2013 GEICO 400
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report
| Type = NAS
| Race Name = GEICO 400
| Details ref = {{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/schedule/_/year/2013|title=2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Schedule|publisher=ESPN|access-date=September 8, 2013}}
| Fulldate = {{Start date|2013|09|15}}
| Year = 2013
| Race_No = 27
| Season_No = 36
| Image = Chicagoland Speedway.PNG
| Caption = Chicagoland Speedway track layout
| Location = Chicagoland Speedway
Joliet, Illinois, United States
| Course_mi = 1.500
| Course_km = 2.414
| Distance_laps = 267
| Distance_mi = 400.5
| Distance_km = 644.5
| Weather = Temperatures up to {{convert|70.5|F|C}}; wind speeds up to {{convert|6|mph|km/h}}{{cite web|title=2013 GEICO 400 weather information|url=http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/IL/Joliet/2013-09-15|publisher=The Old Farmers' Almanac|access-date=October 9, 2013}}
| Avg =
| Pole_Driver = Joey Logano
| Pole_Team = Penske Racing
| Pole_Time = 28.509 seconds
| Most_Driver = Matt Kenseth
| Most_Team = Joe Gibbs Racing
| Most_laps = 89
| Car = 20
| First_Driver = Matt Kenseth
| First_Team = Joe Gibbs Racing
| Network = ESPN
| Announcers = Allen Bestwick, Andy Petree and Dale Jarrett
| Ratings =
}}
The 2013 GEICO 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on September 15, 2013, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, United States. Contested over 267 laps on the {{convert|1.500|mi|km|adj=on}} tri-oval, it was the twenty-seventh in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season, as well as the first race in the ten-race Chase for the Sprint Cup, which ends the season.
Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his career best sixth of the season, teammate Kyle Busch finished second, Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.
Report
=Background=
Chicagoland Speedway is a four-turn tri-oval track that is {{convert|1.500|mi|km}} long.{{cite web|title=Chicagoland Speedway Track Facts|url=http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com/About/Track-Facts.aspx|publisher=Chicagoland Speedway|access-date=8 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130901024146/http://www.chicagolandspeedway.com/About/Track-Facts.aspx|archive-date=1 September 2013|url-status=dead}} The track's turns are each banked at 18 degrees and have a turn width of {{convert|55|ft}}. The racetrack has a grandstand capacity of 75,000 spectators, and has a {{convert|11,050|sqft|adj=on}} garage area. Brad Keselowski was the race's defending champion.{{cite web|title=2012 GEICO 400|url=http://www.racing-reference.info/race/2012_GEICO_400/W|publisher=Racing-reference.info|work=USA Today Sports Media Group|access-date=8 September 2013}}
Before the race, Matt Kenseth led the Drivers' Championship with 2,015 points, with Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch tied for second place with 2,012. Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards had a total of 2,006 points, while Joey Logano and Greg Biffle were sixth and seventh with 2,003. Clint Bowyer, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, and Jeff Gordon rounded out the Chase field with 2,000 points each. In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet was leading with 178 points, ten points ahead of Toyota. Ford, with 141 points, was in the third position.{{cite web|title=Manufacturers' Championship Classification|url=http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2013/story/_/page/2013-NASCAR-Sprint-Cup-Manufacturer-Standings|work=Jayski's Silly Season Site|publisher=ESPN|access-date=8 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416153525/http://www.jayski.com/news/stats/2013/story/_/page/2013-NASCAR-Sprint-Cup-Manufacturer-Standings|archive-date=16 April 2013|url-status=dead}}
= Entry list =
(R) - Denotes rookie driver.
(i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!{{Tooltip|No.|Car number}} !Driver !Team !Manufacturer !Sponsor |
| 1 |
| 2
|Ford |
| 5 |
| 7 |
| 9
|Ford |
| 10
|Danica Patrick (R) |
| 11 |
| 13
|Ford |
| 14 |
| 15 |
| 16
|Ford |
| 17
|Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) |Ford |
| 18 |
| 20 |
| 22
|Ford |
| 24 |
| 27 |
| 29 |
| 30
|Cole Whitt (i) |Swan Energy / Lean1 |
| 31 |
| 32
|Timmy Hill (R) |Ford |U.S. Chrome |
| 33
|Tony Raines (i) |
| 34
|Ford |
| 35
|Josh Wise (i) |Ford |MDS Transport |
| 36 |
| 38
|Ford |
| 39 |
| 40
|Landon Cassill (i) |
| 42 |
| 43
|Ford |
| 47 |
| 48 |
| 51
|Justin Allgaier (i) |BRANDT |
| 55
|Brian Vickers (i) |
| 56 |
| 78
|Furniture Row / Serta |
| 83 |
| 87
|Joe Nemechek (i) |[https://royalteakcollection.com RoyalTeakCollection.com] |
| 88 |
| 93 |
| 95
|Reed Sorenson (i) |Ford |
| 98
|Ford |
| 99
|Ford |
| colspan="5" |[https://web.archive.org/web/20130919092345/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2013/pdfs/27chi2013entry.pdf Official entry list] |
|---|
=Practice and qualifying=
Three practice sessions were held before the race. The first session, scheduled on September 13, 2013, was 90 minutes long. The second and third, held a day later on September 14, 2013, were 55 and 50 minutes long.{{cite web|url=http://www.jayski.com/news/races/2013/story/_/page/27-Chicago-2013-NASCAR-Race-Info#prac|title=GEICO 400 Practice/Qualifying Times|publisher=ESPN|work=Jayski's Silly Season Site|access-date=8 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130912051849/http://www.jayski.com/news/races/2013/story/_/page/27-Chicago-2013-NASCAR-Race-Info#prac|archive-date=12 September 2013|url-status=dead}} In the first practice session, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was the quickest with a best lap time of 28.774 seconds.{{cite web | url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2013/pdfs/27chi2013prac1.pdf | title=GEICO 400 1st Practice Speeds | work=Jayski's Silly Season Site | publisher=NASCAR Statistics | access-date=September 14, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008061748/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2013/pdfs/27chi2013prac1.pdf | archive-date=October 8, 2013 | url-status=dead }} Kurt Busch followed in second, ahead of Edwards and Johnson in third and fourth. Juan Pablo Montoya was scored fifth quickest with a best lap time of 28.853, seven-tenths slower than Stenhouse. Logano, Biffle, Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, and Bowyer completed the top-ten.
After the first practice session, NASCAR discussed the second half of what became known as Spingate, the race fixing scandal that took place during the last ten laps of the previous week's race in Richmond, which was still under investigation. NASCAR had uncovered radio chatter between two Roush Fenway Racing affiliated teams (Penske and Front Row). At 2:55 PM CT, NASCAR held a press conference to discuss the results and placed both Ford teams in question on probation for the rest of 2013. Furthermore, after discussions that took place because of the first part of the rule where which Michael Waltrip Racing ordered Brian Vickers to pit in order to help Martin Truex Jr. get into the Chase, and later disqualifying the #56 of Truex from the Chase while reinstating the #39 of Ryan Newman, NASCAR had no choice but to add Jeff Gordon, who was the victim of both manipulations, to the Chase as the 13th team. Chairman Brian France has always had the power to expand the Chase field in exceptional circumstances, and decided to invoke this power in order to add Gordon to the Chase. According to France, "There were too many things that went on Saturday night that provided a clear disadvantage (to the #24 team)" for him not to take this action.{{cite web|url=http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/09/13/jeff-gordon-chase-drivers-13-drivers-joey-logano-richmond.html|title=Gordon Added to Chase as 13th Driver|publisher=NASCAR|work=NASCAR.com|access-date=13 September 2013|archive-date=8 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208110027/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/news-media/articles/2013/09/13/jeff-gordon-chase-drivers-13-drivers-joey-logano-richmond.html|url-status=dead}} Ironically, Joey Logano, one of the drivers involved in the controversy, set a new track qualifying record, qualifying on pole with a time of 28.509 seconds, and speed of 189.414 mph.
Results
=Qualifying=
=Race results=
| class="wikitable" border="1" |
| Pos
! Grid ! Car ! Driver ! Team ! Manufacturer ! {{Tooltip|Laps|Laps completed}} ! {{Tooltip|Led|Laps led}} ! Points{{ref|race1|1}} |
|---|
| 1
| 10 || 20 || Matt Kenseth || Joe Gibbs Racing || Toyota || 267 || 89 || 48 |
| 2
| 12 || 18 || Kyle Busch || Joe Gibbs Racing || Toyota || 267 || 67 || 43 |
| 3
| 17 || 29 || Kevin Harvick || Richard Childress Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 2 || 42 |
| 4
| 16 || 78 || Kurt Busch || Furniture Row Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 40 |
| 5
| 9 || 48 || Jimmie Johnson || Hendrick Motorsports || Chevrolet || 267 || 40 || 40 |
| 6
| 6 || 24 || Jeff Gordon || Hendrick Motorsports || Chevrolet || 267 || 22 || 39 |
| 7
| 2 || 2 || Brad Keselowski || Penske Racing || Ford || 267 || 2 || 38 |
| 8
| 5 || 17 || Ricky Stenhouse Jr. || Roush-Fenway Racing || Ford || 267 || 0 || 36 |
| 9
| 24 || 15 || Clint Bowyer || Michael Waltrip Racing || Toyota || 267 || 0 || 35 |
| 10
| 20 || 39 || Ryan Newman || Stewart-Haas Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 1 || 35 |
| 11
| 8 || 99 || Carl Edwards || Roush Fenway Racing || Ford || 267 || 1 || 34 |
| 12
| 4 || 5 || Kasey Kahne || Hendrick Motorsports || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 32 |
| 13
| 15 || 43 || Aric Almirola || Richard Petty Motorsports || Ford || 267 || 1 || 32 |
| 14
| 21 || 31 || Jeff Burton || Richard Childress Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 30 |
| 15
| 26 || 9 || Marcos Ambrose || Richard Petty Motorsports || Ford || 267 || 0 || 29 |
| 16
| 7 || 16 || Greg Biffle || Roush-Fenway Racing || Ford || 267 || 2 || 29 |
| 17
| 29 || 14 || Mark Martin || Stewart-Haas Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 27 |
| 18
| 14 || 56 || Martin Truex Jr. || Michael Waltrip Racing || Toyota || 267 || 0 || 26 |
| 19
| 27 || 1 || Jamie McMurray || Earnhardt Ganassi Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 2 || 26 |
| 20
| 23 || 10 || Danica Patrick || Stewart-Haas Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 24 |
| 21
| 13 || 47 || A. J. Allmendinger || JTG Daugherty Racing || Toyota || 267 || 0 || 23 |
| 22
| 11 || 27 || Paul Menard || Richard Childress Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 22 |
| 23
| 41 || 7 || Dave Blaney || Tommy Baldwin Racing || Chevrolet || 267 || 0 || 21 |
| 24
| 37 || 93 || Travis Kvapil || BK Racing || Toyota || 266 || 0 || 20 |
| 25
| 30 || 36 || J. J. Yeley || Tommy Baldwin Racing || Chevrolet || 266 || 2 || 20 |
| 26
| 19 || 34 || David Ragan || Front Row Motorsports || Ford || 266 || 1 || 19 |
| 27
| 36 || 51 || Justin Allgaier || Phoenix Racing || Chevrolet || 266 || 0 || 0 |
| 28
| 35 || 38 || David Gilliland || Front Row Motorsports || Ford || 266 || 0 || 16 |
| 29
| 32 || 40 || Landon Cassill || Circle Sport || Chevrolet || 266 || 1 || 0 |
| 30
| 31 || 13 || Casey Mears || Germain Racing || Ford || 266 || 0 || 14 |
| 31
| 42 || 87 || Joe Nemechek || NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing || Toyota || 266 || 0 || 0 |
| 32
| 3 || 42 || Juan Pablo Montoya || Earnhardt Ganassi Racing || Chevrolet || 261 || 0 || 12 |
| 33
| 22 || 11 || Denny Hamlin || Joe Gibbs Racing || Toyota || 247 || 0 || 11 |
| 34
| 39 || 32 || Timmy Hill || FAS Lane Racing || Ford || 225 || 0 || 10 |
| 35
| 18 || 88 || Dale Earnhardt Jr. || Hendrick Motorsports || Chevrolet || 224 || 2 || 10 |
| 36
| 33 || 83 || David Reutimann || BK Racing || Toyota || 195 || 0 || 8 |
| 37
| 1 || 22 || Joey Logano || Penske Racing || Ford || 175 || 32 || 8 |
| 38
| 25 || 55 || Brian Vickers || Michael Waltrip Racing || Toyota || 161 || 0 || 0 |
| 39
| 28 || 30 || Cole Whitt || Swan Racing || Toyota || 151 || 0 || 0 |
| 40
| 43 || 33 || Tony Raines || Circle Sport || Chevrolet || 87 || 0 || 0 |
| 41
| 34 || 35 || Josh Wise || Front Row Motorsports || Ford || 84 || 0 || 0 |
| 42
| 40 || 95 || Reed Sorenson || Leavine Family Racing || Ford || 68 || 0 || 0 |
| 43
| 38 || 98 || Michael McDowell || Phil Parsons Racing || Ford || 29 || 0 || 1 |
| class="sortbottom" |
;Notes:
{{note|race1|1}} Points include 3 Chase for the Sprint Cup points for winning, 1 point for leading a lap, and 1 point for most laps led.
Standings after the race
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
;Drivers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable " style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Driver ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| 1 | style="text-align:center;"|2063 |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 2 | style="text-align:center;"|2055 (-8) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 3 | style="text-align:center;"|2052 (-11) |
| align="left"| 10px
| 4 | style="text-align:center;"|2048 (-15) |
| align="left"| 10px
| 5 | style="text-align:center;"|2040 (-23) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| 6 | style="text-align:center;"|2040 (-23) |
| align="left"| 10px 6
| 7 | style="text-align:center;"|2039 (-24) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| 8 | style="text-align:center;"|2035 (-28) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 9 | style="text-align:center;"|2035 (-28) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 10 | style="text-align:center;"|2032 (-31) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| 11 | style="text-align:center;"|2032 (-31) |
| align="left"| 10px 6
| 12 | style="text-align:center;"|2011 (-52) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| 13 | style="text-align:center;"|2010 (-53) |
{{col-2}}
;Manufacturers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Manufacturer ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| 1 | style="text-align:center;"|184 |
| align="left"| 10px
| 2 | Toyota | style="text-align:right;"|179 (-5) |
| align="left"| 10px
| 3 | Ford | style="text-align:right;"|143 (-41) |
- Note: Only the first thirteen positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race
| Series = Sprint Cup Series
| Season = 2013
| Previous_race = 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400
| Next_race =2013 Sylvania 300
}}
{{2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup |state=collapsed}}