2013 Kobalt Tools 400
{{more citations needed|date=May 2018}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NASCAR race report
| Type = NAS
| Race Name = Kobalt Tools 400
| Details ref = {{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/schedule/_/year/2013|title=Sprint Cup Series Schedule|location=ESPN|access-date=March 5, 2013}}
| Fulldate = {{Start date|2013|03|10}}
| Year = 2013
| Race_No = 3
| Season_No = 36
| Image = Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas logo.jpg
| Location = Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada
| Course_mi = 1.5
| Course_km = 2.4
| Distance_laps = 267
| Distance_mi = 400.5
| Distance_km = 644.542
| Weather = Temperatures reaching up to {{convert|68|F|C}}; wind speeds up to {{convert|12|mph|km/h}}{{cite web|url=http://www.almanac.com/weather/history/NV/Las%20Vegas/2013-03-10|title=2013 Las Vegas weather information|work=The Old Farmers' Almanac|access-date=2014-11-13}}
| Avg = {{convert|146.287|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}
| Pole_Driver = Brad Keselowski
| Pole_Team = Penske Racing
| Pole_Time = 2012 Owner's Points
| Most_Driver = Kasey Kahne
| Most_Team = Hendrick Motorsports
| Most_laps = 114
| Car = 20
| First_Driver = Matt Kenseth
| First_Team = Joe Gibbs Racing
| Network = Fox
| Announcers = Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds
}}
The 2013 Kobalt Tools 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on March 10, 2013, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Clark County, Nevada. Contested over 267 laps on the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) asphalt tri-oval, it was the third race of the 2013 Sprint Cup Series championship. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his first of the season. Kasey Kahne finished second while Brad Keselowski, Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.
The win was Kenseth's first win driving for Joe Gibbs Racing. He also became the third driver to win a Sprint Cup race on his birthday.
Report
=Background=
Las Vegas Motor Speedway is a four-turn, {{convert|1.5|mi}} D-shaped oval track that has sanctioned NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events since 1996.{{cite web | url=http://www.cbssports.com/nascar/tracks/page/lasvegas/las-vegas-motor-speedway | title=Las Vegas Motor Speedway | publisher=CBS Broadcasting Inc. | work=CBS Sports | date=March 6, 2013 | access-date=March 6, 2013}} After being reconfigured in 2007, the track has a 20° banking in each of the turns, while the rounded front stretch and the back straightaway has a 9° banking. The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is {{convert|2,275|ft}} long, {{convert|703|ft}} longer than the back straightaway. Las Vegas Motor Speedway also has a grandstand seating capacity of 138,000 people. The defending winner of the 267 lap, 400.5 mile (644.5 km) race was Tony Stewart, who won the race in 2012.{{cite web|title=2012 Kobalt Tools 400|url=http://racing-reference.info/race/2012_Kobalt_Tools_400/W|work=Racing-reference.info|publisher=USA Today Sports Media Group|access-date=March 6, 2013}}
Before the race, Jimmie Johnson was leading the Drivers' Championship with 90 points, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Brad Keselowski stood in second and third with 82 points each. Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer followed in fourth and fifth with 72 points each, and was six ahead of Greg Biffle in sixth. Mark Martin with 65 was five points ahead of Jeff Gordon, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Aric Almirola, as Carl Edwards with 59 points was seven ahead of Marcos Ambrose.{{cite web |url=http://nascar.speedtv.com/sprint-cup/standings/?sc_id=5364&cl_id=2 |title=Pre-race Drivers' Championship Standings |publisher=Fox Sports |work=SPEED |access-date=March 6, 2013 |archive-date=March 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130307003842/http://nascar.speedtv.com/sprint-cup/standings/?cl_id=2&sc_id=5364 |url-status=dead }} In the Manufacturers' Championship, Chevrolet and Ford were leading with fourteen points, four points ahead of their rival Toyota.{{Citation needed|date=March 2013}}
= Entry list =
(R) - Denotes rookie driver
(i) - Denotes driver who is ineligible for series points
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%"
!{{Tooltip|No.|Car number}} !Driver !Team !Manufacturer !Sponsor |
| 1
|McDonalds |
| 2
|Ford |Miller Lite |
| 5
|Farmer Insurance |
| 7
|SANY |
| 9
|Ford |Stanley Tools / DeWalt |
| 10
|Danica Patrick (R) |GoDaddy.com |
| 11
|FedEx Office |
| 13
|Ford |GEICO |
| 14
|Mobil 1 / Bass Pro Shops |
| 15
|5-hour Energy |
| 16
|Ford |American Red Cross / 3M |
| 17
|Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (R) |Ford |Zest |
| 18
|M&M's |
| 19
|Mike Bliss (i) |Stratosphere Hotel Casino & Tower |
| 20
|Dollar General |
| 21
|Trevor Bayne (i) |Ford |Motorcraft / Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center |
| 22
|Ford |Shell / Pennzoil |
| 24
|Drive to End Hunger / AARP |
| 27
|Menards / Schrock |
| 29
|Rheem |
| 30
|MGM Grand Hotel & Casino |
| 31
|Caterpillar |
| 32
|Ford |Caterpillar |
| 33
|Landon Cassill (i) |Moon Shine Attitude Attire |
| 34
|Ford |Riviera Hotel & Casino |
| 35
|Josh Wise (i) |Ford |MDS Transport |
| 36
|Accell Construction |
| 38
|Ford |Long John Silver's |
| 39
|Quicken Loans |
| 42
|Quicken Loans |
| 43
|Ford |Farmland |
| 47
|Kingsford / Bush's / Scott's |
| 48
|Lowe's / Kobalt Tools |
| 51
|Austin Dillon (i) |Tag Heuer Avant Garde |
| 55
|Aaron's Dream Machine |
| 56
|NAPA Auto Parts |
| 78
|Furniture Row / Serta |
| 83
|Burger King / Dr. Pepper |
| 87
|Maddie's Place |
| 88
|AMP Energy Orange |
| 93
|Burger King / Dr. Pepper |
| 95
|Ford |Surrender the Sponsor |
| 98
|Ford |Ambient Edge HVAC |
| 99
|Ford |Aflac |
=Practice and qualifying=
As a result of Friday afternoon rain, qualifying was canceled for the first time in track history. With the field being set by the previous year's points standings, Brad Keselowski was awarded the pole position. Mike Bliss was the only driver not to qualify.{{cite web|url=http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/03/08/3274989/las-vegas-qualifying-rained-out.html|title=Las Vegas qualifying rained out, Keselowski on pole|date=March 8, 2013|work=The Miami Herald|access-date=2013-03-10|location=Miami, FL}}
=Race=
{{expand section|date=May 2018}}
The Race was held on March 10, 2013.
Results
=Qualifying=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |
| Grid
! {{Tooltip|No.|Car number}} ! Driver ! Team ! Manufacturer ! {{Tooltip|Time|Time in seconds}} ! {{Tooltip|Speed|Speed in MPH}} |
|---|
| 1
| 2 | Ford |rowspan="43" colspan="2" {{n/a}} |
| 2
| 15 | Toyota |
| 3
| 48 |
| 4
| 5 |
| 5
| 16 | Ford |
| 6
| 11 | Toyota |
| 7
| 17 | Ford |
| 8
| 29 |
| 9
| 14 |
| 10
| 24 |
| 11
| 56 | Toyota |
| 12
| 88 |
| 13
| 18 | Toyota |
| 14
| 39 |
| 15
| 55 | Toyota |
| 16
| 99 | Ford |
| 17
| 27 |
| 18
| 20 | Toyota |
| 19
| 9 | Ford |
| 20
| 31 |
| 21
| 22 | Ford |
| 22
| 43 | Ford |
| 23
| 1 |
| 24
| 78 |
| 25
| 42 |
| 26
| 47 | Toyota |
| 27
| 51 |
| 28
| 93 | Toyota |
| 29
| 34 | Ford |
| 30
| 13 | Ford |
| 31
| 38 | Ford |
| 32
| 83 | Toyota |
| 33
| 7 |
| 34
| 32 | Ford |
| 35
| 36 |
| 36
| 21 | Ford |
| 37
| 10 | Danica Patrick # |
| 38
| 30 | Toyota |
| 39
| 98 | Ford |
| 40
| 95 | Ford |
| 41
| 33 |
| 42
| 87 | Toyota |
| 43
| 35 | Ford |
| colspan="7" style="text-align:center;" | Failed to Qualify |
| 44
| 19 | Toyota | colspan="2" {{n/a}} |
| colspan="7"|{{center|{{small|# – Rookie of the Year candidate Source:{{cite web|url=http://www.jayski.com/stats/2013/pdfs/03lvms2013lineup.pdf|title=Starting Line Up by Row – Las Vegas Motor Speedway – 16th Annual Kobalt Tools 400|date=March 8, 2013|work=NASCAR via Jayski.com|publisher=ESPN|access-date=2013-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130319121824/http://www.jayski.com/stats/2013/pdfs/03lvms2013lineup.pdf|archive-date=March 19, 2013|url-status=dead}}}}}} |
=Race results=
File:Matt Kenseth 2013 (8721132301) (cropped).jpg won the race, his first with Joe Gibbs Racing.]]
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;"| 129 |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 2 | style="text-align:center;"| 124 (−5) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 3 | style="text-align:center;"| 119 (−10) |
| align="left"| 10px
| 4 | style="text-align:center;"| 102 (−27) |
| align="left"| 10px 6
| 5 | style="text-align:center;"| 98 (−31) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 6 | style="text-align:center;"| 95 (−34) |
| align="left"| 10px 11
| 7 | style="text-align:center;"| 93 (−36) |
| align="left"| 10px 2
| 8 | style="text-align:center;"| 93 (−36) |
| align="left"| 10px 4
| 9 | style="text-align:center;"| 89 (−40) |
| align="left"| 10px
| 10 | style="text-align:center;"| 88 (−41) |
| align="left"| 10px 2
| 11 | style="text-align:center;"| 87 (−42) |
| align="left"| 10px 5
| 12 | style="text-align:center;"| 82 (−47) |
{{col-2}}
;Manufacturers' Championship standings
| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;" |
| ! Pos
! Manufacturer ! Points |
|---|
| align="left"| 10px
| 1 | style="text-align:center;"| 20 |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 2 | Toyota | style="text-align:right;"| 19 (−1) |
| align="left"| 10px 1
| 3 | Ford | style="text-align:right;"| 18 (−2) |
- Note: Only the first twelve positions are included for the driver standings.
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{NASCAR next race
| Series = Sprint Cup Series
| Season = 2013
| Previous_race = 2013 Subway Fresh Fit 500
| Next_race = 2013 Food City 500
}}
{{2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup |state=collapsed}}