# 2013 Aaron's 312

The 2013 Aaron's 312 was the eighth stock car race of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series and the 22nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Saturday, May 4, 2013, in Lincoln, Alabama, at Talladega Superspeedway, a 2.66-mile (4.28 km) permanent triangle-shaped superspeedway. The race was shortened from 117 laps to 110 due to impending darkness. After a wreck-fest race, Regan Smith, driving for JR Motorsports, would win the race under caution, a controversial win as the caution had been called just barely 200 feet from the finish, as if the drivers had been allowed to race back to the line, eventual-third-place finisher, teammate Kasey Kahne, would have won. The win was Smith's second career NASCAR Nationwide Series win and his first win of the season. To fill out the podium, Joey Logano of Penske Racing would finish second.

## Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

### Entry list

| # | Driver | Team | Make | Sponsor |
| 00 | Blake Koch | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | VIP Poker, Headrush |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Phoenix Racing |
| 01 | Mike Wallace | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | G&K Services |
| 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Armour Vienna Sausage |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | AdvoCare Spark |
| 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | Flex Seal |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | Great Clips |
| 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Cargill "Our Certified Ground Beef" |
| 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | TaxSlayer |
| 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | TriStar Motorsports |
| 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | OneMain Financial |
| 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Ford | Würth |
| 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Hefty, Reynolds Wrap |
| 15 | Stanton Barrett | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | FAIR Girls |
| 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | Dixie Chopper |
| 20 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Dollar General |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | Discount Tire |
| 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | Stalk It |
| 24 | Jason White | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | JW Demolition |
| 25 | John Wes Townley | Venturini Motorsports | Toyota | Zaxby's |
| 27 | David Green* | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | #teamBOOM! |
| 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | Worx Yard Tools |
| 31 | Justin Allgaier | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | Brandt Professional Agriculture |
| 32 | Kyle Larson | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cessna |
| 33 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | WESCO |
| 34 | Danica Patrick | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | AccuDoc Solutions |
| 40 | Josh Wise | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | The Motorsports Group |
| 42 | J. J. Yeley* | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | The Motorsports Group |
| 43 | Reed Sorenson | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Pilot Flying J |
| 44 | Hal Martin | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | American Custom Yachts |
| 46 | Chase Miller* | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | The Motorsports Group |
| 47 | Scott Riggs* | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | The Motorsports Group |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | All South Electric, Repairable Vehicles |
| 52 | Donnie Neuenberger | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | Eagle Convenience Stores |
| 54 | Joey Coulter | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Monster Energy |
| 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | Viva Motorsports |
| 60 | Travis Pastrana | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Roush Fenway Racing |
| 70 | Johanna Long | ML Motorsports | Chevrolet | Foretravel Motorcoach |
| 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | StoneBridge Construction, Haag Brown |
| 77 | Parker Kligerman | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | Bandit Chippers, Camp Horsin' Around |
| 79 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Go Green Racing | Ford | Oath Keepers, Fast Wax |
| 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | Lucas Oil |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | Maddie's Place Rocks |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | Racing with Jesus |
| 92 | Tim Andrews | KH Motorsports | Ford | Maddie's Place Rocks |
| 99 | Alex Bowman | RAB Racing | Toyota | SchoolTipline |
| Official entry list |||||

## Practice
### First practice

The first practice session was held on Thursday, May 2, at 3:00 PM CST, and would last for 45 minutes. Trevor Bayne of Roush Fenway Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 50.275 and an average speed of 190.472 miles per hour (306.535 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.275 | 190.472 |
| 2 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.277 | 190.465 |
| 3 | 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 50.355 | 190.170 |
| Full first practice results |||||||

### Second and final practice

The second and final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Thursday, May 2, at 4:00 PM CST, and would last for 50 minutes. Ty Dillon of Richard Childress Racing would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 49.841 and an average speed of 192.131 miles per hour (309.205 km/h).
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 33 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 49.841 | 192.131 |
| 2 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 49.842 | 192.127 |
| 3 | 60 | Travis Pastrana | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.133 | 191.012 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results |||||||

## Qualifying

Qualifying was held on Friday, May 3, at 11:10 PM CST. Each driver would have two laps to set a fastest time; the fastest of the two would count as their official qualifying lap.
Travis Pastrana of Roush Fenway Racing would win the pole, setting a time of 54.255 and an average speed of 176.500 miles per hour (284.049 km/h), his first career NASCAR pole and the first for owner Jack Roush at Talladega. Pastrana stated, “It sounds like a dream come true. Bringing the guys to the line at the green flag at Talladega is awesome, so I’m definitely excited."
Two drivers would fail to qualify: Stanton Barrett and John Wes Townley, who despite qualifying in tenth, was disallowed after his car was found to be too low.

### Full qualifying results

| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 60 | Travis Pastrana | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54.255 | 176.500 |
| 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.359 | 176.162 |
| 3 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 54.387 | 176.071 |
| 4 | 34 | Danica Patrick | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.447 | 175.877 |
| 5 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.450 | 175.868 |
| 6 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Ford | 54.480 | 175.771 |
| 7 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54.492 | 175.732 |
| 8 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.537 | 175.587 |
| 9 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 54.558 | 175.520 |
| 10 | 54 | Joey Coulter | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54.617 | 175.330 |
| 11 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.619 | 175.324 |
| 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 54.636 | 175.269 |
| 13 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 54.652 | 175.218 |
| 14 | 99 | Alex Bowman | RAB Racing | Toyota | 54.655 | 175.208 |
| 15 | 43 | Reed Sorenson | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 54.657 | 175.202 |
| 16 | 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.660 | 175.192 |
| 17 | 33 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 54.685 | 175.112 |
| 18 | 77 | Parker Kligerman | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 54.729 | 174.971 |
| 19 | 32 | Kyle Larson | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.744 | 174.923 |
| 20 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.750 | 174.904 |
| 21 | 20 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 54.792 | 174.770 |
| 22 | 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.914 | 174.382 |
| 23 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 54.920 | 174.363 |
| 24 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 54.984 | 174.160 |
| 25 | 70 | Johanna Long | ML Motorsports | Chevrolet | 54.997 | 174.119 |
| 26 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 55.035 | 173.998 |
| 27 | 79 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Go Green Racing | Ford | 55.079 | 173.859 |
| 28 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 55.091 | 173.821 |
| 29 | 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.137 | 173.676 |
| 30 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 55.170 | 173.573 |
| 31 | 24 | Jason White | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | 55.229 | 173.387 |
| 32 | 44 | Hal Martin | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 55.341 | 173.036 |
| 33 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.399 | 172.855 |
| 34 | 00 | Blake Koch | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | 55.429 | 172.762 |
| 35 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 55.556 | 172.367 |
| 36 | 52 | Donnie Neuenberger | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 55.686 | 171.964 |
| 37 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 55.698 | 171.927 |
| 38 | 01 | Mike Wallace | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 55.806 | 171.594 |
| Qualified by owner's points |||||||
| 39 | 40 | Josh Wise | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 55.992 | 171.024 |
| Last car to qualify on time |||||||
| 40 | 92 | Tim Andrews | KH Motorsports | Ford | 55.751 | 171.764 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||
| 41 | 15 | Stanton Barrett | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 56.144 | 170.561 |
| 42 | 25 | John Wes Townley | Venturini Motorsports | Toyota | —* | —* |
| WD | 27 | David Green | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | — | — |
| WD | 42 | J. J. Yeley | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | — | — |
| WD | 46 | Chase Miller | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | — | — |
| WD | 47 | Scott Riggs | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | — | — |
| Official starting lineup |||||||

## Race

Pole sitter Travis Pastrana led the first lap of the race. On lap 5, Pastrana and Roush Racing teammate Trevor Bayne decided to swap tandems but fell back as the pack caught up to the 2 cars. Ty Dillon took the lead from Bayne and Pastrana with a push by Kurt Busch. Busch swapped positions with Dillon on the next lap but fell back as Kasey Kahne took the lead after Busch led lap 6. Elliott Sadler took the lead from Kahne on lap 13 and Kahne took it back the next lap. The first caution flew on lap 14 when Danica Patrick crashed in turn 3. Joey Logano won the race off of pit road making him the race leader. Allgaier passed Logano for the lead on lap 19 but soon both began to swap the lead with Logano getting pushed by Sam Hornish Jr. and Allgaier getting pushed by Kurt Busch. Brian Vickers took the lead from Logano on lap 26 but Logano took it back on the next lap of the race. On lap 34, Kasey Kahne passed Logano for the lead but gave it back to Logano on the next lap. On lap 35, the second caution flew for a 2 car crash in turn 3 involving Kyle Larson and Jeffery Earnhardt. Logano won the race off of pit road keeping his lead. On lap 42, Logano got passed by Elliott Sadler giving Sadler the lead. Logano took it back on lap 44 and led the next 11 laps of the race. On lap 55, Logano and his drafting partner Kasey Kahne switched positions to prevent Kahne from overheating and gave the lead to Elliott Sadler. On lap 57, Brian Scott took the lead from Sadler. On lap 58, Reed Sorenson took the lead followed by Trevor Bayne on lap 59. On lap 60, Kasey Kahne took the lead from Bayne. On lap 63, Regan Smith took the lead and both Smith and Kahne began to swap the lead from each other. With 46 laps to go, the third caution flew when Reed Sorenson got turned by Brian Scott on the backstretch and got run into by Travis Pastrana lifting Sorenson's rear end into the air. Joey Logano once again won the race off of pit road to keep his lead. The race restarted with 39 to go. With 37 to go, Parker Kligerman took the lead. Both Kligerman and Kurt Busch began to swap the lead from each other before with 31 laps to go, Kasey Kahne took the lead. With 30 to go, Kurt Busch took the lead back from Kahne. On the same lap, Blake Koch got turned by Justin Allgaier and hit the outside wall coming out of turn 2. The race restarted with 27 laps to go and Kurt Busch leading the race. Justin Allgaier tried to take the lead but failed and Busch led with 26 to go.

### Final laps

With 25 laps to go in turn 3, the big one struck taking out 13 cars. Sam Hornish Jr. moved down trying to avoid Johanna Long but got turned by Eric McClure and both turned down into Brian Scott and Tim Andrews and the 4 cars spun up the racetrack collecting more cars. The cars involved were Johanna Long, Brian Scott, Trevor Bayne, Robert Richardson Jr., Sam Hornish Jr., Bobby Gerhart, Mike Harmon, Tim Andrews, Ty Dillon, Eric McClure, Kyle Larson, Nelson Piquet Jr., and Donnie Neuenberger. During the caution period, NASCAR announced that they were gonna shorten the race to 107 laps due to the darkness that was falling. The race restarted with 7 laps to go on lap 101 with Kurt Busch as the leader. Regan Smith took the lead from Busch on that lap but Busch took it back with 6 laps to go. With 3 laps to go, Austin Dillon took the lead from Busch. But on the same lap, Joey Coulter crashed in the tri-oval bringing out 6th caution and setting up a green-white-checker. On the restart, Dillon took the lead from Busch. On the final lap, Busch took the lead with a push by Justin Allgaier. Joey Logano pulled up to the Busch's outside with a push by Alex Bowman but Logano moved up to block Regan Smith and Smith went to the bottom of the track. Both Smith and Logano went by Busch and Kahne pulled up to the outside of them. Meanwhile, behind the 4 cars, Brian Vickers got turned by Elliott Sadler and collected Alex Bowman, Landon Cassill, Mike Wallace, Jamie Dick, and Josh Wise. Instead of letting them race back since the finish line was about 1,000 feet away, NASCAR threw the caution before they reached the finish line. Kasey Kahne crossed the finish line first but Regan Smith was in front when the caution came out and NASCAR declared him the winner. Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top 5 while Parker Kligerman, Mike Wallace, Jason White, Jeremy Clements, and Austin Dillon rounded out the top 10.

## Race results

| Fin | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
| 1 | 20 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 7 | running | 47 | $53,445 |
| 2 | 12 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 110 | 35 | running | 0 | $39,725 |
| 3 | 11 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 16 | running | 0 | $30,500 |
| 4 | 9 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 19 | running | 0 | $29,275 |
| 5 | 5 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 4 | running | 40 | $32,550 |
| 6 | 18 | 77 | Parker Kligerman | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 110 | 4 | running | 39 | $28,100 |
| 7 | 38 | 01 | Mike Wallace | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 37 | $26,500 |
| 8 | 31 | 24 | Jason White | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | 110 | 0 | running | 36 | $25,850 |
| 9 | 37 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 35 | $25,225 |
| 10 | 2 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 110 | 5 | running | 35 | $26,825 |
| 11 | 7 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 110 | 5 | running | 34 | $25,975 |
| 12 | 29 | 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | 110 | 0 | running | 32 | $18,850 |
| 13 | 14 | 99 | Alex Bowman | RAB Racing | Toyota | 110 | 0 | running | 31 | $25,675 |
| 14 | 24 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 110 | 0 | running | 30 | $24,500 |
| 15 | 21 | 20 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 110 | 1 | running | 30 | $25,050 |
| 16 | 27 | 79 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | Go Green Racing | Ford | 110 | 0 | running | 28 | $24,350 |
| 17 | 22 | 4 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 109 | 1 | crash | 0 | $18,525 |
| 18 | 39 | 40 | Josh Wise | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 109 | 0 | crash | 26 | $23,975 |
| 19 | 36 | 52 | Donnie Neuenberger | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 108 | 0 | running | 25 | $17,850 |
| 20 | 33 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 107 | 0 | running | 24 | $24,400 |
| 21 | 10 | 54 | Joey Coulter | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 104 | 3 | crash | 0 | $23,550 |
| 22 | 15 | 43 | Reed Sorenson | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 103 | 1 | running | 23 | $23,400 |
| 23 | 23 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 94 | 0 | crash | 21 | $23,250 |
| 24 | 17 | 33 | Ty Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 93 | 1 | crash | 0 | $23,100 |
| 25 | 6 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Ford | 93 | 0 | running | 19 | $23,275 |
| 26 | 25 | 70 | Johanna Long | ML Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | crash | 18 | $23,000 |
| 27 | 8 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 92 | 2 | crash | 18 | $22,800 |
| 28 | 3 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 92 | 2 | crash | 17 | $22,900 |
| 29 | 16 | 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 92 | 0 | crash | 15 | $22,400 |
| 30 | 40 | 92 | Tim Andrews | KH Motorsports | Ford | 91 | 0 | crash | 14 | $22,475 |
| 31 | 26 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 91 | 0 | crash | 13 | $16,125 |
| 32 | 28 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 91 | 0 | crash | 12 | $22,050 |
| 33 | 34 | 00 | Blake Koch | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | 87 | 0 | crash | 11 | $22,015 |
| 34 | 32 | 44 | Hal Martin | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 84 | 0 | running | 10 | $21,980 |
| 35 | 35 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 72 | 0 | fuel pressure | 9 | $15,940 |
| 36 | 1 | 60 | Travis Pastrana | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 71 | 4 | crash | 9 | $24,580 |
| 37 | 30 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports | Toyota | 64 | 0 | running | 7 | $20,695 |
| 38 | 19 | 32 | Kyle Larson | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52 | 0 | crash | 6 | $20,661 |
| 39 | 4 | 34 | Danica Patrick | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | crash | 0 | $14,775 |
| 40 | 13 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 3 | 0 | vibration | 4 | $14,425 |
| Failed to qualify or withdrew |||||||||||
| 41 | | 15 | Stanton Barrett | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | | | | | |
| 42 | | 25 | John Wes Townley | Venturini Motorsports | Toyota | | | | | |
| WD | | 27 | David Green | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | | | | | |
| WD | | 42 | J. J. Yeley | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| WD | | 46 | Chase Miller | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| WD | | 47 | Scott Riggs | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | | | | | |
| Official race results |||||||||||