Irwin Tools Night Race 2013 Results: Reaction, Leaders and Post-Race Analysis

In a race marked by intense action throughout, Matt Kenseth and the No. 20 car emerged victorious in the 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway. 

The dramatic win gives the Joe Gibbs Racing driver his fifth victory of the season, as he edged out Kasey Kahne to take the checkered flag. Both Clint Bowyer and Kenseth locked up spots in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

The second-place finish marked the eighth time Kahne's finished in the top five this season. An inability to make key passes down the stretch prevented him from showing up in victory lane once again. Jeff Gordon put in a solid performance with a seventh-place finish, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10. 

POS	Car #	Driver	MFG	Started	Laps	Laps Led
1	20	Matt Kenseth	Toyota	5	500	149
2	5	Kasey Kahne	Chevrolet	7	500	0
3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet	16	500	0
4	55	Brian Vickers	Toyota	4	500	0
5	22	Joey Logano	Ford	6	500	0
6	27	Paul Menard	Chevrolet	21	500	64
7	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet	32	500	0
8	9	Marcos Ambrose	Ford	14	500	0
9	16	Greg Biffle	Ford	29	500	0
10	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Chevrolet	19	500	32
11	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota	43	500	0
12	34	David Ragan	Ford	17	500	0
13	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet	41	500	0
14	15	Clint Bowyer	Toyota	24	500	50
15	43	Aric Almirola	Ford	10	499	0
16	93	Travis Kvapil	Toyota	39	499	0
17	30	David Stremme	Toyota	38	498	0
18	17	Ricky Stenhouse Jr	Ford	27	497	0
19	1	Jamie McMurray	Chevrolet	20	497	0
20	14	Mark Martin	Chevrolet	11	497	0
21	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet	8	497	0
22	7	Dave Blaney	Chevrolet	36	497	0
23	40	Landon Cassill	Chevrolet	33	497	0
24	36	J.J. Yeley	Chevrolet	34	496	0
25	38	David Gilliland	Ford	25	495	0
26	10	Danica Patrick	Chevrolet	22	493	0
27	32	Ken Schrader	Ford	35	491	0
28	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota	1	487	23
29	83	David Reutimann	Toyota	31	483	0
30	2	Brad Keselowski	Ford	12	478	0
31	78	Kurt Busch	Chevrolet	2	476	54
32	33	Tony Raines	Chevrolet	40	475	0
33	13	Casey Mears	Ford	30	467	0
34	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet	15	449	7
35	56	Martin Truex Jr	Toyota	9	446	2
36	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet	13	440	0
37	35	Josh Wise	Ford	28	418	0
38	47	Bobby Labonte	Toyota	23	394	0
39	99	Carl Edwards	Ford	3	387	119
40	95	Scott Speed	Ford	42	223	0
41	98	Michael McDowell	Ford	26	175	0
42	51	Ryan Truex	Chevrolet	18	39	0
43	87	Joe Nemechek	Toyota	37	1	0

Visit NASCAR.com for results and race times.

Denny Hamlin started the race off strong from the pole position, but he wasn't able to take advantage and finished the race in 28th place. 

Bowyer would later take the lead from Hamlin, but he ran into some difficulty when a lapped car caused him to spin out. He would settle for a finish just outside the top 10 at No. 14. 

Jimmie Johnson, the Chase for the Sprint Cup points leader, was another victim of a crash. In a race that saw 11 cautions, he was caught up in one of the more hectic collisions, and it cost him. He finished toward the back of the pack at No. 36. 

With just 54 laps to go, a multiple-car wreck left many drivers with a disappointing finish and tempers flaring as the night race in Bristol headed toward the home stretch. 

However, the leaders of the pack were unscathed by the pileup and continued their pursuit for the checkered flag. Kahne passed Juan Pablo Montoya, but he was just a bit too conservative in his attempts to take the lead over Kenseth and paid dearly for it. 

2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings

RK	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND	MONEY	WINS	POLES	TOP 5	TOP 10
1	Jimmie Johnson	821	---	$6,565,912	4	2	9	15
2	Clint Bowyer	803	-18	$3,751,612	0	0	8	13
3	Carl Edwards	768	-53	$3,994,764	1	1	7	12
4	Kevin Harvick	760	-61	$4,314,525	2	0	6	12
5	Kyle Busch	739	-82	$4,645,191	3	3	10	14
6	Matt Kenseth	736	-85	$4,391,363	5	2	6	12
7	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	714	-107	$3,940,478	0	1	5	13
8	Kasey Kahne	701	-120	$3,648,028	2	0	8	11
9	Greg Biffle	698	-123	$3,394,519	1	0	3	10
10	Joey Logano	685	-136	$3,753,703	1	1	7	13

Complete standings found at ESPN.com.

NASCAR's Sprint Cup series will continue on Sept. 1 with the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The race will take place at 7 p.m. ET and be televised on ESPN. Denny Hamlin won the 2012 race.