Pure Michigan 400 2013 Results: Reaction, Leaders and Post-Race Analysis

In another exciting race toward the Sprint Cup Series Chase for the Championship, it was Joey Logano and the No. 22 car that took the checkered flag and won the 2013 Pure Michigan 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

The win helps the Penske team get closer to ensuring a spot in the championship chase and could be the shift in momentum that brings a NASCAR title to the 23-year-old driver.

Kevin Harvick earned a second-place finish, and Kurt Busch ended up finishing third. Paul Menard took home a stunning fourth-place finish, and Clint Bowyer rounded out the top five.

Full Pure Michigan 400 Results

Pos	Driver	Car #	Make	Started
1	Joey Logano	22	Ford	1
2	Kevin Harvick	29	Chevrolet	15
3	Kurt Busch	78	Chevrolet	2
4	Paul Menard	27	Chevrolet	20
5	Clint Bowyer	15	Toyota	11
6	Marcos Ambrose	9	Ford	26
7	Kasey Kahne	5	Chevrolet	31
8	Jeff Burton	31	Chevrolet	5
9	Greg Biffle	16	Ford	16
10	Carl Edwards	99	Ford	19
11	Juan Pablo Montoya	42	Chevrolet	6
12	Brad Keselowski	2	Ford	9
13	Ryan Newman	39	Chevrolet	21
14	Austin Dillon	14	Chevrolet	27
15	Matt Kenseth	20	Toyota	12
16	Martin Truex Jr.	56	Toyota	17
17	Jeff Gordon	24	Chevrolet	13
18	Aric Almirola	43	Ford	14
19	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	17	Ford	22
20	Denny Hamlin	11	Toyota	8
21	Trevor Bayne	21	Ford	18
22	Jamie McMurray	1	Chevrolet	29
23	Danica Patrick	10	Chevrolet	28
24	David Ragan	34	Ford	24
25	Casey Mears	13	Ford	33
26	David Stremme	30	Toyota	36
27	Mark Martin	55	Toyota	4
28	Travis Kvapil	93	Toyota	38
29	Timmy Hill	32	Ford	34
30	Dave Blaney	7	Chevrolet	42
31	Kyle Busch	18	Toyota	10
32	Landon Cassill	33	Chevrolet	43
33	Brendan Gaughan	51	Chevrolet	39
34	Joe Nemechek	87	Toyota	37
35	Bobby Labonte	47	Toyota	30
36	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	88	Chevrolet	7
37	David Gilliland	38	Ford	23
38	David Reutimann	83	Toyota	25
39	Josh Wise	35	Ford	40
40	Jimmie Johnson	48	Chevrolet	3
41	Scott Speed	95	Ford	32
42	Johnny Sauter	98	Ford	41
43	J.J. Yeley	36	Chevrolet	35

*Visit NASCAR.com for results and race times.

Logano and the No. 22 car won the honor of starting the race on the pole, but the serenity of the Irish Hills of Michigan was shattered almost immediately after Bowyer and the No. 15 car spun out on Lap 2 and brought out the caution flag.

After a return to green-flag racing, David Reutimann brought another yellow flag on Lap 8. The early string of bad luck didn't end there, as yet another crash on Lap 13 between Austin Dillon and J.J. Yeley slowed the field again.

Though chaos ruled early in the race, it was relatively smooth sailing for the remainder of the first 100 laps for almost every driver except Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 car. Johnson was already in a backup car, but the motor blew up and forced him to enter the garage early on Lap 60.

Almost the entire field hit pit road during a debris caution on Lap 107, and the intense racing of Michigan took over for a long green-flag run. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. brought out another yellow flag as he cut down a right-front tire and smashed into the wall while running in seventh place.

The yellow flag flew once again on Lap 149 when Bobby Labonte spun into the grass and set up an intriguing last 50 laps of the race.

Kyle Busch brought out yet another caution flag on Lap 157, and the majority of the field hit the pits in hopes of finishing without making another stop. Busch wasn’t done spinning, though, as he took a trip through the grass on Lap 173.

Mark Martin led the final stretch of laps, but it came down to fuel mileage once again, as the No. 55 was forced to pit with four laps remaining and give the lead to Logano.

2013 Sprint Cup Standings

Rank	Driver	Points	Behind	Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10	DNF	Laps	Laps Led
1	Jimmie Johnson	813	-	23	4	9	15	1	6004	1139
2	Clint Bowyer	772	41	23	0	8	13	1	6141	115
3	Carl Edwards	762	51	23	1	7	12	0	6117	214
4	Kevin Harvick	749	64	23	2	6	12	2	5861	44
5	Kyle Busch	706	107	23	3	10	14	3	5744	1066
6	Matt Kenseth	688	125	23	4	5	11	3	5748	995
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	679	134	23	0	5	12	2	5906	114
8	Brad Keselowski	667	146	23	0	7	11	1	5945	170
9	Kurt Busch	665	148	23	0	6	11	2	6055	314
10	Greg Biffle	663	150	23	1	3	9	0	5911	115
11	Kasey Kahne	659	154	23	2	7	10	3	5825	466
12	Martin Truex Jr.	653	160	23	1	5	9	2	5827	253

*Complete standings found at ESPN.com.

With another chapter in the books, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series moves toward the Chase for the Sprint Cup as it travels to Bristol Motor Speedway for the Irwin Tools Night Race. The next race will take place Aug. 24 at 7:43 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC.

Denny Hamlin was the 2012 race champion. 

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