Federated Auto Parts 400 Race Recap
Such is Logano’s struggle that on lap 90 he makes his first green flag pit stop which triggers a wave of cars coming to pit road to do the same. A bad night for Johnson gets worse as he started at the back of the pack (he missed qualifying due to the birth of his second daughter) and now has to serve a drive through for speeding on pit road and goes a lap down. McMurray and Kurt both come to pit road and a good stop by the 1 car sees him beat the 78 off pit road but both are behind Keselowski. Kurt uses the next lap to come back at McMuray and retake second and as the race passes a quarter distance the top five is Keselowski, Matt Kenseth, Kurt, McMurray, and Bowyer. The old tyres on the 2 car start to fade as Keselowski loses first to Kenseth and then second to Kurt as the 78 continues his run to the front he gets round the 20. After a 135 laps of green flag racing the first caution of the day comes out as NASCAR handily spot some debris on the track and the leaders come to pit road.
Sep 7, 2013; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Kurt Busch (78) during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
The bane of Kurt’s season has been slow pit stops and once again the 78 car’s crew have a slow stop as Kurt’s stop is a second slower than the other leading cars and loses five spots to slip to 6th. The top five on the restart is now McMurray, Keselowski, Kyle Busch, Kenseth and Bowyer. A great start by both the front two cars sees them go door to door for two laps before Keselowski is finally able to get far enough ahead of the 1 car to slide up in front of it. Keselowski is showing great pace and a determination to make the Chase as he quickly pulls out a lead of over a second and ten laps later his lead is up to 2.3 seconds.
Kurt has also started to recover from him slow stop and starts moving back through the field getting up to second, reporting that it is taking around 10 laps for his car to come good after his stop. Fellow Chase hopeful Gordon is back in 8th and telling his crew chief that the car is struggling to grip and he starts falling further back through the field to 15th, putting him currently outside the Chase and letting Logano back in and giving a wildcard place to current leader Keselowski.
At the halfway stage the top five is Keselowski, Kurt, McMurray, Bowyer and Jeff Burton. Despite the hard running of Kurt there is no time for him to close the gap on the leader as the 30 of David Stremme spins bringing out the second caution of the day. This time the 78 pit crew redeem themselves with a great stop allowing Kurt to win the race off pit road. While the leading two cars go side by side for the restart lap as with earlier in the race Kurt’s car struggles to get going again and Keselowski seizes his opportunity to make a move that sticks and retake the lead. Jimmie Johnson’s night gets even worse as he comes to pit road with electrical issues but as he’s already locked into the Chase he wont be too concerned although it looks like he will lose the points lead to Bowyer. Of more concern to Hendrick Motorsport is Gordon bringing his car to pit road complaining of a vibration. After four new tyres he comes back out two laps down in 25th place and his Chase hopes looking in tatters.
Sep 7, 2013; Richmond, VA, USA; Sprint Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon (24) makes a pit stop during the Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports
Back up front Kurt is ducking and weaving all over the back of Keselowski but cant seem to make a move stick either underneath or on the high line, the 2 car just has too much grip out of the turns. But he will get a better shot at the 2 car when once again debris is spotted out on track and the yellow flags fly for a third time in the race. Gordon gets a much-needed boost as he finds himself in the lucky dog position and will get back on the lead lap with his Chase chances back in the realm of possibility. Bowyer wins the race off pit road but we see a bit of sportsmanship take place when Kurt seems to slow slightly to allow Keselowski to pass him so that he will start on the much preferred low line. The top five at the restart is now Bowyer, Keselowski, Kurt, Kevin Harvick and Burton.