# 2013 STP 400

The 2013 STP 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on April 21, 2013, at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas, United States. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5–mile (2.4 km) tri-oval, it was the eighth race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his second win of the 2013 season and second straight at Kansas Speedway, while Kasey Kahne finished second. Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr. and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five
This was the third straight Sprint Cup race of 2013 where the winner won from the pole and led the most laps, following wins by Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville and Kyle Busch at Texas. This was the first such streak in over 28 years (the last time there were three straight races won from the pole was in 1985; with Bill Elliott at Michigan, Dale Earnhardt at Bristol, and Elliott at Darlington).

## Report
### Background

Kansas Speedway is a four-turn tri-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. The track's turns are banked from seventeen to twenty degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is nine to eleven degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, is at only five degrees. The racetrack has a seating capacity for more than 72,000 spectators. Denny Hamlin was the defending race winner after winning the event in 2012.
Before the race, Jimmie Johnson was leading the Drivers' Championship with 269 points, while Kyle Busch stood in second with 251 points. Greg Biffle followed in the third position, four points ahead of Brad Keselowski and five ahead of Carl Edwards in fourth and fifth. Dale Earnhardt Jr., with 234, was two points ahead of Kasey Kahne and twenty-six ahead of Clint Bowyer, as Paul Menard was two points ahead of Matt Kenseth and fourteen ahead of Kevin Harvick in tenth and eleventh. Jamie McMurray completed the first twelve positions with 190 points.

### Entry list

(R) - Denotes rookie driver.
(i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | McDonald's |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Farmers Insurance 85th Anniversary |
| 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | SANY |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Stanley Tools / DeWalt |
| 10 | Danica Patrick (R) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | GoDaddy.com |
| 11 | Brian Vickers (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Freight |
| 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. (i) | Penske Racing | Ford | SKF |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Bass Pro Shops / Mobil 1 |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 5-hour Energy |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | ACE Brand |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Zest |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | M&M's |
| 19 | Mike Bliss (i) | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | Plinker Tactical |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | The Home Depot / Husky Tools |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | AAA Insurance |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Drive to End Hunger |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Pittsburgh Paints / Menards |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Bad Boy Buggies |
| 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | Swan Racing |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | American Ethanol |
| 32 | Timmy Hill (R) | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | OXY Water |
| 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | KCI |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 35 | Josh Wise (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | MDS Transport |
| 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Accell Construction |
| 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Long John Silver's |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Code 3 Associates |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Target |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | STP / Farmland |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Pine-Sol |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's / Kobalt Tools |
| 51 | Regan Smith (i) | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | HendrickCars.com |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | NAPA Auto Parts |
| 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | Furniture Row / Denver Mattress |
| 81 | Elliott Sadler (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | ALERT Energy Gum |
| 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr Pepper |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (i) | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | Maddie's Place |
| 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | National Guard |
| 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr Pepper |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Aflac |
| Official entry list |||||

### Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions are scheduled to be held before the race. The first session, held on April 19, 2013, was 90 minutes long. The second and third were held on April 20, and were 55 and 50 minutes long, respectively. During the first practice session, Edwards was quickest with a time of 28.117 seconds, ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr. in second and third. Martin Truex Jr. followed in the fourth position, ahead of Aric Almirola in fifth.
During qualifying, forty-four cars were entered, meaning only one car was not able to start because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Kenseth clinched his ninth career pole position, with a record-setting time of 28.145 seconds. After his qualifying run, Kenseth commented, "We didn't think we had a chance. It's unexpected, and it's one of the fastest tracks of the year. Felt great to go out late and jump over the other guys." He was joined on the front row of the grid by Edwards. Stenhouse Jr. qualified third, Hornish Jr. took fourth, and Kyle Busch started fifth. Almirola, Truex Jr., Mark Martin, Ryan Newman, and Bowyer completed the first ten positions on the grid. The driver who failed to qualify for the race was Joe Nemechek.
In the Saturday morning session, Juan Pablo Montoya was quickest, ahead of Stenhouse Jr. and Almirola in second and third. Biffle and Edwards followed in the fourth and fifth positions. Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Menard, and Newman rounded out the first ten positions. In the final practice session for the race, Kenseth was quickest with a time of 28.615 seconds. Almirola followed in second, ahead of Montoya and Kurt Busch in third and fourth. Kahne, who was twelfth quickest in second practice, managed fifth.

### Race
#### Start

The race started at 1:16 p.m. EDT with Matt Kenseth leading the field to the green flag, The first caution came out on lap 6 when Kyle Busch spun out in the back straightaway, the race restarted on lap 9, The second caution came out on lap 39 when Dave Blaney blew an engine and collided into Danica Patrick, the race restarted on lap 43, A couple of laps later, the third caution then came out for debris on lap 75, the race restarted on lap 78, The fourth caution then came out on lap 87 when Elliott Sadler spun out, the race restarted on lap 91, with Matt Kenseth the race leader.

#### Second half

The fifth caution came out on lap 106 for a two-car wreck involving Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. The race restarted on lap 115 with Martin Truex Jr. the race leader, the sixth caution then came out on lap 174 when Brian Vickers spun out, the race restarted with 89 laps to go, The seventh caution came out for a multi-car wreck involving Marcos Ambrose, Casey Mears and Josh Wise, the race restarted with 81 laps to go, A couple of laps later, Debris on the back straightaway brought out the eighth caution of the day, with 50 laps to go, the race restarted with 43 laps to go with Matt Kenseth the race leader, Matt Kenseth won his race in Kansas.

## Results
### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.145 | 191.864 |
| 2 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.162 | 191.748 |
| 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.164 | 191.734 |
| 4 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Ford | 28.213 | 191.401 |
| 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.294 | 190.853 |
| 6 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.305 | 190.779 |
| 7 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.324 | 190.651 |
| 8 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.379 | 190.282 |
| 9 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.388 | 190.221 |
| 10 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.401 | 190.134 |
| 11 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.411 | 190.067 |
| 12 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.454 | 189.780 |
| 13 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 28.491 | 189.534 |
| 14 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.538 | 189.221 |
| 15 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 28.542 | 189.195 |
| 16 | 11 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.544 | 189.182 |
| 17 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.548 | 189.155 |
| 18 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.568 | 189.023 |
| 19 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 28.608 | 188.758 |
| 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.620 | 188.679 |
| 21 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.656 | 188.442 |
| 22 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 28.675 | 188.317 |
| 23 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.676 | 188.311 |
| 24 | 81 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.724 | 187.996 |
| 25 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.758 | 187.774 |
| 26 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.809 | 187.441 |
| 27 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 28.820 | 187.370 |
| 28 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.834 | 187.279 |
| 29 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 28.835 | 187.272 |
| 30 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 28.889 | 186.922 |
| 31 | 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.891 | 186.909 |
| 32 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.919 | 186.728 |
| 33 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | 28.930 | 186.657 |
| 34 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 28.945 | 186.561 |
| 35 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing | Chevrolet | 28.950 | 186.528 |
| 36 | 35 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.967 | 186.419 |
| 37 | 32 | Timmy Hill | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 29.081 | 185.688 |
| 38 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 29.087 | 185.650 |
| 39 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 29.146 | 185.274 |
| 40 | 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.160 | 185.185 |
| 41 | 51 | Regan Smith | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 29.218 | 184.818 |
| 42 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 29.378 | 183.811 |
| 43 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | – | – |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||
| | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 29.046 | 185.912 |
| Source: |||||||
    1. ^ Jeff Gordon collided into the SAFER barrier and failed to complete his qualifying lap.

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 267 | 48 |
| 2 | 27 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 42 |
| 3 | 21 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 42 |
| 4 | 7 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 41 |
| 5 | 10 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 39 |
| 6 | 33 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | 267 | 38 |
| 7 | 14 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 37 |
| 8 | 6 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 36 |
| 9 | 8 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 267 | 35 |
| 10 | 12 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 34 |
| 11 | 3 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 34 |
| 12 | 17 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 32 |
| 13 | 43 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 31 |
| 14 | 9 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 31 |
| 15 | 13 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 29 |
| 16 | 23 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 267 | 29 |
| 17 | 2 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 28 |
| 18 | 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 267 | 26 |
| 19 | 11 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 267 | 25 |
| 20 | 15 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 267 | 24 |
| 21 | 18 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | 23 |
| 22 | 41 | 51 | Regan Smith | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 266 | – |
| 23 | 28 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 266 | 21 |
| 24 | 34 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 266 | 20 |
| 25 | 25 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 265 | 19 |
| 26 | 36 | 35 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 265 | – |
| 27 | 19 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 264 | 17 |
| 28 | 31 | 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 263 | 16 |
| 29 | 39 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 263 | 15 |
| 30 | 26 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 262 | 14 |
| 31 | 16 | 11 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 257 | – |
| 32 | 38 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 256 | 13 |
| 33 | 37 | 32 | Timmy Hill | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 242 | 11 |
| 34 | 30 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 216 | 10 |
| 35 | 40 | 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 210 | 9 |
| 36 | 32 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 209 | 8 |
| 37 | 4 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Ford | 181 | – |
| 38 | 5 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 102 | 6 |
| 39 | 22 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 102 | 5 |
| 40 | 24 | 81 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 85 | – |
| 41 | 35 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Motorsports | Toyota | 65 | – |
| 42 | 29 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 43 | 2 |
| 43 | 42 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 36 | 1 |
| Source: ||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 311 |
| 5 | 2 | Kasey Kahne | 274 (–37) |
| 1 | 3 | Brad Keselowski | 273 (–38) |
| 1 | 4 | Greg Biffle | 264 (–47) |
| 1 | 5 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 263 (–48) |
| 1 | 6 | Carl Edwards | 262 (–49) |
| 5 | 7 | Kyle Busch | 257 (–54) |
| | 8 | Clint Bowyer | 247 (–64) |
| | 9 | Paul Menard | 240 (–71) |
| 2 | 10 | Jamie McMurray | 227 (–84) |
| | 11 | Kevin Harvick | 224 (–87) |
| 1 | 12 | Aric Almirola | 222 (–89) |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 55 |
| 2 | Toyota | 53 (–2) |
| 3 | Ford | 39 (–19) |