | 15 | Parker Kligerman (R) | 2013 Taurus | Nike/Sony | ||
| 90 | Katrina Goode | FujiFilm | ||||
| FAS Lane Racing | 32 | Jane Ritter (R) | Frank Stoddard | 2011 Fusion | Federated Auto Parts | |
| Front Row Motorsports | 34 | David Ragan | Jay Guy | 2013 Mustang | various | |
| 35 | David Gilliland | Love's Travel Stops | ||||
| Germain Racing | 30 | Aric Almirola | Bootie Barker | 2013 Mustang | GEICO | |
| Roush Racing | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) | Drew Blickensderfer | 2013 Roush Mustang | Best Buy | |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Donnie Wingo | 3M | |||
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Bob Osborne | Office Depot | |||
| Wood Brothers Racing | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Donnie Wingo | 2013 Shelby Mustang | Motorcraft | |
| Toyota | Joe Gibbs Racing * | 18 | Matt Kenseth | Mike Ford | 2013 Camry | DeWalt Tools |
| 19 | Kelly Watson | Circuit City | ||||
| 20 | Denny Hamlin | Steve Addington | FedEx | |||
| 80 | Michael McDowell | Darian Grubb | Rheem | |||
| JTG Daugherty Racing | 47 | Marcos Ambrose | Todd Berrier
David Hyder Brian Burns |
2013 Avalon | Kroger | |
| Michael Waltrip Racing * | 00 | Brian Vickers | Rodney Childers | 2013 Camry | Aaron's Dream Machine | |
| 17 | Clint Bowyer | NAPA Auto Parts | ||||
| Swan Racing | 37 | Johanna Long (R) | Steve Lane | 2013 Avalon | Petco | |
| Team Red Bull | 85 | Justin Allgaier | Jimmy Elledge | 2013 Avalon | Red Bull | |
| 86 | Scott Speed | Ryan Pemberton | Red Bull |
Limited schedule[]
| Manufacturer | Team | No. | Race driver | Crew chief | Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet | Circle Sport | 140 | Landon Cassill | John Rahlf
Mike Abner |
2013 SS |
| Tony Raines | |||||
| Max Q Motorsports | 137 | J.J. Yeley | James Parrott | 2013 Camaro | |
| Dodge | Brian Keselowski Motorsports
Hamilton Means Racing |
52 | Brian Keselowski | Bob Keselowski
Ben Leslie |
2013 Dart |
| Morgan Shepherd | |||||
| Penske Racing | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Greg Erwin | 2013 Charger | |
| Petty Enterprises | 143 | Harley Petty | 2013 Challenger | ||
| Phil Parsons Racing | 198 | Michael McDowell | Gene Nead | 2013 Challenger | |
| Johnny Sauter | |||||
| Xxxtreme Motorsports | 144 | Scott Riggs | Tony Furr
Walter Giles |
2013 Avenger | |
| Ford | Go Green Racing | 52 | Paulie Harraka | Ben Leslie | 2013 Fusion |
| Leavine Family Racing | 95 | Scott Speed | Wally Rogers | 2013 Mustang | |
| Reed Sorenson | |||||
| Scott Riggs | |||||
| Blake Koch | |||||
| Toyota | Humphrey Smith Racing | 119 | Mike Bliss | Peter Sospenzo | 2013 Camry |
| Alex Kennedy | |||||
| Scott Riggs | |||||
| Joe Gibbs Racing | 81 | Elliott Sadler | Chris Goyle | 2013 Camry |
Schedule[]
| No. | Race title | Track | Date | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway, Sonoma | January 27 | WBC |
| Busch Clash | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | February 10 | WBC | |
| Gatorade 125s | February 14 | WBC | ||
| 2 | Daytona 500 | February 17 | WBC | |
| 3 | Subway Fresh Fit 400 | Rockingham Speedway, Rockingham | February 24 | WBC |
| 4 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Las Vegas | March 3 | ESPN |
| 5 | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | March 10 | TNN |
| 7 | TranSouth Financial 400 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | March 17 | ESPN |
| 8 | San Jose 500 | San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy | March 24 | WBC |
| 9 | Diet Coke 500 | Denver International Speedway, Denver | March 31 | WBC |
| 10 | STP Gas Booster 500 | Martinsville Speedway, Ridgeway | April 7 | TNN |
| 11 | Texas 500 | Texas World Speedway, College Station | April 13 | WBC |
| 12 | Wells Fargo 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | April 21 | ESPN |
| 13 | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | April 27 | TNN |
| 14 | Aaron's 499 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln | May 5 | WBC |
| 15 | Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway, Fontana | May 12 | WBC |
| RCA Open | South Boston Speedway, South Boston | May 18 | TNN | |
| RCA All-Star Challenge XXIX | WBC | |||
| 16 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | May 26 | WBC |
| 17 | FedEx 400 | Dover International Speedway, Dover | June 2 | TNN |
| 18 | Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 | The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis | June 9 | ESPN |
| 19 | Motorcraft 400 | Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth | June 16 | WBC |
| 20 | Budweiser 400 | Riverside International Raceway, Riverside | June 23 | WBC |
| 21 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky Speedway, Sparta | June 30 | ESPN |
| 22 | Coke Zero 400 | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach | July 6 | WBC |
| 23 | Camping World RV Sales 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon | July 14 | WBC |
| 24 | Music City USA 420 | Fairgrounds Speedway, Nashville | July 21 | TNN |
| 25 | Crown Royal 400 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway | July 28 | WBC |
| 26 | Gobowling.com 400 | Pocono Raceway, Long Pond | August 4 | ESPN |
| 27 | Cheez-It 355 at The Glen | Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen | August 11 | ESPN |
| 28 | Pure Michigan 400 | Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn | August 18 | TNN |
| 29 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway, Bristol | August 24 | TNN |
| 30 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway, Darlington | September 1 | WBC |
| 31 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond International Raceway, Richmond | September 7 | TNN |
| 32 | GEICO 400 | Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet | September 15 | ESPN |
| 33 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | North Wilkesboro Speedway, North Wilkesboro | September 22 | WBC |
| 34 | AAA 400 | Dover International Speedway, Dover | September 29 | TNN |
| 35 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway, Kansas City | October 6 | TNN |
| 36 | Bank of America 500 | Charlotte Motor Speedway, Concord | October 12 | WBC |
| 37 | Camping World RV Sales 500 | Talladega Superspeedway, Lincoln | October 20 | WBC |
| 38 | Iowa Corn 400 | Iowa Speedway, Newton | October 27 | TNN |
| 39 | AdvoCare 500 (Atlanta) | Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton | November 3 | ESPN |
| 40 | AdvoCare 500 (Phoenix) | Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale | November 10 | TNN |
| 41 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead | November 17 | WBC |
| 42 | EA Sports 500 | San Jose Motorplex, Gilroy | November 24 | WBC |
| 43 | Sprite 500 | Denver International Speedway, Denver | December 1 | WBC |
| 44 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Ontario Motor Speedway, Ontario | December 8 | WBC |
Season summary[]
Results[]
| No. | Race title | Pole position | Most laps led | Winner | Make/Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Clint Bowyer | Clint Bowyer | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Camaro |
| Busch Clash | Carl Edwards | Kevin Harvick | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Camaro | |
| Gatorade 125s | Danica Patrick | Trevor Bayne | Trevor Bayne | Shelby Mustang | |
| Jeff Gordon | Jeff Gordon | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger | ||
| 2 | Daytona 500 | Danica Patrick | Matt Kenseth | Mark Martin | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 3 | Subway Fresh Fit 400 | Mark Martin | Carl Edwards | Carl Edwards | Roush Mustang |
| 4 | Kobalt Tools 400 | Brad Keselowski | Kasey Kahne | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 5 | Food City 500 | Kyle Busch | Denny Hamlin | Kasey Kahne | Dodge Charger |
| 7 | TranSouth Financial 400 | Denny Hamlin | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch | Toyota Camry |
| 8 | San Jose 500 | Adam Petty | James Kulwicki | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 9 | Diet Coke 500 | Clint Bowyer | Martin Truex Jr. | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 10 | STP Gas Booster 500 | Jimmie Johnson | Adam Petty | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 11 | Texas 500 | Kyle Busch | Kyle Busch | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 12 | Wells Fargo 400 | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth | Toyota Camry |
| 13 | Toyota Owners 400 | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 14 | Aaron's 499 | Carl Edwards | Matt Kenseth | David Ragan | Ford Mustang |
| 15 | Auto Club 400 | Kurt Busch | Kyle Busch | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| RCA Open | Martin Truex Jr. | Jamie McMurray | Jamie McMurray | Dodge Challenger | |
| RCA All-Star Challenge XXIX | Carl Edwards | Kyle Busch/Kurt Busch | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet Camaro | |
| 16 | Coca-Cola 600 | Denny Hamlin | Kasey Kahne | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 17 | FedEx 400 | Denny Hamlin | Kyle Busch | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 18 | Pabst Blue Ribbon 400 | Jimmie Johnson | Adam Petty | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 19 | Motorcraft 400 | Carl Edwards | Greg Biffle | Greg Biffle | Roush Mustang |
| 20 | Budweiser 400 | Jamie McMurray | Martin Truex Jr. | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 21 | Quaker State 400 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Jimmie Johnson | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 22 | Coke Zero 400 | Kyle Busch | Jimmie Johnson | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Mustang |
| 23 | Camping World RV Sales 301 | Brad Keselowski | Kurt Busch | Brian Vickers | Toyota Camry |
| 24 | Music City USA 420 | James Kulwicki | Mark Martin | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 25 | Crown Royal 400 | Ryan Newman | Jimmie Johnson | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 26 | Gobowling.com 400 | Jimmie Johnson | Kasey Kahne | Kasey Kahne | Dodge Charger |
| 27 | Cheez-It 355 at The Glen | Marcos Ambrose | Marcos Ambrose | Marcos Ambrose | Ford Fusion |
| 28 | Pure Michigan 400 | Joey Logano | Joey Logano | Joey Logano | Dodge Charger |
| 29 | Irwin Tools Night Race | Denny Hamlin | Matt Kenseth | James Kulwicki | Dodge Avenger |
| 30 | Southern 500 | Tony Stewart | Joey Logano | Kyle Busch | Toyota Camry |
| 31 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Jeff Gordon | Brad Keselowski | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 32 | GEICO 400 | Joey Logano | Adam Petty | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 33 | Tyson Holly Farms 400 | Ryan Newman | Matt Kenseth | Matt Kenseth | Toyota Camry |
| 34 | AAA 400 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Adam Petty | Adam Petty | Dodge Challenger |
| 35 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kevin Harvick | James Kulwicki | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 36 | Bank of America 500 | Jeff Gordon | Kasey Kahne | Brad Keselowski | Dodge Charger |
| 37 | Camping World RV Sales 500 | Aric Almirola | Jimmie Johnson | Jamie McMurray | Dodge Challenger |
| 38 | Iowa Corn 400 | Denny Hamlin | Matt Kenseth | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 39 | AdvoCare 500 (Atlanta) | Carl Edwards | Adam Petty | James Kulwicki | Dodge Challenger |
| 40 | AdvoCare 500 (Phoenix) | Jimmie Johnson | Carl Edwards | Mark Martin | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 41 | Ford EcoBoost 400 | Matt Kenseth | Tony Stewart | Casey Elliott | Dodge Charger |
| 42 | Vocaloid 500 | James Kulwicki | Tony Stewart | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Chevrolet Camaro |
| 43 | Sprite 500 | Jamie McMurray | Tim Steele | Tim Steele | Ford Taurus |
| 44 | Los Angeles Times 500 | Mark Martin | Adam Petty | Jeremy Mayfield | Ford Taurus |