What a season it was for NASCAR in 2013. There were trips outside the United States, a return to dirt, first time winners, shootout finishes, tremendous crashes, brawls and fights, words expressed in the garage and in the pits, a six time champion crowned, a first time champion crowned, a second time champion in NASCAR crowned, and much, much more. Throughout the season, NASCAR made national news with controversies, injuries, and wins that made history including Darrell Wallace Jr. becoming the first African American to win in NASCAR since Wendell Scott in 1963. I have been sitting at my desk the past few weeks pondering some things to include in this recap. They include best and worst paint schemes in all three series, best race of the season in all three series, best finish of the season in all three series, funniest interview of the season, best fight of the season in all three series, most memorable moment of the season in all three series, most valuable drivers in all three series, rookie of the year in all three series, and worst wreck of the year in all three series. Plus, I give some honorable mentions to make sure nothing is left out. Before we get into the awards and my picks for the season, let me give a detailed recap of all three series in 2013. Season Recaps: -NASCAR Sprint Cup Series:
The 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series kicked off in the usual spot in Daytona Beach, Florida. Danica Patrick trended like crazy in the news as she became the first woman to take the pole in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Even more historic, the pole was for the Daytona 500. She ran well all day as well as her competitors did, but Jimmie Johnson was too much and he stood on top in victory lane for the second time in the Daytona 500. The series went to Phoenix the next week and Mark Martin, who possibly ran his last race at Homestead at the end of the year, took the pole position. He ran good in the race, but Carl Edwards stood on top in victory lane. Jimmie Johnson held the points lead after only two events in the season. The series continued the western swing in Las Vegas. Brad Keselowski, the defending Sprint Cup champion, went out and took the pole. He stayed up front for the entire event, but the bigger story was the battle between Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth. Kahne began to run down Kenseth in the closing laps and he fought hard to pass him. Kenseth held him off and took his first victory of the season with his brand new team. Jimmie Johnson still held the points lead as the series returned to the east and Bristol Motor Speedway. Kyle Busch started on the pole and led a good portion of the race, but Kasey Kahne stood tall in victory lane after a few different leaders had problems. The story after the race was the start of a feud between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano. Hamlin wrecked Logano in the race and a confrontation after the race followed. There wasn't a fight, but the next race was set up for some great action between the two. That race was the annual trip to the Auto Club Speedway. Denny Hamlin started on the pole and was a contender for most of the event as the race entered the final stages. Hamlin was battling with the aforementioned Logano with one lap to go. Both broke loose in turn 4 heading to the checkered flag and went around. Kyle Busch sneaked by and took the win, but the headlines were all behind him. Logano saved his car and made it to the line, but Hamlin slid down track and slammed the inside wall hard. Hamlin broke part of his back and was sidelined for a few weeks after the event. Logano would not get away easy. Tony Stewart and the Penske driver began fighting in the pits after the race. A lot of tempers were thrown, but neither driver ended up in trouble. This race ended the crazy first five races of the season, but a whole lot of races were left to go and even more action would occur. The next few races flew by in a flash. After a one week vacation, Jimmie Johnson started on the pole at Martinsville and cruised to the win in dominating fashion. Kyle Busch headed out to Texas the next week and dominated the race and took the win after starting on the pole, but he did have to fight off some competition from Martin Truex Jr. for the win. The series headed to Kansas the next week and Matt Kenseth started on the pole and dominated the race en route to his second win of the season. Kasey Kahne gave Kenseth a run for his money late, but it just wasn't enough. The series headed to Richmond for the second night race of the season and Matt Kenseth took the pole while Kevin Harvick took the win after late race strategy put some drivers with two tires at the front. Then, the action really picked up at Talladega only one week later. Carl Edwards started on the pole and cautions filled the event along with a rain delay in the middle, but the story was the finish of the race. David Ragan and David Gilliland, two of the sport's underdog drivers with Front Row Motorsports, began drafting with only a few laps to go and Ragan made it to the lead. The two held onto first and second and David Ragan took an unprecedented win for his team with all the major teams unable to catch them. It was one of the most memorable moments of the season and one of the most memorable moments in the past few years. The series returned to action the next week at the Darlington Raceway. Kurt Busch started on the pole, but his brother, Kyle, looked in position to win the race. It was not to be as he began to fall back late and teammate, Matt Kenseth, took his third win of the season. The series took a week off to run the exhibition All-Star Race at Charlotte in which Jimmie Johnson dominated in taking the win. The series stayed at the Charlotte Motor Speedway for the annual Coca-Cola 600. Denny Hamlin started on the pole, but it was all Kasey Kahne's race in a crash fest at Charlotte until the very end. Strategy left Kahne on track and Kevin Harvick next to him with fresh tires. Kahne was no match for Harvick as Harvick took his second win of the season. The series then went to Dover for a race at Jimmie Johnson's playground. Denny Hamlin started on the pole, but it didn't take long for Johnson to get to the front. On the final restart, Johnson jumped the restart and he was black flagged by NASCAR. Juan Pablo Montoya was handed the lead, but he couldn't hang on as Tony Stewart sneaked to his first win of the season. The series went to Pocono next and Jimmie Johnson started from the pole as he dominated the race to take his third win of the season. This brought the season close to halfway and Jimmie Johnson dominated the points as he had done for most of the season thus far, but time was still left for change in the order. The next week, the series headed to the Michigan International Speedway. Carl Edwards started on the pole, but it was all Hendrick Motorsports in the race. Unfortunately for the team, all four of their drivers had problems in the race and Greg Biffle was able to walk away with the win. The series then headed out west for the first road course race of the season at Sonoma. Jamie McMurray took the pole, but Martin Truex Jr. dominated in taking his first win in the series since 2007. The series then headed to Kentucky for a Saturday night showdown. The race was forced to be delayed to Sunday after the rains came throughout the weekend. The race began on Sunday afternoon with Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the pole. Earnhardt's teammate, Jimmie Johnson, was dominating, but late in the race, he lost his lead. This put Matt Kenseth out front and he cruised to his fourth win of the season. Then, the series hit the halfway point with a Saturday night Daytona race. Kyle Busch started on the pole and Jimmie Johnson dominated the race, but he wrecked his teammate, Kasey Kahne, late and had to fight through a final restart. He did and took his fourth win of the season in dominating fashion. The series then headed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the first trip to the Magic Mile of the season. Brad Keselowski started on the pole and a few different drivers led the race, but Brian Vickers played the strategy right in the end and took his first win in NASCAR's highest series since 2009. Jimmie Johnson still remained the points leader, but only seven races remained until the start of the Chase and the bigger fight was for the final twelve spots. The series took a week off before heading to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the annual Brickyard 400. Ryan Newman barely beat Jimmie Johnson for the pole and the two fought all day long for the win. In the end, Newman took the win after taking two tires on a set of green flag pit stops at the end of the event. This win put him in conversation for the Chase only six races away. The series then made the annual second trip to Pocono. Jimmie Johnson started on the pole once again and was dominating when he lost a tire and slammed the wall. This put Kasey Kahne up front with others battling around him. On the next to last restart, Jeff Gordon took the lead, but the caution waved a final time and Kahne would have another chance. On the final restart, Kahne drove it hard on the outside of Jeff Gordon into turn 1 and cruised to his second victory of the season. This pretty much locked him in for the Chase with only five events left. The series then headed to Watkins Glen for the second and final road course event of the season. Marcos Ambrose started on the pole and dominated, but he had pit troubles late and wrecked due to being in traffic. This put Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch in the battle to the finish for the win. Busch came out on top this year and took his third win of the season. The series then headed to Michigan International Speedway for the second event at the track of the season. Joey Logano started on the pole and led the most laps en route to his first win of the season. This win put Logano in the Chase conversation as well. The series then headed to Bristol Motor Speedway for a crazy Saturday night shootout. Denny Hamlin started on the pole, but it was all Matt Kenseth's race until the end. In the last few laps, Kenseth had to fight off a hard charging Kasey Kahne to take his fifth win of the season. The series then headed to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the annual Labor Day event. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. started on the pole and a mix of drivers led the race before Kyle Busch walked away with his fourth win of the season. The series then headed to the Richmond International Raceway for the final regular season event of the year. Jeff Gordon started on the pole and looked to be a contender in the race to make the Chase, but he never had the best car. In the final few laps, Ryan Newman took the lead and would make the Chase with a win. Subsequently, Clint Bowyer spun out and the final pit stops shuffled the order. Carl Edwards eventually took the win, but the battle was for the Chase spots. Martin Truex Jr. had enough points to make the Chase ahead of Ryan Newman. Joey Logano, who struggled all night, barely snuck into the Chase over Jeff Gordon. Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed the Chase field heading into the final ten races of the season. Shortly before the first Chase race at Chicagoland, the Chase field would be shaken up. Michael Waltrip Racing was found to have manipulated the outcome of the race at Richmond and each team was fined points and dollars. This bumped Martin Truex Jr. out of the Chase and put Ryan Newman in based on his win at Indianapolis. NASCAR did not stop until adding a monumental thirteen driver to the Chase: Jeff Gordon. Penske Racing had also used help from Front Row Motorsports to get Joey Logano in the Chase and, subsequently, Jeff Gordon jumped into the Chase. After all this controversy and adding to the Chase, the first race of the Chase at Chicago began. Joey Logano started on the pole and the drivers ran about a hundred laps on Sunday afternoon before the rains came. The race was not official and NASCAR decided to finish the event on Sunday night. Matt Kenseth dominated most of the event and took his sixth win of the season after the race restarted. The series then headed to New Hampshire for the second event of the season at the track. Ryan Newman started on the pole, but Matt Kenseth stole the show. He dominated the race in his five hundredth start in NASCAR's highest series and took his second win in a row and seventh of the season. The wins to start the Chase put Kenseth in good position for a title, but the series then headed to Dover, which is Jimmie Johnson's playground. Dale Earnhardt Jr. started on the pole, but Jimmie Johnson quickly took the lead and dominated the race en route to his eighth win at the historic Monster Mile and his fifth win of the season. The series then went to Kansas for the fourth race of the Chase. Kevin Harvick started on the pole and won his third race of the season in dominating fashion in an odd caution fest. The series then headed to Charlotte for another Saturday night shootout at the track. Jeff Gordon started on the pole, but the race was dominated by his Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Kasey Kahne. Kahne looked in position late for a win, but strategy affected the race and Brad Keselowski, the defending champion, sailed to his first win in a struggle of a season. Matt Kenseth still stood on top in the standings halfway through the Chase, but Jimmie Johnson was lurking four points away. The series then headed to the always action packed Talladega Superspeedway. The points were sure to shake up in this wild card race. Aric Almirola started on the pole, but it would be anybody's race. Jamie McMurray took the lead in the final ten laps and an Austin Dillon wreck on the final lap gave him the upset victory. Because of the race, Jimmie Johnson moved ahead of Matt Kenseth in the points. The series then headed to Jimmie Johnson's other playground: Martinsville Speedway. Denny Hamlin started on the pole, but the race was a battle between Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson the entire race. Kenseth held the lead late, but Jeff Gordon took it and eventually took his first win of the season. Matt Kenseth, who usually struggles at Martinsville, finished ahead of Jimmie Johnson and tied the points up heading to Texas. Carl Edwards went in and took the pole at Texas, but it was all Jimmie Johnson as Johnson took his sixth win of the season. Kenseth didn't finish too much farther behind, but he lost a good many points to Johnson. The series then headed to Phoenix for the penultimate round of the season. Jimmie Johnson started on the pole and looked to gain points on Kenseth, but it was a struggle at first. Eventually, the laps clicked down with a lot of different drivers having led. Carl Edwards was leading with two to go, but he ran out of gas and handed Kevin Harvick his fourth win of the year. Matt Kenseth lost a lot of points and Jimmie Johnson looked in control of the title, but it still wasn't over. The series headed to Homestead for the final event of the 2013 season with Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and Kevin Harvick in contention for the title. Matt Kenseth started on the pole and looked to gain points on Jimmie Johnson to take the title. Kenseth led a good portion of the race with Johnson and Harvick behind him, but Denny Hamlin took his first win of the season in a very tumultuous season for the driver. Kenseth's lap leading was not enough as Jimmie Johnson crossed the line ninth to take his sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship. This championship pulled Johnson within one of tying the great Richard Petty and the late and great Dale Earnhardt. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season was filled with tempers flaring, crazy wrecks, amazing finishes, and a six time champion in Jimmie Johnson. -NASCAR Nationwide Series:
The NASCAR Nationwide Series season began at the usual spot in Daytona Beach, Florida with a few changes. Two time defending Nationwide champion, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., left the series to move up to the Cup Series and a few drivers were returning or coming to NASCAR's second highest series. Trevor Bayne began his replacement of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. by taking the opening pole for the season, but it would definitely be a battle for the win. The lead changed hands a lot of times during the race and Regan Smith was leading with a push from Brad Keselowski coming to the checkered flag. Keselowski turned Smith and he sailed into the outside wall. Cars behind them piled in and Kyle Larson, a rookie in the series, lifted off the ground. He slammed into the catch fence and about thirty fans were injured from the debris flying around. Tony Stewart was one of the few drivers to cross the finish line and he took the victory, but it was definitely overshadowed by the crash. After the fireworks that were the February Daytona race, the series headed to Phoenix the next week looking for some calm. Kyle Busch started on the pole, led the most laps, and ran away with his first victory of the season in a pretty calm race. The series then headed to Las Vegas for a Saturday afternoon shootout. Brian Vickers started on the pole and led some laps along with teammate, Kyle Busch, but Sam Hornish Jr. eventually walked away with his first win of the young season in dominating fashion. The series then headed to Thunder Valley in Bristol, Tennessee for a short track battle. Justin Allgaier started on the pole and led a good many laps, but Kyle Busch dominated for most of the event. In the late laps, it became a battle between Busch and the other Kyle: Kyle Larson. Coming to the checkered flag, Larson drove to the outside of Busch exiting turn four and the two drag raced to the finish line where Busch took his second win of the season by a very narrow margin. It was a close chance for Kyle Larson to take his first win, but it just didn't happen. The series then headed out to California for another west coast race. Kyle Busch started on the pole once again, dominated once again, and took his third victory of the very young season. After five out of thirty three races, Sam Hornish Jr. was leading the points over all the other contenders, but it was still very early in the season. The series then headed to Texas Motor Speedway after a two week break for a Friday night shootout. Alex Bowman grabbed his first career pole, but Kyle Busch dominated and took his fourth win of the season. The series then headed to Richmond for a little short track action after another week long vacation. Brad Keselowski started on the pole, but it was pretty much any driver's race. In the end, though, Keselowski walked away with the victory, but the pit road altercation after the race was the memorable moment of the night. Nelson Piquet Jr. and Brian Scott had wrecked late in the race and neither driver was none to happy. The two bumped and banged on the cool down lap and that led to Piquet turning Scott heading to pit road. As the exited their cars, the two began to push and shove each other along with their teams. The altercation was broke up and a rivalry began, but the no other actions occurred from NASCAR. After the Friday night fireworks, the series headed to Talladega for some Saturday afternoon fireworks. The fireworks did not start at the scheduled time due to a rain delay. Eventually, the cars went on track led by polesitter, Travis Pastrana. The lead changed hands a lot like it usually does at Talladega and the rain delay eventually caused darkness to come near. Because of the impending darkness and no lights at Talladega, the race would be shortened to one hundred and seven laps. The caution waved before the leaders could get to the white flag and end the race so one green-white-checkered would be run. Coming out of turn 4 to get the checkered flag on that green-white-checkered, Joey Logano and Regan Smith were battling for the win. Kasey Kahne moved to their outside just as the field began to wreck and spin behind them. The three came side by side to the line and Kahne crossed the line first, but the caution had waved before the leaders reached the line and Regan Smith was leading. This handed Regan Smith his first win of the season and the points lead over Sam Hornish Jr. After a crazy three wide finish at Talladega, the series headed to the the track “Too Tough To Tame” in Darlington, South Carolina. Kyle Busch started on the pole, dominated the race, and took his fifth win of the young season. The series then headed to Charlotte after a week long break for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race. Austin Dillon started on the pole, but Kyle Busch dominated the race and took his sixth win of the season after only ten races. Regan Smith still held the points lead over Sam Hornish Jr. he had gained at Talladega, but it was still early on in the season. The series then headed to Dover for a Saturday brawl on the one mile track. Austin Dillon grabbed his second pole in a row, but it was anybody's race. Late in the going, Kyle Busch held the lead, but the final caution of the race brought the final pit stops of the race. Busch and Kasey Kahne took four tires while the rest of the drivers in front of them took two tires. This put Joey Logano in front and he held onto the lead for the rest of the race to take his third straight win in the Nationwide Series at Dover. The series then headed to Iowa for a Saturday night shootout on the short track. Well, the rains came on that Saturday and the race was postponed to Sunday. When the race did finally begin on Sunday, polesitter, Austin Dillon, led the field to green for the third week in a row. Dillon absolutely dominated the race and looked to be in control in the end, but Trevor Bayne changed that. Bayne charged past Dillon with about twelve laps to go and took his first win of the year just days after his wedding. The series then headed to Michigan International Speedway. Austin Dillon took his Nationwide Series record fourth pole in a row and led a good portion of the race, but it wasn't meant to be for him. Regan Smith came out on top after a nice battle for his second win of the season. The series then headed to the huge four mile road course called Road America for the first road course race of the season. A.J. Allmendinger qualified on the pole in his return to race with Roger Penske and led most of the race, but a caution waved late and he would have to fight off a restart. He did and took his first win in NASCAR after being suspended just one year before. The series then headed to Kentucky for a Friday night shootout. Austin Dillon grabbed his fifth pole of the season, but the lead mostly switched between Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski late. Keselowski was leading late when rain began to fall on track. The rain was too much to continue the event and Keselowski was called the winner after only one hundred and seventy laps. The series then headed to Daytona for a Friday night battle on the superspeedway. Austin Dillon grabbed his sixth pole of the season, but the lead switched back and forth between a good many drivers. The caution waved late in the event and NASCAR decided a green-white-checkered would occur. Only one was needed as James Buescher hooked up with Matt Kenseth and Buescher pushed Kenseth to his first win of the season in Nationwide competition. The race pretty much marked the halfway point of the season and Regan Smith still held the points lead, but Sam Hornish Jr. was close behind him. The series then headed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway for a Saturday afternoon race. Kyle Busch started on the pole, dominated the race, and held the lead on a green-white-checkered restart to take his seventh win of the season. The series then headed to Chicagoland Speedway for a rare Sunday afternoon race. Sam Hornish Jr. started on the pole and led a good many laps in the event, but Penske Racing teammate, Joey Logano, took his second win of the season late in the going. Regan Smith lost the points lead to Sam Hornish Jr., but he would have time to catch back up. The series then headed to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the second annual event for the series at the track. Kyle Busch started on the pole and dominated the race, but the final restart almost unraveled his day. Joey Logano and Busch made slight contact entering turn 1 on the restart and Brian Scott sailed by. Scott looked to run away, but Busch chased him back down, passed him, and took his eighth win of the season. The series then headed to Iowa Speedway for a stand alone event without the Cup Series. Drew Herring started on the pole and led a few laps along with various other drivers. Brad Keselowski took the lead late and took his third win of the season. The series then headed to Watkins Glen for the second road course race of the season. Sam Hornish Jr. started on the pole and led a few laps, but teammate, Brad Keselowski, led the most and took the second road course win for Roger Penske of the season. The series then headed to the new venue at Mid-Ohio for the second straight road course event of the season. Michael McDowell started on the pole, but A.J. Allmendinger dominated and took his second win of the season along with sweeping the road course races for Roger Penske. The series went from a long track to the short track in Bristol, Tennessee. Kyle Busch started on the pole, dominated the race, and took his ninth win of the season. The series then headed to Atlanta for a Labor Day weekend battle. Kyle Busch started on the pole and led a good many laps, but it would come down to a battle between Busch and Kevin Harvick. Harvick held off Busch on the final restart and took his first win of the season. The series then headed to Richmond for the one thousandth race in the history of the series. Brian Scott started on the pole and had led all the laps until the penultimate restart. Brad Keselowski jumped out front before the caution came out a final time. Keselowski held off Scott on the final restart and took his fifth win of the season in a very historic race that could have ended with a leader from start to finish. Sam Hornish Jr. was the points leader after the race with only eight events left to go, but the points were sure to shake up. The series then headed to Chicagoland Speedway for the second time of the year. Kyle Busch started on the pole, dominated the race, and won his tenth race of the season in NASCAR's secondary series. Sam Hornish Jr. still held the points advantage over Austin Dillon and the other major drivers in the series. The series then headed to Kentucky Speedway for the last stand alone event of the year without the Cup Series. Sam Hornish Jr. started on the pole and led a few laps, but his teammate and Truck standout, Ryan Blaney, dominated in taking his first career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory. Sam Hornish Jr. held onto the points lead, but Austin Dillon finished a couple of spots ahead and gained some points. The series then headed to Dover for the second time on the year. Joey Logano started on the pole and led the most laps in taking his fourth straight NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at the “Monster Mile”. Sam Hornish Jr. struggled most of the day and lost a good many points to Austin Dillon, but he was still in control. The series then headed to Kansas Speedway for a Saturday afternoon shootout. Austin Dillon started on the pole and led a few laps, but Matt Kenseth came out on top in a race that held a great rivalry for the future. That rivalry was between Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Busch dumped Keselowski heading down the frontstretch late in the event as the two were battling for a spot in the top 5. Keselowski was none to happy as he ran across the grass on the frontstretch, but not much erupted between the two after the race. Austin Dillon finished a good many spots in front of Sam Hornish Jr. and took the points lead with four races remaining. It would be interesting to see how these two handled the battle heading down the stretch. The series then headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a Friday night duel. Kyle Busch started on the pole, but Sam Hornish Jr. led the most laps as he looked to take the points lead from Austin Dillon. Hornish led late, but Busch passed him and took his eleventh win of the season in the Nationwide Series. Even after leading the most laps, Hornish finished behind Dillon and the number three was still leading the points. The series then took an extended vacation before heading to Texas Motor Speedway two weeks later. Alex Bowman started on the pole, but Brad Keselowski dominated in taking his sixth win of the year in NASCAR's secondary series. Sam Hornish Jr. finished in front of Austin Dillon, but Dillon maintained his points lead with only two races left after Texas. The series then headed to Phoenix International Raceway for the penultimate round of the season. Kyle Busch started on the pole, dominated the race, and took his twelfth win of the year in the Nationwide Series. Sam Hornish Jr. was unable to gain on Austin Dillon as the series headed into the final race of the season. The series headed to Homestead for the annual final event of the season at the track. Sam Hornish Jr. started on the pole and led a lot of laps early looking to take the points lead from Austin Dillon. Early on, he did as Dillon struggled in the championship deciding race. Hornish lost the lead midway through, but he was still ahead of Dillon in the points and in the race. Kyle Larson and Kyle Busch led laps down the stretch, but Brad Keselowski took the lead late and took his seventh win of the season in the series. More importantly, though, was the championship battle behind him. Somehow, Austin Dillon improved his car late and Sam Hornish Jr. was unable to stay far enough ahead to take the points lead. This handed Austin Dillon his second NASCAR championship and his first in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Dillon also became the first driver to win the championship in the series without a win. This season in the Nationwide Series was filled with Cup domination, but had crazy finishes, amazing wrecks, scary moments, and fights that left rivalries for the ages. -NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series had just about the same look starting in 2013. The drivers were mostly the same, the trucks were the same, and the teams were the same, but a couple of things were different. The series would head to a dirt track for NASCAR's first trip since 1970 and they would head outside the United States for a battle on a road course for the first time in a while. Before all the oddities of the season could begin, the series would head to the usual starting place in Daytona Beach, Florida. Brennan Newberry grabbed his first career pole, but the lead would switch like it usual does. Ty Dillon led most of the race, but Johnny Sauter held the lead as the white flag waved. The field began wrecking before entering turn 1 and Johnny Sauter cruised back to the line and took his first win of the season under caution. The series then headed from the 2.5 mile Daytona International Speedway to the 0.5 mile Martinsville Speedway after a month long break. Jeb Burton grabbed his first career pole and dominated the race, but a final restart gave the lead to Johnny Sauter and Sauter took back to back wins to start the season. The series then headed to Rockingham Speedway for, possibly, the final time at the track. Jeb Burton grabbed his second straight pole, but the race was all Kyle Larson's. Joey Logano, who had a problem in the middle of the race, charged back in the late laps, but Larson took his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. The series then headed to Kansas Speedway for a Saturday afternoon shootout. James Buescher started on the pole and led the most laps, but Matt Crafton took the lead late and grabbed his first win of the season. The series then headed to Charlotte Motor Speedway for a Friday night shootout after a second month long break to start the season. Jeb Burton started on the pole, but Kyle Busch dominated and took his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of the season. Matt Crafton was leading the points after the event, but it was still very early in the season. The series took a week long vacation before heading to the Monster Mile in Dover, Delaware. Darrell Wallace Jr. started on the pole and dominated the first part of the race, but team owner, Kyle Busch, took the lead late and won his second NCWTS race of the season. The series then headed to Texas Motor Speedway for a wild Friday night shootout. Johnny Sauter started on the pole, but it looked to be any driver's race. Jeb Burton took the lead late and held off a late charge from Ty Dillon to take his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win. The series then took a two week break before heading to Kentucky for a Thursday night fight. Ryan Blaney started on the pole, but Ty Dillon took the lead late and took his first win of the young season. The series then headed to Iowa for the first of two times on the year. German Quiroga started on the pole, but it was teammate, Timothy Peters, who took the lead late and grabbed his first win of the season. The series then headed out to the Eldora Speedway dirt track for a Wednesday night battle on dirt for the first time in NASCAR since 1970. A series of six heat races and a last chance qualifier with an amazing finish put Ken Schrader on the pole. Schrader led a few laps, but it was obvious the race would be a battle between Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Newman. Dillon took the lead in the final section of the race and won his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race since leaving for the Nationwide Series after the 2011 season. The series then headed to Pocono Raceway for a Saturday afternoon battle. Miguel Paludo started on the pole, but Ryan Blaney took the lead on the final restart and took his first win of the season in the series. The season had reached the halfway point with Matt Crafton leading the points, but time was still left to change the course of the season. The series then took a week off before heading to Michigan International Speedway for a Saturday afternoon battle. Jeb Burton started on the pole, but the battle would be between teammate, James Buescher, and Kyle Busch late. Buescher made it past Busch late and took his first win of the season in the series. The series then headed to Bristol Motor Speedway for another Wednesday night dogfight. Chase Elliott started on the pole, but the battle for the win would come down between Timothy Peters and Kyle Busch. Busch took the lead on the final restart, but Peters wouldn't give up. Coming to the checkered flag, Peters spun down the track making a final charge and Busch took his third victory of the season in style. The series then headed to Canada for the first road course race in thirteen years for the Trucks. Plus, it would be a rare Sunday afternoon battle and everybody would be watching. James Buescher started on the pole, but it would be a final battle between Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon that decided it all. Coming into the final turn, the two made contact and both sailed off track, but Elliott drove away and took his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory. Behind them, the fireworks were just beginning. Max Papis and Mike Skeen wrecked heading into the final corner and both drivers lost great finishes. They bumped and banged throughout the cool down lap and finally made it to pit road in frustration. Also on pit road, the teams of Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon were running their mouths, but the two teams did not have an altercation. The situation between Mike Skeen and Max Papis would result in an altercation. Near the garage, Mike Skeen's girlfriend, Kelly Heaphy, slapped Papis in rage, but nothing else occurred other than a suspension for Heaphy. With all that, Chase Elliott was able to celebrate his win even though it was surrounded with controversy. Luckily for Matt Crafton, he was able to outlast craziness across the border and continue his top 10 streak all throughout the season along with holding onto the points lead, but it was getting close to crunch time. The series then headed to Iowa for a second time on the season for another rare Sunday afternoon race. Ross Chastain started on the pole and dominated the race, but James Buescher took the lead late and took his second win of the season. The series then headed to Chicagoland for a Friday night shootout on the mile and a half track. Jeb Burton started on the pole, but this race would be all about the Cup drivers. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski swapped the lead a lot during the race, but Kyle Busch came out on top and took his fourth win of the season in the series. The series then headed to Las Vegas for a Saturday night race in the desert after a one week vacation. Ty Dillon started on the pole, but it was any driver's race. Ron Hornaday Jr. was leading on the final restart, but Timothy Peters took the lead and took his second win of the season. The race marked the first race Matt Crafton had finished outside the top 10 on the season, but he was still in the points lead. That could all change as the series headed to the always crazy Talladega Superspeedway for a Saturday afternoon fight after a two week vacation. Jeb Burton started on the pole, but the lead would switch like it always does on the big tracks. The race to the finish was set up with a late caution flag. Three tandems crossed the line side by side to take the white flag and the field would have to make it back to the checkered flag. Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch, and others were at the front of the field exiting turn 4. All of a sudden, everything went downhill. Trucks began to spin and wreck and Miguel Paludo made it on his roof. Johnny Sauter was one of the only drivers to make it clean through the accident and he took his third win of the season, but the concern was the wreck behind him. Paludo ended up on his wheels while Kyle Busch and others took hard hits. Only Justin Lofton, who ended up with a broken thumb, had an injury and Johnny Sauter was able to celebrate his victory. Matt Crafton was involved in the wreck, but he was able to cross the line ninth and sustain his huge points lead over the field. With four races remaining, Crafton would just have to hold onto his lead and cruise to the end of the season. The series then headed to Martinsville for a second time on the season for a Saturday afternoon slugfest. Denny Hamlin started on the pole, but he would have to battle with a lot of other drivers. Late in the race, Ty Dillon and Kevin Harvick caused a huge melee that involved points leader, Matt Crafton. Dillon and Harvick were not happy as they bumped heading to pit road and the two teams exchanged words on the radio. Harvick stopped in Dillon's pit box and the two teams began to push and jaw at each other. Other than a little other radio communication, the wreck did not result in an altercation. On track, the final green flag waved and Darrell Wallace Jr. came back to the checkered flag for a historic victory. Not only was it Wallace's first victory in the series, but it was the first victory for an African-American since Wendell Scott's Grand National win in 1963. Matt Crafton finished badly, but he still held the points lead with three races left. The series then headed to Texas Motor Speedway for the second race of the season at the track. Jeb Burton started on the pole, but Ty Dillon dominated the race and won his second race of the season. The win was not enough to gain on Matt Crafton in points, but Dillon would have two final races to capitalize. The series then headed to Phoenix for the penultimate round of the regular season on a Friday night. Ross Chastain started on the pole, but he would have to battle with Erik Jones for the win. Jones took the lead late from Chastain and Jones became a first time winner in the series along with the youngest to ever win a race. Matt Crafton stayed out of trouble in the race and wrapped up the title a week early. He would still head to Homestead for the final race to win, but it would not affect too much. Still, all the other drivers wanted to end the season with a win at Homestead and they would certainly do it. Ryan Blaney started on the pole and led most of the race, but he would have to battle with Kyle Busch. Busch would eventually come out on top and take his fifth win of the season, but it was Matt Crafton's night to celebrate his first career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. The 2013 NCWTS season was filled with big crashes, great finishes, meaningful altercations, new tracks, the “Slap Heard Round The World”, and a whole lot more. It was definitely one to remember and one that will lead well into 2014. Before we jump into this section of the recap, I want to say that all these next few things are strictly my opinion and if you guys fell I totally missed something or you feel something else was better, please let me know in the comments down below. Best and Worst in NASCAR in 2013: -Top 5 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Paint Schemes of 2013: 1. Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx/Jason Leffler Tribute
2. Michael Waltrip #26 Newtown Support
3. A.J. Allmendinger #51 Neil Bonnett Tribute
4. Kasey Kahne #5 Time Warner Cable
5. Clint Bowyer #15 Gander Mountain
-Top 5 NASCAR Nationwide Series Paint Schemes of 2013: 1. Justin Allgaier #31 Jason Leffler Tribute
2. Brian Scott #2 Husky Liners Silver
3. Jeffrey Earnhardt #79 Oath Keepers
4. Sam Hornish Jr. #12 Detroit Genuine Parts
5. Kurt Busch #1 City Chevrolet
-Top 5 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Paint Schemes of 2013: 1. Brandon Jones #33 Katy Spring
2. Denny Hamlin #51 Air Jordan
3. Chase Elliott #94 Aaron's
4. Kevin Harvick #14 Anderson's Maple Syrup
5. Dakoda Armstrong #60 WinField
-3 Worst NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Paint Schemes of 2013: 1. Marcos Ambrose #9 DEWALT
2. Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil
3. Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Target
-3 Worst NASCAR Nationwide Series Paint Schemes of 2013: 1. Trevor Bayne #6 PillowPets.com
2. Nelson Piquet Jr. #30 WORX Tools
3. Brendan Gaughan #21 South Point
-3 Worst NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Paint Schemes of 2013: 1. Brennan Newberry #24 Qore-24
2. James Buescher #31 Rheem
3. Johnny Sauter #98 Carolina Nut Orange
-Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race of 2013: 2013 Aaron's 499 at Talladega: Crashes and Underdog Wins
Usually, we end the 2013 NASCAR season thinking about the superspeedway races as the greatest of the year. This year's Aaron's 499 was no different. The race began with Carl Edwards on the pole, but the lead switched a lot during the event. Early on in the race, there was a huge wreck that took out a lot of contenders and the race wasn't even at the halfway point. The wreck caused a little bit of calm before the storm. Actually, literally and figuratively as the rains came just after the race reached halfway. The rain stopped and NASCAR dried the track and the race started back again. Pretty soon, after the race restarted, tandems were set and the action began to pick up. The race was close to over when a huge wreck erupted that almost took Kurt Busch onto his lid. Luckily, he didn't and the wreck was cleaned up. It was time to run a green-white-checkered as darkness began to set in. The race went green for the final time with some great drivers at the front, but the underdog drivers were coming. Heading down the backstretch to get the white flag, the white car of David Ragan and yellow car of David Gilliland began to surge through the field looking for the front. After the field took the white flag, Gilliland pushed Ragan to the lead and the two began to block the field behind them. Ragan crossed the line first for the win while his teammate secured a 1-2 finish for the small Front Row Motorsports. Crashes, rain, huge packs running together, and an underdog victory made this race the best of the year. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club: Kyle Busch Sneaks a Win While Denny Hamlin Gets Hurt
Had this race not ended in a Denny Hamlin injury, this probably would have been the best of the year. In those circumstances, it was hard to call this a great race. Nonetheless, it was still a great race. Hamlin started on the pole, but the field ran two and three wide most of the time. The race really didn't pick up until the final restart came around. The final caution of the race put Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin beside each other. This race was just one week after the two had a huge altercation after the Bristol race. The race went green for the final time and Logano shut the door on Tony Stewart to stay up front, but we will get to that in a little bit. Logano and Hamlin began to battle and, pretty soon, only one lap remained. Hamlin and Logano bumped all the way around until they made it to turn 4. Both drivers broke loose and Kyle Busch sneaked by on the outside to take the win, but what happened behind him was the bigger story. Logano straightened out his car, but Hamlin slid down the track and slammed the outside wall hard. The contact had caused him to break a vertebrate and he would be sidelined for a couple of weeks. After Logano made it back to pit road, Tony Stewart was there. The two drivers and teams began to push and shove on pit road to the roar of the crowd. Pretty soon, it was broken up and each team would have to settle their differences somewhere else. Stewart was none too happy with Logano in his interview, but that will have to wait, too. After all the fireworks, wrecks, great racing, and fights, Kyle Busch could celebrate a win and we could talk about a great race with a very controversial ending. 2. 2013 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte: Cable Falls on Track While Harvick Steals Win From Kahne
This race isn't mentioned much as being a great one this year, but I think it was amazing. Denny Hamlin started on the pole, but the lead would move around a lot in the early stages. Kyle Busch took the lead around lap 70 and something odd happened. A TV cable used for FOX cameras fell onto the racing surface in turns 3 and 4. The leader, Busch, and a few other drivers ran over pieces of the debris. NASCAR called for a red flag for the track clean up and to allow teams affected by the cable to work on their cars. The oddity was cleaned up off the track and the drivers went back on track. Unfortunately for the drivers affected by the cable, it pretty much messed up their races, but it didn't mess up Kasey Kahne. Kahne led most of the second half of the race, but the cautions began to fly late in the race. Crazy wrecks began to occur and cars began to fall out of the race. Finally, the last caution of the race brought the strategy that would change the race. Kahne, who was leading, stayed on track while every single other lead lap driver came down pit road for tires and fuel. This put Kevin Harvick next to Kahne on the final restart. Kahne fought hard to take the victory he felt he deserved, but the tires were too much and Harvick stole the victory from Kahne. It was pretty depressing for Kahne, but Harvick couldn't be happier. The race was filled with an odd moment for the century, crazy wrecks, huge battles, and a win for a great driver leaving his organization at the end of the year. -Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Race of 2013: 2013 Aaron's 312 at Talladega: Three Wide At the Line With a Wreck
Like the Cup side, the superspeedway events are usually the greatest in the Nationwide Series. This year's Aaron's 312 did not disappoint. Before the fireworks could begin, the rains would come. A long rain delay started the day, but NASCAR dried the track and Travis Pastrana could lead the field to green. He did and the lead began to change a lot as the tandems began to race around track. There were a few wrecks at the beginning, but the action didn't start to pick up until the end came close. One big one occurred on the third to last caution, but the penultimate caution would bring the green-white-checkered for the race. Due to impending darkness from the rain, NASCAR decided only one green-white-checkered would occur after the race had already been shortened. The race went green for the final time and the great tandems with drivers like Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Regan Smith, Brian Vickers, and others began to come to the front. Coming to the trioval to take the checkered flag, Logano and Smith were running side by side as Kasey Kahne moved to their outside. Behind them, the field began to spin and crash. Logano, Smith, and Kahne came across the line three wide. Kahne had crossed the line first, but the caution had waved and NASCAR would have to see who won. The tape was reviewed and Regan Smith was given the win by a close margin. The race had the wrecks, the finish, and the buildup to be the greatest race of the year in the series. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona: Crazy Wreck Mires Great Race
Had this race not ended in a crash that injured fans, this would have been the greatest race of the year. But it was still a pretty good race. Trevor Bayne started on the pole and the lead switched hands almost every single lap during the event. Not many wrecks occurred during the event, but the action picked up in the final few laps. With five to go, Austin Dillon and Michael Annett began to wreck, which ended up bringing out the caution. Annett ended up injuring his sternum from the wreck and he would have to miss a good many races after the opening one. NASCAR decided to run green-white-checkereds until the race finally ended with a checkered flag. They would only need one as the race went green for the final time. Regan Smith, Brad Keselowski, Tony Stewart, Sam Hornish Jr., and others began to battle as the white flag waved. Keselowski was pushing Smith coming out of turn 4 heading to the checkered flag, but Keselowski wanted to win. Smith blocked Keselowski and Brad spun Regan into the outside wall. The field began to pile in behind them and Kyle Larson lifted off the ground and piled into the fence, causing debris to fly into the stands. Others slid across the grass and hit the wall while Tony Stewart took his only win of the season in the series. All of the drivers were okay, but some fans were injured. All the fans did not have life threatening injuries and they would recover. The annual February race at Daytona was filled with crazy crashes, innumerable lead changes, and a great finish to top it all off. 2. 2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 at Road America: Typical Chaos in Wisconsin
Since the NASCAR Nationwide Series began to head to the huge Road America road course in Wisconsin, the race has been crazy. This year's edition was no different. A.J. Allmendinger made his return to NASCAR with his first pole in NASCAR's secondary series. Allmendinger was dominating the race, but the battles behind him were intense. Michael McDowell, Owen Kelly, Billy Johnson, Max Papis, and other road course ringers were battling hard with the regular drivers in the Nationwide Series. The race was nearing the end with two laps to go when John Young stopped on track and forced at least one green-white-checkered. Allmendinger was leading, but he would have to make it to the finish with that lead. The race went green and the battles began to be fierce. Allmendinger grabbed the lead with the field in his tire tracks. They would have to line up once again as Michael Annett spun in turn seven before Allmendinger reached the white flag. They lined up one final time and Allmendinger jumped out to the lead, but the battles were occurring. Drivers were sliding off track, but A.J. Allmendinger made it to the white flag with the lead. He came back to the checkered flag and took his first career victory in all of NASCAR, but the fireworks weren't over. On pit road, Max Papis gave Billy Johnson a slap on pit road due to something else that happened during the race. Neither driver was happy, but an altercation did not occur. The race held an upset victory, great battles, slippery road course racing, and a slap that was very unexpected. -Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race of 2013: 2013 CarCash MudSummer Classic at Eldora: Dirt-Slinging Fun in Ohio
Let us be honest for a minute here. This race could have went without a caution other than the section breaks for the entire event and this still probably would have been the best race of the season for the Trucks. But it had more than just great dirt track racing. Before the actual race even started, Norm Benning and Clay Greenfield fought and battled for the last spot in the race. Benning took the spot, but not without damage and a lot of cheering from the crowd. The race was then ready to start with the oldest polesitter in the history of the series: Ken Schrader. Schrader led a few laps, but Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, and Ryan Newman moved to the front of the field early on. With the exception of a few stoppages, the race went into the final section clean with these three drivers at the front and battling. As the final section went green, these three and the field began to battle. Dillon jumped to the front, but Newman and Larson began to bump and slide through every single corner looking for the lead. The field behind them raced hard and debris began to litter the track. Two cautions waved for debris in the final section and a two lap dash to the finish was set up with the final caution. The race went green for the final time and Austin Dillon took hold of the advantage. Dillon would not surrender the lead again and took the win in a very historic race. It was awesome to see some great dirt-slinging action in NASCAR and the great racing did not hurt either. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Fred's 250 at Talladega: Wrecks Galore and a Lone Winner
Talladega races have been a theme thus far in great races on the season and this race certainly did not disappoint for the Trucks. Jeb Burton started on the pole, but the lead began to switch like it normally does in plate races. The race stayed pretty calm at first, but the wrecks began to occur late in the going. A few big wrecks occurred with big drivers like Timothy Peters, Ryan Blaney, Ron Hornaday, and others involved, but the final run to the checkered flag was set up with a three driver wreck. The race went green for the final time with great racing to begin with. Three tandems with drivers like Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, and others began to run three wide around the track looking for the white flag. They took the white flag without incident, but it would be anyone's guess who would win the race. The tandems made it through all four corners and began heading towards the trioval looking for the checkered flag. Behind them, Miguel Paludo turned Jeb Burton up the track. Burton sailed up into Kyle Busch. Busch slid down the track and the field began to spin and crash. Paludo flipped onto his lid while all the drivers took hard hits. Ahead of them, Matt Crafton and the other leaders began to wreck with the exception of Johnny Sauter. Sauter made it through the wreck and took the victory, but the scene behind him was chaos. There were damaged trucks everywhere and debris all over the track. Luckily, only Justin Lofton suffered an injury and the rest of the drivers were okay. Plus, Lofton's injury was not serious and he could race again soon. The annual Truck race at Talladega was filled with great racing, some crazy wrecks, a truck flipping to the finish line, and a lone driver crossing the finish line for the win. 2. 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Motorsports Park: Canadian Fireworks
Road course racing is the best. We are used to the great finishes in the Cup Series and the Nationwide Series, but the Trucks decided they would head to more than four turns and see what happened. Plus, they would head to Canada to do it. James Buescher started on the pole, but it would be a battle between Chase Elliott, Ty Dillon, and the select road course ringers in the event. The drivers slipped and slid around the track, but it was a pretty clean race up until the end. Johnny Sauter stalling on track left the drivers with a four lap dash to the finish. Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon were up front with Dillon leading Elliott around the over two mile track. The laps passed quickly and the two took the white flag. Dillon was holding onto the lead well, but Elliott was coming. The two entered the final corner and Elliott made a last ditch effort. He dove in the corner and the two made contact. Both slid off course, but Elliott was able to gain back control of his truck and make it to the line for his first win in the series. It wasn't over from there. Mike Skeen and Max Papis, who were running in the top 5, made contact in the final corner and slammed into the barrier around the track. Both drove away, but they were none too happy with each other. They beat and banged on the cool down lap and finally made it to pit road. Meanwhile, Elliott's crew and Dillon's crew were talking as Elliott began to pull into pit road. The two drivers talked, but no altercation occurred. The same couldn't be said for Skeen and Papis. They shared words, but Skeen's girlfriend, Kelly Heaphy, stepped up. She began to yell at Papis and slapped him in rage in the garage. She was pulled away and received a indefinite ban from attending any NASCAR events. With all that action completed, Elliott could celebrate his first victory. It was a crazy race across the border on the road course in Canada, but the most memorable part of the race could be the finish and aftermath. -Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finish of 2013: 2013 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club: Denny Hamlin vs. Joey Logano
Even though the wreck for Denny Hamlin took this off the board for best race of the season, this was still the best finish. The race went green for the final time with about ten laps to go. Joey Logano started on the inside of Denny Hamlin and the two drove away from the field after the restart. The two began to battle hard just a week after their run in at Bristol. The laps clicked by with Hamlin in the lead as the white flag soon waved. The two would have to decide who would win the race and it would definitely be a hard fought battle. The two bumped and banged through the first few corners and reached turn 4. They were running side by side when both made contact while getting loose. They had lost enough speed that Kyle Busch was able to pass on the outside and take the win. But the action was just behind Busch. Logano saved his car and was able to continue on, but Hamlin slid down the track and slammed the inside wall. The wreck caused him to break a vertebrate and miss a few races, but what a finish it was. It wasn't over for Logano yet. When he made it to pit road, Tony Stewart wanted a piece of him and he got him with a brawl between the two and their pit crews. The finish at Auto Club was crazy and great, but it did have some devastating effects for one driver. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Aaron's 499 at Talladega: Underdogs Stand Tall
Along with being a great race, the annual Spring race at Talladega had a great finish to it. The final restart of the race was the first and only green-white-checkered of the race. Matt Kenseth began the restart in the lead, but Carl Edwards passed him coming down the backstretch looking for the white flag. Behind them, two underdog teammates in David Ragan and David Gilliland were hooking up. As the field exited turn 2 looking for the checkered flag, the two teammates began their charge. They shot through the field like a rocket and Ragan made it to the lead with Gilliland in second by turn 3. They held off the field coming into the trioval and Ragan took first while his teammate, Gilliland, took the 1-2 finish for small Front Row Motorsports. The two celebrated their upset victory and the field was left wondering how these two guys could take on the big dogs and win. 2. 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol: Kenseth vs. Kahne Round 3
Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne weren't strangers to battling for the win in 2013. At Las Vegas, Kenseth came out on top after fighting off a hard charging Kahne. At Kansas, the case was the same as Kenseth took the win after holding off Kahne. It was a while before the two found themselves back in the fight for the win. This time, it was at the small short track in Bristol, Tennessee for round 3 of the battle between the two. After the final restart, Kenseth was out front, but Kahne was coming. With about thirty laps to go, Kahne was on Kenseth's back bumper and he had the better car. He ran in Kenseth's tire tracks as the laps clicked by. Pretty soon, only five laps remained with Kenseth still out front. The two ran the same line in every corner and then the white flag came out. Kahne had two final chances. He tried in turn 1, but he couldn't make the pass. Then, in turn 3, Kahne shot into the corner hard, but he couldn't clear Kenseth and Kenseth took an impressive victory. Kenseth was very happy with another win this close to the Chase, but Kahne was disappointed having missed another opportunity for a win while battling with Kenseth. -Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Finish of 2013: 2013 Aaron's 312 at Talladega: 3 Wide to the Line
When three wide is mentioned in the same sentence with finish line, you know it was a good finish. This was the case with the finish to this year's Aaron's 312. NASCAR had already shortened the race by about ten laps due to darkness, but the field couldn't finish the race in the designated time so NASCAR gave them one chance for a green-white-checkered finish. Well, they only needed one. The race went green for the final time and the tandems began to form. Regan Smith, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and others led the field around the massive track. The white flag waved and it seemed to be anybody's race. The lead was being contested and it seemed like tons of guys could take the victory. The field made it into turn 4 clean with Joey Logano and Regan Smith running side by side. The field made it near the trioval and Kasey Kahne went to their outside. Behind them, the field started to wreck. Cars spun and crashed through the frontstretch grass while Smith, Kahne, and Logano crossed the line three wide. Kahne had crossed the line first, but the caution had waved and when that happens, NASCAR goes back to the previous scoring loop. When the caution waved, Regan Smith was leading and, thus, he was given the victory. It was definitely a crazy finish with a three wide battle and a wreck and nobody will forget it anytime soon. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 300 at Bristol: Kyle vs. Kyle
This race was one of the more odd races of the year. On paper, Kyle Busch dominated the race in leading more than half of the race, but most NASCAR fans don't care about paper. We care about how the actual finish turned out and this one was a great one between the old Kyle and the new Kyle: Kyle Larson. The race went green for the final time with about thirty laps to go with Kyle Busch in the lead, but Kyle Larson was coming. As the race entered the final laps, Larson reached Busch's back bumper. The two began to battle lap traffic and their cars as they took the white flag. Busch looked in control, but Larson was there. As they hit turn 3, Busch went low while Larson went high. Larson used his momentum to exit turn 4 right next to Busch. The two bumped and banged looking for the checkered flag down the Bristol frontstretch. Busch nicked the line just ahead of Larson, who was looking for his first win. Busch took the win with the most laps led, but it could have easily went to Larson and he could have had his first win in the series, but it just didn't work out for the rookie. 2. 2013 Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona: Mayhem On the Frontstretch
Had this race not ended in the crazy wreck that hurt some fans, this probably would have been the best finish of the season. Nonetheless, it was still a great finish to a very good race. A huge wreck with Michael Annett and others left the race with a green-white-checkered finish in place. The race went green for the final time and they would only need one. Brad Keselowski and Regan Smith drove away from the field with Tony Stewart, Sam Hornish Jr., and others trailing behind them. Keselowski pushed Smith across the line to take the white flag. It would be a battle to the finish between the two and it was obvious Keselowski wanted to win. Coming near the trioval, Keselowski tried to make a move on Smith, but he spun the championship contender into the outside wall. The field tried to dodge them, but some couldn't. Kyle Larson piled in and lifted off the ground. He piled into the outside catch fence hard with debris and parts flying into the stands. Tony Stewart crossed the line for the win, but the concern was the incident. Amazingly, after all the hits the drivers took, none of them sustained terrible injuries and all the fans were okay after the incident. It was definitely a crazy win for Stewart and, luckily, the wreck turned out okay in the end. -Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Finish of 2013: 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park: Elliott Bumps Dillon in Final Corner
Once again, road course racing is the best. Especially when you throw trucks on one and send some experienced guys to battle with the unfamiliar road course guys. This was the scenario as the Trucks headed to Canada for a historic battle. Johnny Sauter stalling on track left the race with a four lap dash between Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon. Dillon took the lead for the final dash, but Elliott was chasing him down. The laps clicked by and only one single lap remained. If Elliott wanted the win, he would have to do it then. The two entered the final corner and Elliott dove in hard. The two made contact and sailed off track. Elliott was able to corral his truck and continue on to take his first victory, but the action was just starting. Behind them, Max Papis and Mike Skeen drove into the exact same barrier. Both drivers drove away and they expressed their frustrations on the cool down lap. They finally reached pit road while the teams of Elliott and Dillon were exchanging some words. No altercation would result between these two, but this was not the case for Papis and Skeen. Skeen's girlfriend, Kelly Heaphy, yelled at Papis and then slapped the day lights out of him. The same look of shock on his face was probably the same one as every NASCAR fan's face across the world. The slap resulted in a well deserved penalty for Heaphy and it will be on one of the most talked about moments for a while. Even with all the fighting and exchanging of words, the finish to this one was great with a battle that could happen again in the future. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 UNOH 200 at Bristol: Peters Gets Busch-Whacked
This finish was another one that is forgotten for the Trucks this year, but it was definitely amazing. A caution late left the race with only about seven laps to go. Kyle Busch, who had not led until a few laps before the restart, took the lead and looked to run away with the win, but Timothy Peters was there. The two began to battle hard looking for a short track win in Bristol. Pretty soon, the white flag waved with the two still battling hard. Peters would have two chances left to win the race. He couldn't get it done in turns 1 and 2, but turns 3 and 4 brought another try. He dove to the inside of Busch and had the two were side by side coming towards the stripe. Peters tried to bump Busch to slow him down and Peters got loose. Peters slid down the track and slammed the wall with tremendous force. Busch had taken the win, but Peters had given him a great battle for the win. In the end, Busch ended up with the trophy while Peters ended up with a wrecked race truck. 2. 2013 Fred's 250 at Talladega: Craziness Behind Sauter
This race has been mentioned a lot so far. The finish was also another great part to mention. A final green-white-checkered was set up with a three truck wreck. The race went green for the final time and three sets of tandems were running three wide. Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, and the others took the white flag in this three wide stance. They continued to run three wide as they exited turn 4 and looked for the checkered flag. As they entered the trioval, Miguel Paludo spun Jeb Burton into Kyle Busch near the end of the front pack. Then, it happened. Trucks began to spin and crash and Paludo lifted into the air. He slid across the frontstretch as other trucks piled into the incident. In front of them, all the other leaders wrecked with the exception of Johnny Sauter. Sauter crossed the line for the win, but the incident was the major story. A good many drivers had piled in, but only Justin Lofton received an injury. It was definitely a crazy finish to end a very interesting race. -Funniest NASCAR Interview of 2013: 2013 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire: I Can't Hear You
Being a Kasey Kahne fan, this interview was a bit awkward for me. Let me set the stage for this interview. Late in the going in the second Chase race of 2013, Kahne broke loose underneath Brian Vickers heading out of turn 4. Kahne slid down the track and slammed the inside wall hard. A suspension part had broken on the car and he could not drive the car back to the garage. Plus, the car was damaged beyond repair and it really didn't need to be driven to the garage. Because he didn't drive back to the garage, Kahne was forced to take a mandatory ride to the infield care center. Along with all this wrecking, Kahne had pretty much lost a chance to do well in the Chase for the title. With all of that said, after he exited the infield care center, Dr. Jerry Punch wanted an interview with Kahne. Kahne seemed very out of it to say the least in the interview and he also seemed very angry with the situation. This resulted in a very awkward and tense interview that left me almost in tears of laughter. I know it really wasn't Kahne's fault and he probably couldn't hear, but that really wasn't how anybody expected that interview to go. But, still, it was very funny. -Honorable Mention: 1. 2013 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club: Tony Stewart Doesn't Like Joey Logano
Oh, Tony Stewart. If there was two things we missed about Tony Stewart during his absence, they were his great racing ability at any track and his ability to make us laugh every single time he talks to the media. This afternoon at Auto Club was no different. Let us set the stage. On the final restart of the race, Stewart started behind Joey Logano. The race went green and Logano got off to a very slow start. Stewart wanted to go by, but Logano blocked heading into turn 1. This shut Stewart out of the chance for a win and Logano ended up wrecking trying to grab the win. Because of this, Stewart was pretty angry on pit road after the event. Logano made it to pit road and Stewart took his chance to jump on Logano. The two drivers started to fight and crews began to push and shove. The fight was eventually broken up by the NASCAR officials and neither team received punishment for their actions. When Tony Stewart was reached for comments on Logano's actions, he wasn't exactly kind to the driver who took over for him when he started his own team. I believe Stewart had a point in this situation and he surely felt the same exact way. It wasn't the best ever sound bite for Stewart after a race or in the media center, but it was definitely one of the funniest of the year. -Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fight of 2013: 2013 Food City 500 at Bristol: Joey Logano vs. Denny Hamlin
I know we really shouldn't celebrate fights in our sport because it chases away potential viewers on certain occasions, but, dang, they are sure fun to talk about. This fight between Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano at Bristol was not only the most talked about one, but it also had the most impact on the season. Let us set the stage for what happened. During the later part of the Spring Bristol race, Denny Hamlin was running behind Joey Logano, but Hamlin felt he was faster. Because of this, he wanted to get by. When they were entering turn 2 on lap 349, Hamlin nudged Logano and he went around into the outside wall. Logano sustained enough damage to finish his chances for a win and a good finish. Let's say Logano wasn't too happy. After Denny Hamlin came home with a twenty third place finish and made it to the garage, Logano wanted to know what happened. Logano stuck his head in Hamlin's driver's side window and the pushing and shoving between the two teams began. After a short little battle, NASCAR officials broke it up and each team returned to their garage stalls and cars. No, it wasn't a huge melee that left people with suspensions, but it did have crazy effects just one week later. Logano and Hamlin wrecked running for the win at Auto Club one week later and Hamlin suffered a back injury that left him out of the car for a couple of weeks afterwards. It was a scary incident and you have to think that it was due to the battle one week before. It is hard to think one little fight led to a terrible accident, but that is what made this the most memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series fight of 2013. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Auto Club 400 at Auto Club: Tony Stewart vs. Joey Logano
If the consequences of the Joey Logano and Denny Hamlin situation had not been so terrible and controversial, this probably would have been the best fight of the year. Of course, it is the battle between Tony Stewart, the veteran, and Joey Logano, the up and comer. Let us set the stage for this fight. On the final restart at the annual race at Auto Club with ten laps to go, Joey Logano lined up on the front row with Tony Stewart just behind him. When the green waved, Logano did not go and Stewart got a great jump. As they crossed the line, Stewart went to pass on the inside, but Logano blocked. Logano shut down Stewart's momentum enough so that he and Denny Hamlin could run away. Stewart did not take nicely to this move and he dwelled on it as the laps clicked by. Eventually, the white flag came and the much publicized incident between Logano and Hamlin occurred, which handed the win to Kyle Busch. Well, Tony Stewart doesn't forget. As Logano came to a stop on pit road, so did Stewart. He jumped out of his car and ran over to Logano's Ford. He grabbed him and the two teams began a shoving match for the ages. NASCAR officials jumped in, but the two teams kept at it before Stewart was finally pulled away and the matter was dropped. As the season progressed, nothing happened between the two, but the battle left an imprint on the season and it was definitely a fight to remember. 2. 2013 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville: Jimmie Johnson vs. Greg Biffle
This wasn't so much a fight with fists, but more a fight of emotions and words. That tends to happen at Martinsville and it happened to Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle on this day. Let us set the stage. Late in the annual Fall event at Martinsville, Greg Biffle was running in front of Jimmie Johnson. Like usual at Martinsville, the two were running hard for the spot, but something odd happened. As Johnson kept bumping into Biffle's back bumper, the bumper began to peel off. It clung to the back of Biffle's car for a good many laps and he kept trying to get it off, but it stuck on. Eventually, the caution waved and Biffle's chance to remove the piece came. Unfortunately, he would be the only one making the trip and he would have to lose a good many spots. When the race reached its conclusion, Biffle had gained most of the spots back, but he could have had the chance to win if not for the stop and that lit a fire in him. As Johnson was doing his post race interviews, Biffle strolled over and turned him around. The Hendrick driver's face was full of shock, but Biffle's was full of anger. Biffle began to point and express his feelings to the six time champion. Johnson tried to call it a racing move, but Biffle didn't want to hear that. Eventually, Biffle felt he had gotten his point across and walked away before the conversation came to fists. The war of words between the two didn't strike up anymore as the season reached its conclusion, but it could be something to watch for in 2014. -Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Fight of 2013: 2013 ToyotaCare 250 at Richmond: Brian Scott vs. Nelson Piquet Jr.
This was definitely one of those crazy moments for the Nationwide Series on 2013. To add to that, it was also a pretty big fight. It occurred between Brian Scott and Nelson Piquet Jr. and it ended with some pretty funny reactions. Let us set the stage. Late in the going at the Spring race in Richmond, Nelson Piquet Jr. and Brian Scott made some contact, which caused both drivers to spin in turn 3 and receive some damage that pretty much took them out of contention for the win. That harbored some pretty harsh resentment from both drivers. It built up throughout the rest of the event and the two didn't wait until they made it back to pit road to start pushing and shoving. After Brad Keselowski had taken the win, the Nationwide regulars began to beat and bang heading around the track on the cool down lap. The two cars were even more damaged than from the wreck and it didn't end there. In turn 3, Piquet sent Scott around and the two came hood to hood in the corner. Both drove away and made it to pit road, but it wouldn't end there. Scott jumped out of his car and walked over to Piquet for some clarification. Piquet didn't want to talk and gave Scott a kick below the belt, as they say. This led to a pushing and shoving match between the two drivers and their teams. NASCAR officials came over and broke up the affair, but lines had already been drawn for further battles in the future. The two did have some run ins later in the season, but they did not erupt in another kickboxing match. It was definitely one of the funny moments of the year along with a great fight. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 at Road America: Max Papis vs. Billy Johnson
This was another under the radar moment for the Nationwide Series in 2013. Before Max Papis became the slapped driver at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in the Trucks, he was the driver who was doing the slapping. Papis's slap went to Billy Johnson after the annual NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America. Let us set the stage for the altercation after the race. Late in the going in the battle for the win in the race, a set of restarts stacked up the field. Cars began to shove each other off track through every single corner. During one of those restarts, Billy Johnson sent Max Papis off course and Papis lost a few spots. It wasn't an odd occurrence for the race, but Max Papis did not forget that moment as the race came to a close. A.J. Allmendinger was celebrating his win while Papis was getting ready to take out his revenge on the Ford driver. Johnson exited his car and was about to take his helmet off when Papis walked over. Papis put a slap on the driver's helmet and walked away with a grin on his face. Everybody was just as shocked as Johnson was as the post race interviews went on between the two. No, it wasn't a fight of epic proportions with teams pushing and shoving, but it did have a little bit of irony as the season progressed. 2. 2013 Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas: Brad Keselowski vs. Kyle Busch
When two of the sports greatest drivers involved in a little spat in one of NASCAR's smaller series, you know it was definitely something very major. The war of words began between Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski on a Saturday afternoon in Kansas. Coming down the frontstretch on lap 189, Busch wanted to pass Keselowski for a spot in the top 5. Busch became impatient and sent Keselowski for a spin. The Penske Racing driver ended up spinning and slamming the outside wall hard. Keselowski was visibly upset with Busch not only because he destroyed his car, but the two were in a fierce battle for the owner's championship battle. Keselowski decided he did not have time to wait for the ambulance to take him to the infield care center so he began to run across the infield. As he was running, he made some gestures at the Busch pit, which practically said he wanted to talk with Busch or maybe even have a little scrap after the race. Needless to say, the scrap did not occur, but the war of words continued all throughout the Chase between the drivers in NASCAR's highest series. -Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fight of 2013: 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park: Max Papis vs.... Mike Skeen's Girlfriend?
Wow, if that title didn't blow your mind, I don't know what will. The Trucks first trip to a road course in a good many years and the only trip for any series of NASCAR outside the country on the year brought craziness. The race was not only crazy, but the post race was as well. The slap placed on Max Papis by Mike Skeen's girlfriend was definitely the most memorable fight of the year. Let us set the stage for this odd battle. On the last lap, Skeen and Papis went into the final corner looking for a third place finish. The two drove hard into the corner and made contact. Both piled into the outside barrier hard with neither one driving away in time to take a top 5. You could tell neither one was too happy with the other. They began to beat and bang heading around the track on the cool down lap and they finally made it back to pit road. While Chase Elliott and Ty Dillon had their battle on pit road and Elliott began to celebrate, it was just beginning for Papis and Skeen back in the garage. Skeen's girlfriend, Kelly Heaphy, walked up to Papis in a fit of rage. She began to yell at the Italian driver and one of the most breath taking moments of the year happened. Heaphy laid the “Slap Heard Round the World” on Papis's face and his reaction, along with mine, was priceless. I believe the entire NASCAR community held this same expression of shock for the rest of the afternoon. Papis and Skeen did have their own little conversation, but it did not result in the amount of publicity like this moment in time. It was definitely one of the greatest fights/slaps and moments for the season and, possibly, the history of the series. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Kroger 200 at Martinsville: Kevin Harvick vs. Ty Dillon and Richard Childress
When you talk about fights and mayhem, some of the guys that come to mind include Richard Childress and Kevin Harvick. You may recall Richard Childress fighting Kyle Busch a good many years ago. I can't even begin to count how many times Kevin Harvick was involved in a fight with another driver. But a fight never resulted in the two as they had been owner and driver for a good many years now. Well, all that changes in 2014 and the effects of that began to show during the Truck race at Martinsville when a fight erupted between Kevin Harvick and Richard Childress along with Childress's grandson, Ty Dillon. Let us set the stage for this very family related scrum. With about ten laps to go in the Fall race at Martinsville, Kevin Harvick went into turn 1 ahead of Ty Dillon. Dillon put the bumper to Harvick and the two went around. Both slid to the wall and lost a good many positions due to the wreck along with earning some damage. Then, the battle began on the track heading to pit road. The two drivers began to bump and bang on the track while Richard Childress gave encouraging chants to his grandson on the radio. Eventually, the two stopped beating their trucks up and came to pit road. It wasn't over yet, though. Harvick parked in Dillon's stall on pit road and Dillon's team didn't take too kindly to that. They began to push his truck and a sledgehammer flew into the side of his truck. Eventually, Harvick left for his stall and the two remained calm for the moment. After the race came to a conclusion, the war of words began. Harvick told his thoughts on the younger Dillon boy. Dillon shared his thoughts on the Childress mainstay Cup driver since 2001. Childress told his thoughts on his hand picked replacement for Dale Earnhardt after the fateful day in Daytona in 2001. It was definitely a mess and a memorable war of words, which made this the second greatest Truck fight of the year. 2. 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park: Chase Elliott vs. Ty Dillon
Before his scrum at Martinsville with Harvick, Ty Dillon would be involved in another war of words/altercation. This one was a little bit different, though. Instead of being on a short track, this one was on a large road course in Canada, at that. The fight was between Dillon and Chase Elliott, who are both of famous lineage, in the first road course race for the Trucks in a good many years. Let us set the stage for a possible future Cup series battle. On the final lap at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in the first annual event, Chase Elliott was chasing down Ty Dillon for the lead. In the final corner, Elliott drove in hard and the two made contact. Both went off course and towards the outside barrier. Dillon hit the barrier, but Elliott was able to leave the grass and head to the line for his first win in the series. This move left Dillon in an absolute fury. Elliott did his burnouts while Dillon drove to pit road waiting on the driver of the number 94. Also on pit road, the two teams began to push and shove along with sharing a few words. No punches were thrown and the fight quickly ended, but another war of words was ready for the calling. Elliott eventually made it to pit road with Dillon running down after his truck. Elliott stopped and Dillon stuck his head in the window. The two shared their versions of the events and Dillon walked away, apparently, okay with the fellow driver's answers. Elliott was able to celebrate after a fight did not occur. It was definitely one of the more memorable fights of the year and it definitely could erupt again as the two move up the ladder in NASCAR. -Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Moment of 2013: 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond: MWR Chase Controversy
One of the most memorable scandals in NASCAR history came about to become the most memorable moment of the 2013 season. It occurred at Richmond during the final race before the Chase in 2013. That in itself is memorable for the series every year. The craziness that typically results in the final chance to make the battle for the championship is one of epic proportions. Well, this year it was a different type of craziness. In the final few laps in the Richmond race, Ryan Newman took the lead away from Carl Edwards. If Newman could go on to win the race, he would gain the last wild card spot for the Chase over Martin Truex Jr. That was all going to change. Just as Newman took the lead, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr.'s teammate, went around in turn 4 in front of Dale Earnhardt Jr. This brought out the caution and the final pit stops occurred. Newman's team did not perform a good stop and Carl Edwards took the lead. On the final restart, Brian Vickers, another of Truex's teammates, pitted to give Truex a spot on track. As the race entered the final laps, David Gilliland allowed Joey Logano to pass him to make sure Logano made the Chase over Jeff Gordon. Edwards eventually crossed the line for the win, but the important part was the Chase battle. Martin Truex Jr. was able to make the Chase after the help from his teammates and Joey Logano made the Chase over Jeff Gordon after the help from Gilliland. Well, NASCAR didn't like that too much and the most memorable scandal of all-time commenced. All the teams of MWR were fined money and points with Martin Truex Jr. falling out of the Chase and Ryan Newman being put in. The scandal wasn't over yet. NASCAR then put Jeff Gordon in as the thirteenth Chase driver after ruling that he had no control over the outcome of the race at Richmond. That brought the end of the scandal, but the Chase would feel the ramifications until the season ended and, possibly, for a good while. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 FORD EcoBoost 400 at Homestead: Jimmie Johnson Becomes Six-Time
When you start mentioning six championships in the same sentence as NASCAR, you know it is historic. Only two drivers have won over six and they are Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty. Well, that was the case until the checkered flag waved at Homestead in November. On that night, Jimmie Johnson grabbed his sixth title with a ninth place in the final race of the year. It was Johnson's first championship since his fifth in a row in 2010. It was definitely a dominating championship run for Johnson. He won two races in the Chase after winning four before the reshuffling of the standings. Really, it was his championship to lose. Matt Kenseth was really his only major competition and he handled him easily. One thing this championship does for Johnson is bring him ever so closer to the all-time mark of championships in NASCAR's highest series. I don't know if he will ever do it, but he has definitely put together a NASCAR Hall of Fame career worth every bit of respect. Just winning six titles put this as the second most memorable moment of the year. 2. Tony Stewart Breaks Leg in Iowa Sprint Car Crash
When this news broke, it was very shocking to all NASCAR fans. We knew Tony Stewart wasn't invincible, but he seemed to be. He had major wrecks in the past and even a few sprint car wrecks before this one. Plus, we knew he raced sprint cars and it was very dangerous, but it wasn't anything to Tony Stewart. This is what made the night of August 5th, 2013 so different. Stewart was racing at an Iowa dirt track in his sprint car with many of the local drivers. Stewart was leading when the race went down hill for him. A car near the back of the field wrecked on track and Stewart couldn't see through the smoke. He clipped a stopped car and began to flip wildly in the corner. The car flipped several times before landing on four wheels. During the crash, a piece of his steering broke and broke his right leg in two different places. Medical crews extracted him from the car and he was taken to a local hospital. He had a couple of surgeries and it was determined that he could not race his car for an indefinite amount of time. It was a shock to hear that Tony Stewart would not race anymore on the season and we definitely didn't want that. Along with his great driving ability, Stewart is one of the funniest drivers in the sport. I just couldn't see a race weekend without him until that first one. It was so much different and that is why this one of the most memorable moments of the year. -Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Moment of 2013: 2013 Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona: At Least 28 Injured in Last Lap Crash
This moment was the most memorable for all the wrong reasons. When the race goes green for the final time at Daytona, the racing is definitely going to be great. That is a given and on this day, it was looking to be great. Brad Keselowski was pushing Regan Smith to the checkered flag at Daytona on a warm Saturday afternoon. What some fans didn't know is that their lives would change in the trioval. Keselowski spun Smith coming into the trioval and Smith slammed the wall. Cars began to pile into the crash left and right. One of those drivers was Kyle Larson. Larson piled in and his car lifted off the ground and into the catch fence. His engine fell into the ground on the other side of the fence and parts flew into the stands with all the fans. All the cars rolled to a stop with everyone worried about everybody. Somehow, Kyle Larson climbed out okay, but the concern now moved to the fans. Fans were hurt all around the trioval and medical personnel were tending to them. A good many were treated in the infield care center, but a few went to the local hospital in Daytona. They had pretty serious problems, but everybody has lived after the accident and it has mostly been healed. Still, this crash will never be forgotten and that makes it the most memorable moment of this year for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 FORD EcoBoost 300 at Homestead: Austin Dillon Grabs His Second NASCAR Title
When Austin Dillon crossed the finish line at Homestead in twelfth position, he grabbed his second NASCAR title and first in NASCAR's secondary series. It just added to a legacy that is beginning to pick up steam as Dillon moves up the NASCAR ladder. It really wasn't Dillon's title to lose. He never grabbed a win during the year, but he held on to take the title. Dillon has been one of the best drivers coming up the NASCAR ladder. When your grandfather is Richard Childress and you are going to make your debut in the highest series in the historic number 3, you have to be good. Dillon is just that good. I mean, he won this year's Nationwide title without taking a single win during the year. That just shows consistency and ability to make greatness happen. It was definitely a great moment for the career of Austin Dillon, but also the series as a whole. 2. Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski Dominate Season
I know none of you guys like having Sprint Cup guys in the Nationwide Series. I feel the exact same way, but Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch's domination of the series this year is something to behold. In only thirty three races on the season, Busch and Keselowski combined to win 19 races of the season. For you statistics guys, that is 57.5% of the season's races won by the two Cup drivers. That is a lot of wins for two drivers in a lone season. Plus, the two had to battle each other to do it. I mean, Busch wrecked Keselowski at Kansas and Keselowski still was able to win the owner's title for Roger Penske in the #22. Yes, there were other drivers, but Keselowski was the main driver for the team. Yes, I love to see Nationwide regulars go out and win the race every week. There is nothing that makes me happier for the series. But watching Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski dominate the series this year, was almost unbelievable. -Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Moment of 2013: 2013 CarCash MudSummer Classic at Eldora: NASCAR Returns to Dirt
When you do something for the first time in forty three years, it is usually pretty memorable. That was the case as NASCAR returned to dirt with the Truck Series for NASCAR's first trip since 1970. Everybody was expecting great things and great things is what we got. Before the actual race, the action picked up. Norm Benning fought hard to make the race over Clay Greenfield and a fierce battle put Benning in the field. Plus, there were a couple of wars of words even before the race. Then, the actual race happened. It was exactly what we expected. Trucks slinging dirt around a race track with each one beating and banging on each other is a very welcome sight. Especially from people who grew up around dirt tracks, like myself. Austin Dillon came out on top, but that could be overshadowed by the greatness of the race. I'm pretty excited for the second coming of the race and that is why the first edition of the race was so memorable in 2013. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park: NASCAR Goes Border Jumping
I don't know how many times I have said it thus far in this recap, but I love road courses. I love the action that picks up when you put some cars on a track with left and right turns. Plus, when you make those vehicles trucks, it picks up even more for the fans. This was the case as the Truck Series headed to the Canadian Tire Motorsports Park for the first race at a road course for the series since 2000. Plus, the race would be across the border in Canada. The race was pretty good from the beginning, but it really picked up as the race neared the end. Ty Dillon was battling with Chase Elliott on the last lap when contact sent the two off track. Elliott corralled his truck and took his first victory in the series. Then, Mike Skeen and Max Papis piled into the barrier outside turn 10. Elliott and Dillon's contact resulted in a few words between the two teams as well as the two drivers. Skeen and Papis had some words and Skeen's girlfriend gave Papis a slap to the face. The NASCAR world was shocked in that moment and I am still pretty shocked it even happened. Along with this, Elliott became the youngest winner in the series and history was made with the trip outside the United States for the series. What a crazy race and what a memorable moment for the series in 2013. 2. 2013 Kroger 200 at Martinsville: Dillon vs. Harvick While Darrell Wallace Jr. Wins
This race was one of those under the radar races for the Trucks in 2013, but it could turn out to be one of the most historic in the next few years. For one, there was the infamous fight between Kevin Harvick, a long time driver for Richard Childress, and Ty Dillon, Childress's grandson. Then, you had Darrell Wallace Jr. win the race and become the first African-American to win since 1963 in NASCAR. That is definitely groundbreaking for the sport and one of those door opening instances for drivers of all ethnic backgrounds looking to make their dives into the sport. Oddly enough, a moment that should be one of the greatest in recent memory, is easily forgotten in the Dillon and Harvick fight. Harvick and Dillon were battling late in the event for a spot near the top of the leaderboard. With thirteen laps to go, Dillon went into turn 1 hard on Harvick's back bumper. Dillon sent Harvick around and the two ended up stopped in the corner with a few other drivers. The two drivers drove away, but some hard feelings were shared. They beat and banged around the track before heading to pit road. They had absolutely destroyed most of their trucks, but it wasn't over yet. As the two pulled onto pit road for repairs, Harvick stopped in Dillon's box and the number three's team was not happy. They threw a sledgehammer and pushed his truck until Harvick left willingly. Dillon, Harvick, and Richard Childress shared post-race interviews on the matter and they were still pretty angry with each other due to the incident and even the words spoken later. After the race had completed, though, it was all about Darrell Wallace Jr. as he made waves of news by becoming the first African-American driver to win in NASCAR since 1963. A couple of season changing moments in this race made this close to the most memorable moment of the year. -Worst NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wreck of 2013: 2013 Aaron's 499 at Talladega: The Late Big One
If one thing is for sure, Talladega is known for its wrecks and finishes. Just think about the finishes and wrecks there. We have already talked about the great finish to the 2013 Aaron's 312 in this very recap. Plus, we saw Elliott Sadler flip two years in a row at the track. Then, there are just so many more wrecks and finishes to add to the memories of this track. This wreck in the 2013 edition of the Aaron's 499 was another wreck to add to the memories. With six laps to go in the event, J.J. Yeley was on the outside of a three wide battle with Regan Smith and Kurt Busch. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went to make it four wide and the madness began. Stenhouse and Yeley made contact and Yeley went down the track. Yeley made contact with Kurt Busch and Marcos Ambrose with Busch going upside down. Busch flipped once and landed hard on top of Ryan Newman's race car. Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray, Danica Patrick, Bobby Labonte, David Stremme, and Michael Waltrip all piled into the wreck with some receiving more damage than others. Most of the cars rolled to a stop in turns 3 and 4 with damage too heavy to drive away from the scene. Others made it to pit road, but their chances for a win were lost. The wreck took out the majority of the front running cars, which left some drivers in the race with a chance for an upset victory for the ages. The wrecks at Talladega always make the finish more exciting and allow more drivers a chance for the win along with being extremely hard hitting and massive. That is why this wreck is the worst of the season for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Aaron's 499 at Talladega: The Early Big One
Wrecks at Talladega are definitely not uncommon, but this wreck, I would say, was extremely rare. It occurred during the 2013 Aaron's 499 and it was rather odd. For starters, the race was only about forty laps in of the one hundred and eighty eight scheduled laps. Usually, the race is pretty calm at this point, but this race definitely wasn't. Finally, the wreck occurred at the front of the field. A wreck at the front of the field is typically saved for the end of the event, but this race was filled with action from the beginning. The wreck began entering turn 1 around lap 43, Kasey Kahne was running in front of Kyle Busch. Busch bumped Kahne and the driver of the number five headed straight towards the outside wall. He piled in and headed down the track. Cars began to pile into the accident in the corner. Martin Truex Jr., Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, Jeff Burton, David Stremme, Kurt Busch, David Reutimann, Casey Mears, Scott Speed, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Gordon began to dodge the wreck with only a few making it past cleanly. Carnage was left in the first corner of the track with cars and debris everywhere on the circuit. A few drivers remained stopped on track with heavy amounts of damage. Others drove away with a good bit of damage that needed a good bit of repairs. It was a very early wreck in the race and one that took out a lot of great contenders from the race. The craziness and amount of cars in the wreck made this one of the worst wrecks of the season. 2. 2013 STP 400 at Kansas: Joey Logano Ramps Kyle Busch
When we think of wrecks in NASCAR, the usual tracks for the massive wrecks are tracks like Daytona and Talladega. Sometimes, Martinsville, Bristol, and other short tracks are considered places for massive wrecks, but that is usually about it. Well, Kansas Speedway changed that. The second running at the track in 2013 brought fifteen cautions while the first race brought a very massive and crazy wreck. The wreck was not massive in terms of cars, but definitely in carnage. The wreck occurred in the annual Spring STP 400 at the one and a half mile track. Kyle Busch, who had been struggling all day in Kansas, broke loose in turn 3. His car went up the track and made slight contact with the outside wall. He looked like he as going to stay up at the top of the wall, but his car shot to the left. Joey Logano went to the apron to avoid Busch, but it was not enough. Logano slammed into Busch's front nose and Logano lifted off the ground. He landed hard on his wheels and Busch rolled to a stop. Both cars had extremely heavy damage on their front noses. Both drove away and to the garage, but they would not be able to return to the race from the damage. It was one of the craziest wrecks of the season with a lot of carnage, which caused this to be one of the worst wrecks of the season. -Worst NASCAR Nationwide Series Wreck of 2013: 2013 Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona: Kyle Larson Into Fence
Daytona is always home to some of the worst wrecks on the season. Most of the time, they consist of cars flipping and tons of cars piling up. This wreck at Daytona was abnormal from the rest and it was very scary. The wreck occurred in the annual Drive4COPD 300 for the Nationwide Series at the famed track. Coming to the checkered flag in turn 4, Brad Keselowski was pushing Regan Smith to the line. They made it near the trioval and Keselowski began his moves looking for the win. He bumped Smith just inside the trioval and the JR Motorsports driver pointed straight towards the outside wall. Smith slammed it hard and the mayhem began. Tony Stewart was able to sneak by and come across the line first, but no one else was missing the wreck. Cars piled in left and right. Some were sliding across the grass while others piled into the outside wall. Kyle Larson wasn't as fortunate as the drivers sliding across the grass or hitting the wall. His car lifted off the ground and piled into the catch fence protecting the fans. Parts went into the stands and Larson's car spilled oil and fuel everywhere as he landed hard back on the asphalt. His car stopped with heavy damage, but the concern was the fans in the crowd. About twenty eight were hurt while the drivers were able to all walk away under their own power. All the fans have recovered, but that was a crazy wreck. Luckily, everyone walked away and the craziness of this wreck made it the worst wreck of the 2013 season for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona: Huge Pile-Up in Turn 1
Had the final lap wreck in the Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona not occurred, this wreck, from the same exact race, would have been the worst of the season for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. This wreck was the typical wreck that happens at the superspeedway tracks like Daytona and Talladega. Two cars get together battling for position and the field piles in behind them. This was how this wreck occurred in the 2013 running of the Drive4COPD 300 at Daytona for the NASCAR Nationwide Series. With five laps to go, the field came into turn with Regan Smith leading a pack of two tandems. Behind them, a mad pack of cars was hunting them down. As the pack entered turn 1, Michael Annett made contact with Austin Dillon. Dillon went down the track and made contact with Elliott Sadler. Then, the mayhem began. Dillon slammed the outside wall along with Annett. Johanna Long, Mike Bliss, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Hal Martin, Johanna Long, Jamie Dick, Kasey Kahne, Jason White, Danny Efland, and more piled into the massive pile-up in turns 1 and 2 at Daytona. Cars were damaged all over the track. Some were able to drive away with a good bit of damage while others stood stopped in turns 1 and 2. The wreck would leave one driver injured. Because of his contact with the wall, Michael Annett had broken his sternum. This put him out of action for a good little while after the terrible wreck. It was definitely a massive pile-up in Daytona that had huge ramifications for the rest of the season. Plus, it set up a great finish along with a scary one for the drivers and fans alike. That is what made this wreck the second worst of the season for NASCAR's secondary series. 2. 2013 Aaron's 312 at Talladega: Wrecking Across the Line
The best finishes of the year at superspeedways are usually accompanied by a massive wreck. This was definitely the case as the Nationwide Series headed to Talladega for the annual Aaron's 312. The field came into turn 4 for the final time with Kurt Busch, Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, Regan Smith, and others leading the field around the huge Talladega track. Heading towards the trioval, Kahne and Smith began to get a huge run on the rest of the field. Smith snaked past Logano and others while the mayhem began. Elliott Sadler turned Brian Vickers and Vickers pointed straight towards the outside wall. He clipped Alex Bowman and the field began to pile in. Landon Cassill, Justin Allgaier, Jamie Dick, Josh Wise, Mike Wallace, and others began sliding through the grass while others slammed the wall hard. Regan Smith, Kasey Kahne, and Joey Logano took the checkered flag three wide with the massive wreck just a part of the background behind them. A few cars laid stopped on the frontstretch of the track while the rest of the drivers involved drove away with heavy damage. It was a very fitting end to a great race with the great finish and amazing wreck. That is what made this one of the worst NASCAR Nationwide Series wrecks of 2013. -Worst NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Wreck of 2013: 2013 Fred's 250 at Talladega: Miguel Paludo Flipping to the Line
Talladega is one of those tracks that always has big wrecks. It is something that can be counted on when any of NASCAR's three highest series heads to the largest track on the circuit. This was definitely the case as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series headed to Talladega for the annual Fred's 250. The field made it to the final run of the green flag with only two laps left to go. Matt Crafton, Kyle Busch, Johnny Sauter, and others led a group of three tandems running three wide around the track. The tandems took the white flag still side by side and they made it into turn 4. As they began towards the trioval, the trucks began to swish back and forth looking to pass for the win. The tandems stayed off of each other, but the wreck would begin behind them. Miguel Paludo turned Jeb Burton and Burton pushed up the track. He slammed into Kyle Busch's left rear and Busch began to slide down the track. He made contact with Jeb Burton and the two went down towards Miguel Paludo and Darrell Wallace Jr. Paludo went over and landed hard on his roof on the frontstretch. Luckily, he would make it back onto four wheels. The rest of the field behind them began to pile in just as the leaders had trouble. Parker Kligerman and Ross Chastain went up the track towards Matt Crafton. The three made contact and Crafton went around just as the other two piled into Dakoda Armstrong. Only Johnny Sauter made it out cleanly and he crossed the line for the win. Behind him, the frontstretch was covered with damaged trucks and bent sheetmetal along with some more debris everywhere. It was definitely a wild wreck to end a very wild race and that made this wreck the worst of the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. -Honorable Mentions: 1. 2013 NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona: The Big One
Daytona and Talladega are pretty much one in the same. They are big superspeedway tracks with huge wrecks, great history, great racing, and definitely great finishes. They never cease to fail in terms of action or carnage. This wreck in the 2013 NextEra Energy Resources 250 definitely did not fail in terms of either. With nine laps to go, the field came roaring two wide down the end of the backstretch. Ryan Truex was running slow and came into the middle of the two wide action. As the trucks flew by him, Truex's truck began to swish back and forth. Just as the field entered turn 3, one of Truex's tires blew out and he went immediately to the left. This caused a stack up as the field tried to slide past. Ross Chastain made it past quickly, but Ryan Sieg sent him around as they made it past. Timothy Peters has nowhere to go and he slammed hard into Truex. Truex's truck lifted off the ground slightly, but he landed back on all four wheels. He rolled to a stop on the grass while Peters and Chastain were able to drive away with heavy damage. The wreck left a good many contenders out of a shot for the win, but it also set up a dash for the victory. That is what made this one of the worst wrecks of the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season. 2. 2013 Fred's 250 at Talladega: Big One #1
Yes, we have clarified that Daytona and Talladega are usually home to a big wreck in the race. But it isn't too often we are left with two big wrecks before the race finishes. This was the case as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series made its only trip to Talladega in 2013 for the Fred's 250. With thirty laps to go, the action began to pick up as the field made it to the halfway point of the backstretch. Things began to close up around David Starr and James Buescher and a few drivers made contact. In front of them, Caleb Holman made contact with Timothy Peters. Both drivers sailed up the track and slammed the wall. Thus, the mayhem began. Holman went up into German Quiroga and Quiroga piled into the outside wall along with Holman. Chris Cockrum couldn't see to avoid and he slammed into the back of Quiroga. Quiroga's truck lifted off the ground while Cockrum sustained heavy damage. Below them, Clay Greenfield and Sean Corr made contact with Brennan Newberry. Newberry and Corr hit Peters and Newberry and Peters slammed the outside wall. The wrecking had finished, but the carnage was still left on track. Trucks sat dead still on track with heavy damage. A good many possible race winning trucks were out after the wreck and the race would be changed with this caution. That made this one of the worst wrecks of the season for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. -Most Valuable NASCAR Sprint Car Series Driver of 2013: Matt Kenseth
This may be a surprise for some people. Jimmie Johnson won six races and grab his sixth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship, but that was typical Jimmie Johnson. I feel Matt Kenseth went above and beyond and deserves the most valuable driver award for the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. It isn't just because he finished second in the championship, but because of his statistics. Kenseth won seven races, grabbed twelve top 5s, twenty top 10s, and even three poles to go along with everything else. He started off the Chase with two wins and looked to be in prime position to take the championship. He stayed consistent the rest of the Chase, but struggles at Phoenix in the penultimate race left Kenseth without his second career NASCAR championship. Still, it was a season to remember for Kenseth and he will look to repeat it in 2014. -Most Valuable NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver of 2013: Sam Hornish Jr.
This may also be a surprise to some people around NASCAR. Austin Dillon was able to capture his first NASCAR Nationwide Series title without a win, but Dillon seems to be consistent every single year. I feel like Sam Hornish Jr. deserved the most valuable driver award for the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year. Hornish won one race at Las Vegas along with sixteen top 5s, twenty five top 10s, and even four poles. Hornish battled back hard looking for the title in the final few events of the year, but he came up just short to Austin Dillon. Still, a second place finish for Hornish was a great thing considering he wants to make it back to NASCAR's highest series. The great season did not secure him a job with Team Penske, but he will run a good many races with Joe Gibbs Racing in the number 54. Hopefully, Hornish can continue his greatness in the next few years in the sport. -Most Valuable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver of 2013: Matt Crafton
This isn't a surprise at all for anybody who follows the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series closely. Matt Crafton, the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, is my most valuable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver of 2013. Crafton took a win at Kansas early in the year along with seven top 5s and nineteen top 10s. Even more special, Crafton had clinched the championship with one race still left to go. Even more gratifying, he scored a top 10 in the first sixteen events of the season before finishing eleventh in the race at Las Vegas. It was a very dominating year for Crafton considering he had to make it through a road course race and a dirt race to hold onto his championship lead. Crafton returns in 2014 and he could very well grab another championship. -Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
This year's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series rookie class wasn't too deep. The only two drivers really competing for it were Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Danica Patrick. Still, Stenhouse performed really well this year even with a change in cars from year to year. That makes him the Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2013. Stenhouse did not grab a win, but he took a top 5, three top 10s, and a pole at Atlanta late in the year. No, the numbers don't seem to be the greatest ever seen, but they are impressive with the start of the new gen-6 car. Plus, he might have had a chance to win at Talladega in the Chase had a wreck not occurred on the final lap. Based on this year's statistics, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. could become a very great driver in the series. -Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013: Kyle Larson
The NASCAR Nationwide Series was filled with rookies this year. The likes of Kyle Larson, Parker Kligerman, Alex Bowman, and many others started their rookie campaigns in the series. I feel that Kyle Larson is the Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2013. Larson didn't take a win, but he grabbed nine top 5s and seventeen top 10s. Larson almost took a win at Bristol over Kyle Busch, but Busch beat him by a close margin at the line. Still, Larson's drive throughout the year and his ability to race hard allowed him to become the greatest rookie of the season for the series. He may still be known for piling into the catch fence at Daytona in the Drive4COPD 300 last year, but his abilities in NASCAR should allow him to make a different name for himself as he drives for Chip Ganassi this season in the Cup Series. -Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2013: Ryan Blaney
The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series was also filled with a large amount of rookies. The likes of Darrell Wallace Jr, Jeb Burton, Ryan Blaney, and others ran their rookie campaigns in the series. Each one of the three drivers listed won during the year, but I have to hand the rookie of the year award to Ryan Blaney. Blaney, who won in the series in 2012, won a race at Pocono in 2013, grabbed eight top 5s, thirteen top 10s, and even two poles throughout the year. Had Blaney not had some terrible finishes throughout the year, he may have raised the trophy as champion in the series at the end of the year. Blaney, the son of Cup driver Dave Blaney, also took a Nationwide win and looks to continue his greatness as 2014 comes. In a few years, Blaney could be one of the better young drivers coming to Cup and his records this year make him my 2013 Rookie of the Year for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. From Daytona to Homestead, the 2013 NASCAR season was filled with great moments, huge crashes, great finishes, great fights, and great stories as the season progressed. My recap of the year was filled with these things as well. It is definitely the longest piece I have written about NASCAR, but it is definitely filled with the greatest things of 2013. I hope you guys enjoyed reading how I felt the year went with all these great topics. If you made it all the way through this piece, I sincerely applaud you for continuing to support me in all the NASCAR articles I write. If you have any questions or comments, please let me know in the comments down below. I hope to continue this season recap article for a good little while and continue writing for you guys as much as possible. Well, until next time and until we meet again.
Credits:
-Images:
NASCAR In 2013
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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Logo
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NASCAR Nationwide Series Logo
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Logo
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Denny Hamlin #11 FedEx/Jason Leffler Tribute NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Michael Waltrip #26 Newtown Support NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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A.J. Allmendinger #51 Neil Bonnett Tribute NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Kasey Kahne #5 Time Warner Cable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Clint Bowyer #15 Gander Mountain NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Marcos Ambrose #9 DEWALT NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Joey Logano #22 Shell/Pennzoil NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Juan Pablo Montoya #42 Target NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
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Justin Allgaier #31 Jason Leffler Tribute NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Brian Scott #2 Husky Liners NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Jeffrey Earnhardt #79 Oath Keepers NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Sam Hornish Jr. #12 Detroit Genuine Parts NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Kurt Busch #1 City Chevrolet NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Trevor Bayne #6 PillowPets.com NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Nelson Piquet Jr. #30 WORX Tools NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Brendan Gaughan #21 South Point NASCAR Nationwide Series
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Brandon Jones #33 Katy Spring NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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Denny Hamlin #51 Jordan Brand NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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Chase Elliott #94 Aaron's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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Kevin Harvick #14 Anderson's Maple Syrup NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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Dakoda Armstrong #60 WinField NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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Brennan Newberry #24 Qore-24 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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James Buescher #31 Rheem NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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Johnny Sauter #98 Carolina Nut Orange NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
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2013 Aaron's 499 Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race of 2013
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2013 Auto Club 400 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race of 2013
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2013 Coca-Cola 600 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race of 2013
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2013 Aaron's 312 Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Race of 2013
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2013 Drive4COPD 300 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Race of 2013
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2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Race of 2013
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2013 CarCash MudSummer Classic Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race of 2013
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2013 Fred's 250 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race of 2013
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2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Moment of 2013
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2013 FORD EcoBoost 400 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Moment of 2013
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Tony Stewart Sprint Car Wreck Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Moment of 2013
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2013 Drive4COPD 300 Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Moment of 2013
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2013 FORD EcoBoost 300 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Moment of 2013
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Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch Domination Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Moment of 2013
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2013 CarCash MudSummer Classic Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Moment of 2013
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2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Moment of 2013
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2013 Kroger 200 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Moment of 2013
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Matt Kenseth Most Valuable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Driver of 2013
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/59b75b66483e8131c1db09768ea56d49a66309b9/c=0-387-2250-2072&r=2250x1685&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/test/2013/08/13/1376437626000-8-13-matt-kenseth.jpg
Sam Hornish Jr. Most Valuable NASCAR Nationwide Series Driver in 2013
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/drivers/S/sam-hornish-jr/lookup/sam_hornishjr.png/_jcr_content/renditions/sam_hornishjr.png.main.png
Matt Crafton Most Valuable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Driver in 2013
http://www.nascar-racing-club.com/NASCAR%20Fahrer/NASCAR%20Camping%20World%20Truck%20Fahrer/88%20Matt%20Crafton/display_image_GYI0058310096.jpg
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie of the Year in 2013
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/378800000414987308/cd80800a98bbeaaabc0108691a1c8f1b.jpeg
Kyle Larson NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year in 2013
http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Kyle+Larson+Auto+Club+Speedway+Day+1+ylXZNS_ekg5x.jpg
Ryan Blaney NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year in 2013
http://static.nascar.com/content/dam/nascar/drivers/R/ryan-blaney/lookup/CWTS-ryan-blaney.png/_jcr_content/renditions/CWTS-ryan-blaney.png.main.png
-Videos:
2013 Auto Club 400 Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=feuIkdGAmfI
2013 Aaron's 499 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S35n20PrJRk
2013 Irwin Tools Night Race Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7AuncAHF04
2013 Aaron's 312 Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O8SHFNY8Ik
2013 Jeff Foxworthy's Grit Chips 300 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVW44RAFqY4
2013 Drive4COPD 300 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Nationwide Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkcdcbyoDFw
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obkOMoH2lN4
2013 UNOH 200 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G10ggJ9DLPc
2013 Fred's 250 Honorable Mention Best NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Finish of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW5kk6C7Axg
2013 Sylvania 300 Funniest NASCAR Interview of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN3fN6GIyJM
2013 Auto Club 400 Honorable Mention Funniest NASCAR Interview of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAqHJeDuuPA
2013 Food City 500 Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPFt9pNb304
2013 Auto Club 400 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IC9FY8P76E
2013 Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cu9uYVtxdM
2013 ToyotaCare 250 Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2ExFzKFnsA
2013 Johnsonville Sausage 200 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZFO4DhlDq0
2013 Kansas Lottery 300 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Nationwide Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJ2zq3BgLc0
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afhMrr_urt0
2013 Kroger 200 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnxVkgroTQQ
2013 Chevrolet Silverado 250 Honorable Mention Most Memorable NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Fight of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPawp20tsgs
2013 Aaron's 499 Worst NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYTPQrovA0k
2013 Aaron's 499 Honorable Mention Worst NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpwDUlgJJrc
2013 STP 400 Honorable Mention Worst NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVfc5YZjr-Q
2013 Drive4COPD 300 Worst NASCAR Nationwide Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnHRCeUcDL4
2013 Drive4COPD 300 Honorable Mention Worst NASCAR Nationwide Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu3sP2N97rY
2013 Aaron's 312 Honorable Mention Worst NASCAR Nationwide Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2O8SHFNY8Ik
2013 Fred's 250 Worst NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW5kk6C7Axg
2013 NextEra Energy Resources 250 Honorable Mention Worst NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5nLvtIVn8Y
2013 Fred's 250 Honorable Mention Worst NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Wreck of 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJjDr1_aamw
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series.html
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