2013 Kobalt Tools 400
The 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on March 10, 2013, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was the third race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his first of the season. Kasey Kahne finished second while Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.
| Race details[1] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 3 of 36 in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | March 10, 2013 | ||
| Location | Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.5 mi (2.4 km) | ||
| Distance | 267 laps, 400.5 mi (644.542 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reaching up to 68 °F (20 °C); wind speeds up to 12 miles per hour (19 km/h)[2] | ||
| Average speed | 146.287 mph (235.426 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Penske Racing | ||
| Time | 2012 Owner's Points | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 114 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 4.4/10[3] | ||
The win was Kenseth's first win driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also became the third driver to win a Sprint Cup race on his birthday.
Report
Background
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a four-turn, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) D-shaped oval track that has sanctioned NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events since 1996.[4] After being reconfigured in 2007, the track has a 20° banking in each of the turns, while the rounded front stretch and the back straightaway has a 9° banking.[4] The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is 2,275 feet (693 m) long, 703 feet (214 m) longer than the back straightaway.[4] Las Vegas Motor Speedway also has a grandstand seating capacity of 138,000 people.[4] The defending winner of the 267 lap, 400.5 mile (644.5 km) race was Tony Stewart, who won the race in 2012.[5]
Before the race, Jimmie Johnson was leading the Drivers' Championship with 90 points, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski stood in second and third with 82 points each. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer followed in fourth and fifth with 72 points each, and was six ahead of Greg Biffle in sixth. Mark Martin with 65 was five points ahead of Jeff Gordon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Aric Almirola, as Carl Edwards with 59 points was seven ahead of Marcos Ambrose.[6] In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet and Ford were leading with fourteen points, four points ahead of their rival Toyota.
Entry list
(R) - Denotes rookie driver
(i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series points
Practice and qualifying
As a result of Friday afternoon rain, qualifying was canceled for the first time in track history. With the field being set by the previous year's points standings, Brad Keselowski was awarded the pole position. Mike Bliss was the only driver not to qualify.[7]
Race
The Race was held on March 10, 2013.
Results
Qualifying
Race results
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Standings after the race
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References
- "Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- "2013 Las Vegas weather information". The Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved 2014-11-13.
- "2013 NASCAR Television Ratings". Jayski's Silly Season Site. ESPN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
- "Las Vegas Motor Speedway". CBS Sports. CBS Broadcasting Inc. March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- "2012 Kobalt Tools 400". Racing-reference.info. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- "Pre-race Drivers' Championship Standings". SPEED. Fox Sports. Archived from the original on March 7, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
- "Las Vegas qualifying rained out, Keselowski on pole". The Miami Herald. Miami, FL. March 8, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- "Starting Line Up by Row – Las Vegas Motor Speedway – 16th Annual Kobalt Tools 400" (PDF). NASCAR via Jayski.com. ESPN. March 8, 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 19, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
- "2013 Kobalt Tools 400 – Results". USA Today. March 10, 2013. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.