# 2013 Subway Fresh Fit 500

The 2013 Subway Fresh Fit 500 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on March 3, 2013, at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 316 laps on the 1-mile (1.6 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was the second race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Carl Edwards of Roush Fenway Racing won the race, his first win in 70 races. Jimmie Johnson finished second while Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top five.

## Report
### Background

Phoenix International Raceway is one of five short tracks to hold NASCAR races; the others are Richmond International Raceway, Dover International Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, and Martinsville Speedway. The standard track at Phoenix International Raceway is a four-turn short track oval that is 1 mile (1.6 km) long. The track's first two turns are banked from 10–11 degrees, while the third and fourth turns have an 8–9 degree banking. The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 3 degrees, and the back stretch has a 10–11 degree banking. The racetrack has seats for 55,000 spectators.
Before the race, Jimmie Johnson was leading the Drivers' Championship with 47 points, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. stood in second with 42 points. Mark Martin and Brad Keselowski followed in third and fourth with 41 points each, and was one ahead of Ryan Newman in fifth. Greg Biffle with 38 was one point ahead of Danica Patrick, as Michael McDowell with 35 points was one ahead of J. J. Yeley and Clint Bowyer. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with nine points, three points ahead of their rival Toyota. Ford was in the third position with four points. Denny Hamlin was the race's defending winner.
The race was the first of the season to remove roof cameras to lessen turbulent air impact, and would be removed for two-thirds of the points races.

### Entry list

| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor |
| 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | McDonalds |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | Miller Lite |
| 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Quaker State |
| 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 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | FedEx Groud |
| 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 | 3M Novec |
| 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Best Buy |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | M&Ms |
| 19 | Mike Bliss (i) | Humphery Smith Racing | Toyota | Value Place |
| 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Husky Tools |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | Shell / Pennzoil |
| 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Pepsi Max |
| 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Menards / Serta |
| 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Jimmy John's |
| 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | Swan Energy |
| 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cheerios |
| 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | Safe Skies Patented Luggage Locks |
| 33 | Landon Cassill (i) | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | Moon Shine Attitude Attire |
| 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Front Row Motorsports |
| 35 | Josh Wise (i) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Blockbuster Video |
| 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 | Quicken Loans |
| 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Target / Cottonelle |
| 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | Farmland |
| 44 | Scott Riggs | Xxxtreme Motorsports | Chevrolet | No Label Watches |
| 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | Glad / Bush's / Scott Products |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Lowe's |
| 51 | A. J. Allmendinger | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | Guy Roofing |
| 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | NAPA Filters |
| 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | Furniture Row / Beautyrest |
| 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | Burger King / Dr. Pepper |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek | 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 |
| 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | Surrender the Sponsor |
| 98 | Michael McDowell | Phil Parsons Racing | Ford | Phil Parsons Racing |
| 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Subway |

### Practice and qualifying

Three practice sessions were held before the race on March 1 and March 2, 2013. The first session lasted 85 minutes long, while the second was 55 minutes long. The third session lasted for 50 minutes. Matt Kenseth was quickest with a speed of 137.023 miles per hour (220.517 km/h) in the first session, 0.047 miles per hour (0.076 km/h) faster than Kyle Busch. Martin was just off Kyle Busch's pace, followed by Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and Johnson. The session was paused temporarily after debris prompted a caution.
Forty-three cars were entered for the qualifying session held on March 1. Martin clinched his fifty-sixth pole position of his career, with a time of 26.073 seconds, which was a new race record. He was joined on the front row of the grid by Kasey Kahne. Johnson qualified third, Kyle Busch took fourth, and Gordon started fifth. Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Hamlin, Kenseth, and Newman rounded out the first ten positions.

### Post-race

On March 7, NASCAR fined Denny Hamlin $25,000 for saying that the then-new Gen 6 cars did not race as well as the previous-generation car, citing difficulty passing. Because Hamlin publicly refused to pay the fine, NASCAR instead took $25,000 off his race winnings instead.

## Results
### Qualifying

| Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
| 1 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 26.073 | 138.074 |
| 2 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.113 | 137.862 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.124 | 137.804 |
| 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.149 | 137.673 |
| 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.246 | 137.164 |
| 6 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 26.250 | 137.143 |
| 7 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.263 | 137.075 |
| 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.292 | 136.924 |
| 9 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 26.300 | 136.882 |
| 10 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 26.304 | 136.861 |
| 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | 26.309 | 136.835 |
| 12 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.329 | 136.731 |
| 13 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 26.344 | 136.654 |
| 14 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 26.354 | 136.602 |
| 15 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.377 | 136.483 |
| 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.400 | 136.364 |
| 17 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 26.414 | 136.291 |
| 18 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 26.419 | 136.266 |
| 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.483 | 135.936 |
| 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 26.492 | 135.890 |
| 21 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.496 | 135.870 |
| 22 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 26.580 | 135.440 |
| 23 | 51 | A. J. Allmendinger | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 26.580 | 135.440 |
| 24 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.614 | 135.267 |
| 25 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 26.618 | 135.247 |
| 26 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 26.647 | 135.100 |
| 27 | 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 26.654 | 135.064 |
| 28 | 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 26.683 | 134.917 |
| 29 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 26.702 | 134.821 |
| 30 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 26.725 | 134.705 |
| 31 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.727 | 134.695 |
| 32 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 26.791 | 134.373 |
| 33 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 26.797 | 134.343 |
| 34 | 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 26.903 | 133.814 |
| 35 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing | Chevrolet | 26.911 | 133.774 |
| 36 | 35 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 26.948 | 133.591 |
| 37 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 26.952 | 133.571 |
| 38 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 26.990 | 133.383 |
| 39 | 44 | Scott Riggs | Xxxtreme Motorsports | Ford | 27.084 | 132.920 |
| 40 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 27.090 | 132.890 |
| 41 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 27.268 | 132.023 |
| 42 | 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 27.325 | 131.747 |
| 43 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 27.421 | 131.286 |
| Source: |||||||

### Race results

| Pos | Grid | Car | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 15 | 99 | Carl Edwards | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 316 | 48 |
| 2 | 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 316 | 43 |
| 3 | 8 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 316 | 41 |
| 4 | 11 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Penske Racing | Ford | 316 | 41 |
| 5 | 21 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 316 | 40 |
| 6 | 13 | 15 | Clint Bowyer | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 316 | 38 |
| 7 | 9 | 20 | Matt Kenseth | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 316 | 37 |
| 8 | 6 | 14 | Tony Stewart | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 36 |
| 9 | 5 | 24 | Jeff Gordon | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 316 | 35 |
| 10 | 20 | 31 | Jeff Burton | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 34 |
| 11 | 23 | 51 | A. J. Allmendinger | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 33 |
| 12 | 29 | 42 | Juan Pablo Montoya | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 33 |
| 13 | 7 | 29 | Kevin Harvick | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 31 |
| 14 | 43 | 13 | Casey Mears | Germain Racing | Ford | 316 | 30 |
| 15 | 18 | 43 | Aric Almirola | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 316 | 29 |
| 16 | 12 | 17 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 316 | 28 |
| 17 | 17 | 16 | Greg Biffle | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 316 | 28 |
| 18 | 22 | 9 | Marcos Ambrose | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 316 | 26 |
| 19 | 2 | 5 | Kasey Kahne | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 316 | 25 |
| 20 | 16 | 27 | Paul Menard | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 24 |
| 21 | 1 | 55 | Mark Martin | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 316 | 24 |
| 22 | 19 | 1 | Jamie McMurray | Earnhardt Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 316 | 22 |
| 23 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 316 | 21 |
| 24 | 33 | 47 | Bobby Labonte | JTG Daugherty Racing | Toyota | 315 | 20 |
| 25 | 34 | 83 | David Reutimann | BK Racing | Toyota | 315 | 19 |
| 26 | 32 | 22 | Joey Logano | Penske Racing | Ford | 315 | 18 |
| 27 | 25 | 78 | Kurt Busch | Furniture Row Racing | Chevrolet | 315 | 17 |
| 28 | 27 | 36 | J. J. Yeley | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 315 | 16 |
| 29 | 30 | 93 | Travis Kvapil | BK Racing | Toyota | 313 | 15 |
| 30 | 37 | 30 | David Stremme | Swan Racing | Toyota | 313 | 14 |
| 31 | 41 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 311 | – |
| 32 | 38 | 33 | Landon Cassill | Circle Sport | Chevrolet | 309 | 12 |
| 33 | 26 | 7 | Dave Blaney | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 306 | 11 |
| 34 | 42 | 32 | Ken Schrader | FAS Lane Racing | Ford | 300 | 10 |
| 35 | 36 | 35 | Josh Wise | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 295 | – |
| 36 | 14 | 56 | Martin Truex Jr. | Michael Waltrip Racing | Toyota | 284 | 8 |
| 37 | 31 | 38 | David Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 237 | 7 |
| 38 | 24 | 34 | David Ragan | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 186 | 7 |
| 39 | 40 | 10 | Danica Patrick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 184 | 5 |
| 40 | 10 | 39 | Ryan Newman | Stewart-Haas Racing | Chevrolet | 137 | 4 |
| 41 | 28 | 95 | Scott Speed | Leavine Family Racing | Ford | 88 | 3 |
| 42 | 35 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Humphrey Smith Racing | Chevrolet | 34 | – |
| 43 | 39 | 44 | Scott Riggs | Xxxtreme Motorsports | Ford | 19 | – |
| Source: ||||||||

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Jimmie Johnson | 90 |
| | 2 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 82 (–8) |
| 1 | 3 | Brad Keselowski | 82 (–8) |
| 9 | 4 | Denny Hamlin | 72 (–18) |
| 5 | 5 | Clint Bowyer | 72 (–18) |
| | 6 | Greg Biffle | 66 (–24) |
| 4 | 7 | Mark Martin | 65 (–25) |
| 11 | 8 | Jeff Gordon | 60 (–30) |
| 2 | 9 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 60 (–30) |
| 2 | 10 | Aric Almirola | 60 (–30) |
| 19 | 11 | Carl Edwards | 59 (–31) |
| 5 | 12 | Marcos Ambrose | 52 (–38) |
| | Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| | 1 | Chevrolet | 14 |
| 1 | 2 | Ford | 14 (–0) |
| 1 | 3 | Toyota | 10 (–4) |