# 2013 NRA 500

The 2013 NRA 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on April 13, 2013, at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, United States. Contested over 334 laps on the 1.5–mile (2.4 km) quad-oval, it was the seventh race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Kyle Busch of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his second win of the 2013 season and first at Texas, while Martin Truex Jr. finished second. Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.
By also winning the Friday night Nationwide Series race, Busch completed his second weekend sweep of 2013, having also accomplished this at Fontana. A Texas man committed suicide by putting a gun to his head and shooting himself after an argument with another fan near an infield.

## Report
### Background

Texas Motor Speedway is a four-turn quad-oval track that is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long. The track's turns are banked at twenty-four degrees, while the front stretch, the location of the finish line, is five degrees. The back stretch, opposite of the front, also has a five degree banking. The racetrack has a permanent capacity of 138,122 spectators, and an infield capacity of 53,000. Greg Biffle is the defending race winner after winning the event in 2012.
Before the race, Jimmie Johnson was leading the Drivers' Championship with 231 points, while Brad Keselowski stood in second with 225 points. Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed in the third position, 17 points ahead of Kyle Busch and 20 ahead of Kasey Kahne in fourth and fifth. Biffle, with 199, was seven points ahead of Carl Edwards and 20 ahead of Clint Bowyer, as Paul Menard was seven points ahead of Matt Kenseth and twelve ahead of Joey Logano in tenth and eleventh. Jeff Gordon completed the first twelve positions with 164 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 | Bell Helicopters |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Time Warner Cable |
| 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | SANY |
| 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | DeWalt / Stanley Tools |
| 10 | Danica Patrick (R) | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | GoDaddy.com |
| 11 | Brian Vickers (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Office / March of Dimes |
| 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | GEICO |
| 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops |
| 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Gander Mountain |
| 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 3M Filtrete |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Best Buy |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Interstate Batteries |
| 19 | Mike Bliss (i) | Humphrey Smith Racing | Toyota | Plinker Tactical / MCM Elegante |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Dollar General |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | Shell / Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cromax Pro |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Quaker State / Menards |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Rheem |
| 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | Swan Energy / Lean1 |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Caterpillar |
| 32 | Timmy Hill (R) | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | OXY Water |
| 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | Little Joe's Autos / Precon Marine |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's Travel Stops |
| 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 | EZ Pawn / EZ Money |
| 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart–Haas Racing | Chevrolet | Quicken Loans |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Target / Kellogg's |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Eckrich |
| 44 | Scott Riggs | Xxxtreme Motorsports | Ford | JPO Absorbents |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Bush's Beans |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's Dover White |
| 51 | A. J. Allmendinger | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Phoenix Construction |
| 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 / Serta |
| 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 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 | Dr Pepper |
| 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | Tracking Point / B&D Electrical |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Fastenal |
| Official entry list |||||

#### Sponsorship controversy

The race's sponsorship by the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) proved to be controversial prior to the race. Although race sponsorships are negotiated with the track owner, not NASCAR itself, the sanctioning organization has final approval and did not object to the sponsorship. Both NASCAR's acceptance of this sponsorship, and its timing, has been controversial, and offensive to gun control activists. Because of the sponsorship, Senator Chris Murphy asked Rupert Murdoch, whose News Corporation owns Fox Sports, which was scheduled to air the race, to not broadcast it. Fox broadcast the race as scheduled, not least because failure to do so would have been a breach of the network's contract with NASCAR. However, Fox only used the official sponsored name once per hour (the minimum mandated by NASCAR) and otherwise referred to it generically (in this case as the "Texas 500"), the network's usual practice when a race's title sponsor does not buy ads during the race broadcast; the NRA reportedly did not seek to purchase any such ads. Duck Commander replaced NRA as the sponsor for the following year's race, while NRA would return as a race sponsor in 2016 for the Bristol Night Race in August at Speedway's owned Bristol Motor Speedway.

### Practice and qualifying

Two practice sessions were held in preparation for the race; both on Friday, April 12, 2013. The first session and second session lasted for 90 minutes each. During the first practice session, Martin Truex Jr., for the Michael Waltrip Racing team, was quickest ahead of Earnhardt Jr. in second and Johnson in third. Jamie McMurray was scored fourth, and Kevin Harvick managed fifth. Edwards, Jeff Burton, Kenseth, Biffle, and Casey Mears rounded out the top ten quickest drivers in the session.
Marcos Ambrose was quickest in the second and final practice session, ahead of Kyle Busch in second, and Aric Almirola in third. Kurt Busch was fourth quickest, and Truex Jr. took fifth. Juan Pablo Montoya, Burton, Biffle, Paul Menard, and Keselowski followed in the top ten.
During qualifying, forty-five cars were entered, meaning only two cars were not able to start because of NASCAR's qualifying procedure. Kyle Busch clinched his second pole position of the season, with a record-setting time of 27.509 seconds. After his qualifying run, Busch commented, "Not too shabby of a day. ... I feel like we have a good piece for the race. It felt that good. Sometimes you feel that good and it's not very fast." He was joined on the front row of the grid by his brother, Kurt Busch. Almirola qualified third, Ambrose took fourth, and Truex Jr. started fifth. Earnhardt, Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Edwards, and Montoya completed the first ten positions on the grid. The two drivers who failed to qualify for the race were Scott Speed and Scott Riggs.

### Post-race penalties

Three teams were issued penalties after the race. The No. 56 Michael Waltrip Racing car of Martin Truex Jr. was fined six driver points and Michael Waltrip was penalized six owner points for the front car height failing to meet NASCAR specifications. Crew chief Chad Johnston was fined $25,000 and placed on probation until June 5. MWR did not appeal the penalty. The No. 2 and No. 22 Penske Racing cars were considered more controversial. The teams were fined for unapproved suspension parts. Penske Racing appealed the decision, but the only reduction involved the suspension from seven races to three (two plus the Sprint All-Star Race).
The penalties for the No. 2 car:
* Driver Brad Keselowski fined 25 driver points and team owner Roger Penske fined 25 owner points.
* Crew Chief Paul Wolfe fined $100,000, suspended two points races and the Sprint All-Star Race, on probation until December 31
* Car chief Jerry Kelly, team engineer Brian Wilson, and Penske Racing competition director Travis Geisler suspended three races and placed on probation until December 31.
The penalties for the No. 22 car:
* Driver Joey Logano fined 25 driver points and team owner Walt Czarnecki fined 25 owner points.
* Crew Chief Todd Gordon fined $100,000, suspended two points races and the Sprint All-Star Race, on probation until December 31
* Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley suspended three races and placed on probation until December 31.

## Results
### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.509 | 196.299 |
| 2 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 27.595 | 195.688 |
| 3 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 27.691 | 195.009 |
| 4 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 27.700 | 194.946 |
| 5 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 27.725 | 194.770 |
| 6 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.759 | 194.532 |
| 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.763 | 194.503 |
| 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.811 | 194.168 |
| 9 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.814 | 194.147 |
| 10 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.834 | 194.007 |
| 11 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 27.861 | 193.819 |
| 12 | 51 | Austin Dillon | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 27.869 | 193.764 |
| 13 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.888 | 193.632 |
| 14 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 27.914 | 193.451 |
| 15 | 11 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 27.915 | 193.444 |
| 16 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | 27.917 | 193.431 |
| 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 27.951 | 193.195 |
| 18 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 27.996 | 192.885 |
| 19 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.011 | 192.781 |
| 20 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 28.014 | 192.761 |
| 21 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.014 | 192.761 |
| 22 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 28.015 | 192.754 |
| 23 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.031 | 192.644 |
| 24 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 28.038 | 192.596 |
| 25 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.044 | 192.555 |
| 26 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 28.086 | 192.267 |
| 27 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.110 | 192.102 |
| 28 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 28.141 | 191.891 |
| 29 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 28.164 | 191.734 |
| 30 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 28.188 | 191.571 |
| 31 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.190 | 191.557 |
| 32 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.231 | 191.279 |
| 33 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 28.251 | 191.144 |
| 34 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Motorsports | Toyota | 28.283 | 190.927 |
| 35 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.284 | 190.921 |
| 36 | 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 28.316 | 190.705 |
| 37 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 28.317 | 190.698 |
| 38 | 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 28.418 | 190.020 |
| 39 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 28.517 | 189.361 |
| 40 | 35 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 28.552 | 189.129 |
| 41 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 28.699 | 188.160 |
| 42 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 28.709 | 188.094 |
| 43 | 32 | Timmy Hill | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 28.987 | 186.290 |
| Failed to Qualify |||||||
| | 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 28.782 | 187.617 |
| | 44 | Scott Riggs | Xxxtreme Motorsports | Ford | 29.009 | 186.149 |
| Source: |||||||

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 48 |
| 2 | 5 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 43 |
| 3 | 9 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 334 | 41 |
| 4 | 35 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 334 | 40 |
| 5 | 18 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 334 | 40 |
| 6 | 7 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 38 |
| 7 | 3 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 334 | 37 |
| 8 | 15 | 11 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | – |
| 9 | 16 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | 334 | 35 |
| 10 | 31 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 35 |
| 11 | 14 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 334 | 33 |
| 12 | 20 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 334 | 32 |
| 13 | 29 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 31 |
| 14 | 23 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 30 |
| 15 | 26 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 334 | 29 |
| 16 | 11 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 28 |
| 17 | 19 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 334 | 27 |
| 18 | 22 | 21 | Trevor Bayne | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 334 | – |
| 19 | 4 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 333 | 25 |
| 20 | 10 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 24 |
| 21 | 13 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 333 | 23 |
| 22 | 32 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 332 | 22 |
| 23 | 21 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 21 |
| 24 | 38 | 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 332 | 20 |
| 25 | 26 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 332 | 19 |
| 26 | 25 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 331 | 19 |
| 27 | 33 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 331 | 17 |
| 28 | 42 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 331 | 16 |
| 29 | 6 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 330 | 15 |
| 30 | 40 | 35 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 330 | – |
| 31 | 24 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 330 | 13 |
| 32 | 27 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 329 | 13 |
| 33 | 12 | 51 | Austin Dillon | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 326 | – |
| 34 | 39 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 326 | 10 |
| 35 | 41 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 324 | – |
| 36 | 43 | 32 | Timmy Hill | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 322 | – |
| 37 | 2 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 7 |
| 38 | 8 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 306 | 7 |
| 39 | 36 | 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 5 |
| 40 | 17 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 290 | 4 |
| 41 | 34 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Motorsports | Toyota | 140 | – |
| 42 | 30 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 138 | 2 |
| 43 | 37 | 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | 44 | 1 |
| Source: ||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 269 |
| 2 | 2 | Kyle Busch | 251 (–18) |
| 3 | 3 | Greg Biffle | 239 (–30) |
| 2 | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 235 (–34) |
| 2 | 5 | Carl Edwards | 234 (–35) |
| 3 | 6 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 234 (–35) |
| 2 | 7 | Kasey Kahne | 232 (–37) |
| | 8 | Clint Bowyer | 208 (–61) |
| | 9 | Paul Menard | 206 (–63) |
| | 10 | Matt Kenseth | 204 (–65) |
| 3 | 11 | Kevin Harvick | 192 (–77) |
| 1 | 12 | Jamie McMurray | 190 (–79) |
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 49 |
| 2 | Toyota | 49 (–0) |
| 3 | Ford | 35 (–14) |