| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 33 in the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season | |||
 | |||
| Date | February 23, 2013 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway, Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.02336 km) | ||
| Distance | 120 laps, 300 mi (400 km) | ||
| Weather | Temperatures reading up to 88 °F (31 °C); wind speeds up to 19 miles per hour (31 km/h)[1] | ||
| Average speed | 139.951 mph (225.229 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Roush Fenway Racing | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | |
| Laps | 23 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 33 | Tony Stewart | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree | ||
| Nielsen Ratings |
2.2 (3.4 million viewers)[2] | ||
The 2013 DRIVE4COPD 300 was a NASCAR Nationwide Series race held on February 23, 2013 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It was the first race of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series season. The race was the 32nd running of the event, and the pole position given to Roush Fenway Racing's Trevor Bayne with a lap speed of 177.162 mph (285.115 km/h),[3] while Tony Stewart of Richard Childress Racing won the race. Sam Hornish Jr. finished second and Alex Bowman finished third.
Background
Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race in NASCAR as well as its season opening event. In addition to NASCAR, the track also hosts races for ARCA, AMA Superbike, IMSA, SCCA, and Motocross. The track features multiple layouts including the primary 2.500 mi (4.023 km) high-speed tri-oval, a 3.560 mi (5.729 km) sports car course, a 2.950 mi (4.748 km) motorcycle course, and a 1,320 ft (402.3 m) karting and motorcycle flat-track. The track's 180-acre (72.8 ha) infield includes the 29-acre (11.7 ha) Lake Lloyd, which has hosted powerboat racing. The speedway is operated by NASCAR pursuant to a lease with the City of Daytona Beach on the property that runs until 2054.[4] Dale Earnhardt is Daytona International Speedway's all-time winningest driver, with a total of 34 career victories (12- Daytona 500 Qualifying Races) (7- NASCAR Xfinity Series Races) (6- Busch Clash Races) (6- IROC Races) (2- Pepsi 400 July Races) (1- The 1998 Daytona 500).
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points
Qualifying
Trevor Bayne won the pole for the race with a time of 50.801 and a speed of 177.162.[5]
| Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.801 | 177.162 |
| 2 | 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. | Penske Racing | Ford | 50.885 | 176.869 |
| 3 | 77 | Parker Kligerman | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 50.905 | 176.800 |
| 4 | 60 | Travis Pastrana | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 50.952 | 176.637 |
| 5 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.020 | 176.401 |
| 6 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.030 | 176.367 |
| 7 | 54 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.030 | 176.367 |
| 8 | 99 | Alex Bowman (R) | RAB Racing | Toyota | 51.038 | 176.339 |
| 9 | 18 | Matt Kenseth (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.042 | 176.325 |
| 10 | 33 | Tony Stewart (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.043 | 176.322 |
| 11 | 22 | Brad Keselowski (i) | Penske Racing | Ford | 51.043 | 176.322 |
| 12 | 34 | Danica Patrick (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.067 | 176.239 |
| 13 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr. (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.071 | 176.225 |
| 14 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.078 | 176.201 |
| 15 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.086 | 176.174 |
| 16 | 10 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 51.161 | 175.915 |
| 17 | 30 | Nelson Piquet Jr. (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.167 | 175.895 |
| 18 | 55 | Jamie Dick | Viva Motorsports with Frank Cicci | Chevrolet | 51.195 | 175.798 |
| 19 | 5 | Kasey Kahne (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.202 | 175.774 |
| 20 | 20 | Brian Vickers | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 51.217 | 175.723 |
| 21 | 32 | Kyle Larson (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.222 | 175.706 |
| 22 | 43 | Michael Annett | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 51.266 | 175.555 |
| 23 | 01 | Mike Wallace | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.305 | 175.421 |
| 24 | 8 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | Team SLR | Chevrolet | 51.358 | 175.240 |
| 25 | 70 | Johanna Long | ML Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.363 | 175.223 |
| 26 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 51.400 | 175.097 |
| 27 | 74 | Mike Harmon** | Harmon-Novak Racing | Dodge | 51.433 | 174.985 |
| 28 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 51.435 | 174.978 |
| 29 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 51.450 | 174.927 |
| 30 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. (i)** | R3 Motorsports | Chevrolet | 51.630 | 174.317 |
| 31 | 79 | Jeffrey Earnhardt (R) | Go Green Racing | Ford | 51.632 | 174.311 |
| 32 | 44 | Hal Martin (R) | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 51.713 | 174.037 |
| 33 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO-Jay Robinson Racing | Toyota | 51.719 | 174.017 |
| 34 | 24 | Blake Koch** | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | 51.911 | 173.374 |
| 35 | 00 | Jason White | SR² Motorsports | Toyota | 51.929 | 173.314 |
| 36 | 15 | Juan Carlos Blum (R) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 52.205 | 172.397 |
| 37 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 52.283 | 172.140 |
| 38 | 4 | Danny Efland | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 52.323 | 172.008 |
| 39 | 40 | Reed Sorenson* | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 52.787 | 170.497 |
| 40 | 1 | Kurt Busch (i) | Phoenix Racing | Chevrolet | 51.435 | 174.978 |
| Failed to qualify, withdrew, or driver changes | ||||||
| 41 | 85 | Bobby Gerhart | Gerhart Racing | Chevrolet | 51.831 | 173.641 |
| 42 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Shepherd Racing Ventures | Dodge | 51.912 | 173.370 |
| 43 | 92 | Dexter Stacey (R) | KH Motorsports | Ford | 52.413 | 171.713 |
| 44 | 52 | Joey Gase | Hamilton Means Racing | Toyota | 52.963 | 169.930 |
| WD | 41 | Donnie Neuenberger | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | — | — |
| Official Starting grid | ||||||
* – Made the field via owners points
* – Mike Harmon, Robert Richardson Jr., and Blake Koch all had to start at the rear of the field. Richardson and Harmon missed the drivers meeting and Koch had adjustments outside impound.
Race
The race was marred by two crashes. On lap 116, 13 cars were involved in the first one. It started when Austin Dillon tried to turn down infront of Michael Annett but misjudged it and got turned by Annett in turn 1. Dillon turned down into Elliott Sadler and he and Annett went back up the track taking out more cars with them. Annett pounded the outside wall head on which led to Annett suffering a bruised sternum,[6] which kept him out of the next eight races of the season.[7] During the wreck, Dillon was riding the outside wall and took a couple of driver side hits in the process from Kasey Kahne and Jeffery Earnhardt. The wreck collected Elliott Sadler, Austin Dillon, Danny Efland, Kasey Kahne, Michael Annett, Hal Martin, Mike Bliss, Johanna Long, Jamie Dick, Jason White, Jeffery Earnhardt, Joe Nemechek, and Matt Kenseth, who spun late to avoid the crash. Dick, Long, and Martin were also treated and were released. This crash brought out a 20-minute red flag.[8] The second crash occurred on the final lap. This one started when Regan Smith got turned while trying to block Brad Keselowski. Kyle Larson, who was collected in the crash, got the worst of it, as his car went airborne into the catchfence, ripping out everything from its firewall forward, except for the hood, most of which flew into the grandstand (including its engine and both wheels), as did some debris into the second level.[9] Ultimately, 28 fans were injured, with two of them in critical condition.[10] In the midst of the chaos, Tony Stewart escaped the wreck,[11] and won the race, tying Dale Earnhardt for the most Nationwide Series wins at the track with seven.[10] Alex Bowman; Dale Earnhardt Jr.; and Parker Kligerman closed out the Top 5 while Brian Scott, Justin Allgaier, Eric McClure; Robert Richardson Jr.; and Travis Pastrana rounded out the Top 10.[12]
Much of the tragedy was due to the car hitting a crossover gate in the catch fence, where the fence is not as strong. In the aftermath of the incident, Daytona and Talladega Superspeedway added cables and tethers to the crossover gates, with Daytona's being installed in time for the Sprint Cup Series' Coke Zero 400 in July.[13] The crash also resulted in a rule prohibiting teams from making consistent contact during drafting in turns ("locking bumpers") in turns at superspeedway circuits.[14]
The picture of Larson's car getting shredded by the catch fence remains as one of the most well-known and reproduced images in the sport's history.
Results
Standings after the race
| Pos | Driver | Points[12] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Hornish Jr. | 42 |
| 2 | Alex Bowman | 41 |
| 3 | Parker Kligerman | 40 |
| 4 | Brian Scott | 39 |
| 5 | Justin Allgaier | 38 |
| 6 | Eric McClure | 37 |
| 7 | Travis Pastrana | 34 |
| 8 | Nelson Piquet Jr. | 33 |
| 9 | Kyle Larson | 32 |
| 10 | Regan Smith | 32 |
References
- ↑ "Weather Information for the 2013 DRIVE4COPD 300". The Old Farmer's Almanac.
- ↑ "TV Ratings: Big Declines For Daytona Nationwide Race (Also: NBA on ESPN, NBA TV)". SportsMediaWatch. February 26, 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-11.
- ↑ "DRIVE4COPD 300". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on 2013-07-01. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ Lane, Mark (5 August 2018). "Little-known special district leases land under the Daytona International Speedway". Times Herald-Record. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved 11 June 2020.
- ↑ "NNS Pole Report: Trevor Bayne wins pole for DRIVE4COPD 300". Retrieved February 22, 2013.
- ↑ Gluck, Jeff (2013-02-26). "Michael Annett out indefinitely with broken sternum". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ "Michael Annett to return from injury at Charlotte". Sporting News. 2013-05-20. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ "Michael Annett released from hospital after 11-car crash". USA Today. 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ Botelho, Greg (2013-02-23). "Injuries as debris flies into Daytona stands during fiery NASCAR crash". CNN. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- 1 2 Ryan, Nate; Gluck, Jeff; Tucker, Heather; Olson, Jeff (2013-02-23). "Fans' conditions upgraded after scary crash at Daytona". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ Coleman, Anthony (2013-02-23). "Crash leaves several hurt at Drive for COPD 300 Nationwide Series race". New Jersey On-Line. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- 1 2 "2013 DRIVE4COPD 300". Racing-Reference. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ Gluck, Jeff (2013-09-08). "Daytona, Talladega reinforce gates following crash". USA Today. Retrieved 2013-09-08.
- ↑ Bruce, Kenny (January 11, 2014). "NASCAR to Penalize Tandem Drafting". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
- ↑ "DRIVE4COPD 300 - 2013 Results". NASCAR. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
External links
- NASCAR settles with fan injured in race at Daytona International Speedway (The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Feb 7, 2017)
- USAF Thunderbirds, Daytona 2013 - More Than a Flyover (YouTube, posted May 3, 2013)
- Thunderbird 9, Maj. Michael Carletti (YouTube, NASCAR Feature for ESPN, posted July 4, 2013)