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Driving the familiar No. 48 Chevrolet fielded by Hendrick Motorsports, California native Jimmie Johnson won six times and posted 24 top-10 finishes on the way to his sixth NASCAR Cup Series title in 2013.
After two seasons that ended with points finishes of sixth (2011) and third (2012), Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus were able to put together another championship run in NASCAR’s premier series.
Opening the season on a high note, Johnson beat his Daytona 500 jinx and held off a last-lap charge from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin to win his second Daytona 500. It was the first time he had finished better than 27th in The Great American Race since winning the prestigious race for the first time in 2006.
Five races later, Johnson led 346 of 500 laps at Martinsville en route to winning his eighth race at the Virginia short track, and he assumed the points lead, which he held for the remainder of the regular season.
Johnson’s consistency was such that there were periods during the summer where he was more than two-race wins worth of points ahead of Carl Edwards or Clint Bowyer.
Three top-5 finishes over a span of seven races led to a win at Pocono, which increased Jonson’s points lead to 51 over Edwards. This also snapped a nine-year winless streak for Johnson at Pocono. A fourth win of the year came at Daytona on July 6.
Victories at Dover and Texas sealed Johnson’s championship hopes by 19 points over Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
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MOVIES TO WATCH: MAN OF STEEL AND FROZEN
NO. 1 SONG: “THRIFT SHOP” BY MACKLEMORE & RYAN LEWIS FEATURING WANZ
GALLON OF GAS: $3.49
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Matt Kenseth, driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, collected seven wins and 20 top-10 finishes in 36 starts. Victories at Las Vegas, Kansas, Darlington, Kentucky, Bristol, Chicago and New Hampshire rewarded the Cambridge, Wisconsin, native with an awesome season. However, three DNFs served as the foundation for him ending up second in the championship. Kenseth’s average finish of 12.7 kept him in the hunt, but he simply couldn’t overcome Johnson’s lead.
On May 5, David Ragan, driving the No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford, led four of 192 laps en route to victory in the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Ragan led at various times, placing himself within the top 10 throughout the 3 hour and 26 minute battle. The Unadilla, Georgia, native made it through a 12-car crash with two laps remaining and held off teammate David Gilliland at the finish by .212 seconds.
Jimmie Johnson’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Lowe’s Chevrolet earned six wins, 24 top-10 finishes and three pole positions in 36 starts.
The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing DeWalt Tools Toyota driven by Matt Kenseth won seven times with 20 top-10 results.
DATE | LOCATION | WINNER
Feb. 24 | Daytona International Speedway | Jimmie Johnson
March 3 | Phoenix Raceway | Carl Edwards
March 10 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Matt Kenseth
March 17 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Kasey Kahne
March 24 | Auto Club Speedway | Kyle Busch
April 7 | Martinsville Speedway | Jimmie Johnson
April 13 | Texas Motor Speedway | Kyle Busch
April 21 | Kansas Speedway | Matt Kenseth
April 27 | Richmond Raceway | Kevin Harvick
May 5 | Talladega Superspeedway | David Ragan
May 11 | Darlington Raceway | Matt Kenseth
May 26 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Kevin Harvick
June 2 | Dover Motor Speedway | Tony Stewart
June 9 | Pocono Raceway | Jimmie Johnson
June 16 | Michigan International Speedway | Greg Biffle
June 23 | Sonoma Raceway | Martin Truex Jr.
June 30 | Kentucky Speedway | Matt Kenseth
July 6 | Daytona International Speedway | Jimmie Johnson
July 14 || New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Brian Vickers
July 28 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Ryan Newman
Aug. 4 | Pocono Raceway | Kasey Kahne
Aug. 11 | Watkins Glen International | Kyle Busch
Aug. 18 | Michigan International Speedway | Joey Logano
Aug. 24 | Bristol Motor Speedway | Matt Kenseth
Sept. 1 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Kyle Busch
Sept. 7 | Richmond Raceway | Carl Edwards
Sept. 15 | Chicago land Speedway | Matt Kenseth
Sept. 22 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Matt Kenseth
Sept. 29 | Dover Motor Speedway | Jimmie Johnson
Oct. 6 | Kansas Speedway | Kevin Harvick
Oct. 12 | Charlotte Motor Speedway | Brad Keselowski
Oct. 20 | Talladega Superspeedway | Jamie McMurray
Oct. 27 | Martinsville Speedway | Jeff Gordon
Nov. 3 | Texas Motor Speedway | Jimmie Johnson
Nov. 10 | Phoenix Raceway | Kevin Harvick
Nov. 17 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Denny Hamlin
