2013 Daytona 500 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
2013 Daytona 500

Race details
Race 1 of 36 in the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date	February 24, 2013 (February 24, 2013)
Location	Daytona International Speedway Daytona Beach, Florida, U.S.
Course	Permanent racing facility 2.5 mi (4.023 km)
Distance	200 laps, 500 mi (804.672 km)
Weather	Warm with temperatures reaching up to 79 °F (26 °C); wind speeds approaching 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
Average speed	159.250 mph (256.288 km/h)
Pole position
Driver	Danica Patrick	Stewart-Haas Racing
Time	45.817 seconds
Qualifying race winners
Duel 1 Winner	Kevin Harvick	Richard Childress Racing
Duel 2 Winner	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing
Most laps led
Driver	Matt Kenseth	Joe Gibbs Racing
Laps	86
Winner
No. 48	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports
Television in the United States
Network	Fox
Announcers	Mike Joy, Darrell Waltrip, and Larry McReynolds
Nielsen Ratings	9.9/22 (16.7 million viewers)

The 2013 Daytona 500 was a super exciting car race held on February 24, 2013. It was the 55th time this big event took place at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Drivers raced for 200 laps, covering a total of 500 miles (800 km) on the 2.5-mile (4 km) asphalt track. This race was the very first one of the 2013 Sprint Cup season.

A huge moment happened when Danica Patrick won the pole position, meaning she started the race from the very front. She was the first woman ever to achieve this in NASCAR's top racing series! She also made history by finishing 8th, which was the best finish for a woman at the Daytona 500. The race winner was Jimmie Johnson from Hendrick Motorsports. This was his second time winning the "Great American Race," with his first win being in 2006. His teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished second. This race was also the last Daytona 500 for racing legends Mark Martin and Jeff Burton.

About the Race Track

Daytona International Speedway, where the race was held. The front stretch is at the bottom of the figure.

The Daytona International Speedway is a famous track where NASCAR races are held. It's one of six "superspeedways" in NASCAR, which are very long and fast tracks. The main track at Daytona is 2.5 miles (4 km) long and has four turns. These turns are super steep, tilted at 31 degrees! The front part of the track, where the finish line is, is tilted at 18 degrees.

The track was built to host races that used to happen on the beach. It first opened in 1959 with the very first Daytona 500 race. Over the years, the speedway has been updated several times.

Before the big race, NASCAR teams tested their new cars, called the sixth generation race cars. During one of these test sessions, a big accident happened involving several cars, including Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose. This showed how challenging the new cars could be.

Practice and Qualifying Highlights

Danica Patrick became the first woman to win a pole position in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race

Before the main race, drivers had several practice sessions to get used to the track and their cars. Then came qualifying, which decides where each car starts the race. For the Daytona 500, only the first two starting spots are decided by qualifying. The rest are set by special races called the Budweiser Duels.

In qualifying, Danica Patrick made history! She drove her car faster than anyone else, with a time of 45.817 seconds. This amazing speed earned her the pole position, making her the first woman ever to start from the front in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. She was joined on the front row by Jeff Gordon.

After her historic qualifying run, Danica said she was raised to be the fastest driver, not just the fastest girl. She felt lucky to be part of good teams and hoped to keep making history.

Later, Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch won the Budweiser Duels, which helped set more of the starting grid. Some drivers, like Mike Bliss and Brian Keselowski, didn't qualify for the big race.

Safety Concerns After a Big Crash

Just one day before the Daytona 500, on February 23, there was a major crash during another race called the DRIVE4COPD 300. This race was part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series. On the very last lap, a car driven by Kyle Larson crashed into the catch fence, which is a safety barrier. The impact was so strong that the car's engine came out and landed near the stands, and a tire flew over the fence.

This incident made people wonder about safety at the Daytona International Speedway. However, NASCAR worked quickly to fix the fence overnight, and the Daytona 500 went ahead as planned.

The Main Race Event

Jimmie Johnson won the race in his 400th start.

The 2013 Daytona 500 was full of action, with the lead changing 28 times among 14 different drivers! Danica Patrick stayed in the top 10 for most of the race. On lap 90, she took the lead after a restart, becoming the first woman to lead the Daytona 500. She led for a total of 5 laps at different times.

Some of the favorite drivers had a tough day. There were two big crashes during the race. The first happened on lap 33 when Kyle Busch turned Kasey Kahne, causing six more cars to crash. Later, on lap 136, another crash involved nine cars, including Brad Keselowski and Trevor Bayne.

Jeff Gordon led the first 31 laps, but his car started having engine problems and he fell behind. Matt Kenseth led the most laps, 86 in total, but his engine failed on lap 150, ending his race early.

Jimmie Johnson, who was racing in his 400th career Sprint Cup start, was mostly in the middle of the pack. But with only 16 laps left, he pushed forward. He took the lead with 10 laps to go, passing Keselowski after a restart. Even with a caution flag waving with six laps left, Johnson held on to win, fending off a strong challenge from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin on the final lap.

Johnson said he felt very confident in the last few laps, leading the group of cars. Danica Patrick finished eighth, which was a fantastic result for her. She admitted that her inexperience might have caused her to drop a few spots at the very end. However, Johnson praised her, saying she looked "really comfortable" and drove smoothly throughout the race.

Jimmie Johnson became only the sixth driver to win a race in his 400th Sprint Cup start. This was a truly memorable win for him!

Race Results: Top Finishers

Standings After the Race

Drivers' Championship Standings Pos Driver Points 1 Jimmie Johnson 47 2 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 42 3 Mark Martin 41 4 Brad Keselowski 41 5 Ryan Newman 40 6 Greg Biffle 38 7 Danica Patrick 37 8 Michael McDowell 35 9 J. J. Yeley 34 10 Clint Bowyer 34 11 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 32 12 Aric Almirola 31

Manufacturers' Championship Standings Pos Manufacturer Points 1 Chevrolet 9 2 Toyota 6 3 Ford 4 Note: Only the top twelve positions are shown for the driver standings.

See also

In Spanish: Anexo:500 Millas de Daytona del 2013 para niños