2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Johnson's Sixth Title and the Generation 6 Car

The 2013 title went to Jimmie Johnson for a sixth time, in the first season of the Generation 6 race car. The year also brought a wild-card row at Richmond and a Chase that was expanded to 13 cars after the controversy.

What was the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series?

The 2013 season was the 65th of NASCAR's professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd of the modern Cup era. It began at Daytona with the Sprint Unlimited on February 16, and it ended with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami on November 17.

The season was the first to use the Generation 6 race car, the successor to the Car of Tomorrow. It also brought back a qualifying format that had been used before the 2005 season.

There were 40 full-time teams, and the schedule had 36 races plus two exhibition races. The fall Chase races at Kansas and Talladega returned to their original places on the calendar.

Johnson's sixth title came in the first season of the Generation 6 car, after a wild-card row and a Chase expanded to 13 cars.

Who won the 2013 championship?

Jimmie Johnson won his sixth Sprint Cup Championship, finishing 19 points ahead of Matt Kenseth at Homestead. Brad Keselowski, the reigning champion, failed to make the Chase, so he could not defend his title.

Johnson's season was built on wins at his strongest tracks. He won his second Daytona 500 in his 400th start, set a record eighth win at Martinsville and a record eighth win at Dover, and took his sixth win of the year at Texas.

Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturers' Champions, and it clinched the 2013 title with Jeff Gordon's win at Martinsville.

What changed with the cars?

The Generation 6 car resembled production models, and manufacturers were allowed to develop their own designs in the areas above the doors, on the hood and on the truck lid. Ford revealed its Fusion first in January 2012, and Dodge later withdrew from the series for 2013.

Dodge had recorded 55 victories in the previous eleven years before it left. Penske Racing moved from Dodge to Ford, and Toyota kept the Camry as its race model while Chevrolet replaced the Impala with the Chevrolet SS.

NASCAR improved the roll cage after testing at its Research and Development Center, with a new forward roof bar and a centre roof support bar. The manufacturer logos were placed beside the drivers' names to strengthen brand identity.

The roof camera was removed from about two-thirds of points races from the Subway Fresh Fit 500, to reduce turbulent air. Daytona, Talladega, Sonoma and Watkins Glen kept the cameras.

What changed in the rules?

Testing was limited to four sessions per organisation, and each session had to be at a different track. NASCAR also removed the top-35 qualifying rule, so the top 36 starting spots were set by speed.

The qualifying order was drawn at random rather than set by first practice speeds, after teams had been accused of manipulating their practice runs. Owners points were used for the first three races of the season instead of five.

A laser inspection process scanned parts of each car and was first used at Talladega and Martinsville. The new inspection was also used in preseason testing at Charlotte.

The track drying system was changed, and Brian France promised that drying would be much faster. At Talladega the race finished in daylight thanks to the new system, but at Chicagoland a long rain delay showed the limits of the older jet dryers.

Road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen moved to group qualifying, and the second-place car was allowed to cross the line first on restarts from Chicagoland onwards.

Which teams and drivers moved in 2013?

Penske Racing switched from Dodge to Ford. Matt Kenseth left Roush Fenway Racing, and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. replaced him in the No. 17 Ford, while Kenseth moved to Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20.

Joey Logano moved from Joe Gibbs Racing to Penske Racing, replacing A. J. Allmendinger, who had been suspended in July 2012. Kurt Busch joined Furniture Row Racing, and Landon Cassill left BK Racing after a dispute over payment.

David Reutimann took BK Racing's No. 83 full-time. Inception Motorsports was bought by Swan Energy and renamed Swan Racing, and James Finch announced he would sell Phoenix Racing.

Kyle Larson made his Cup debut at Charlotte, finishing 37th. The year also brought a sobering loss when Jason Leffler died three days after his final Cup start at Pocono in June. The loss was felt across the garage.

How did the early season go?

Johnson won the Daytona 500 for a second time, in his 400th start, and he held off late challenges from Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Mark Martin. Carl Edwards won at Phoenix, his first win since 2011, and Matt Kenseth won at Las Vegas for Joe Gibbs Racing. Kenseth took no tyres during the final round of pit stops, which handed him the lead, and his win made him the third birthday winner in NASCAR history. Kyle Busch won the Auto Club 400.

Kevin Harvick won the Sprint Unlimited in his final season with Richard Childress Racing. Matt Kenseth dominated the Daytona 500 until an engine failure ended his day.

At Bristol, Kasey Kahne won his first race of the season. At Auto Club, Denny Hamlin suffered a compression fracture in his back that kept him out until Talladega.

At Martinsville, Johnson won for a record eighth time there, leading from the pole.

What happened at Texas, Kansas, Richmond and Talladega?

Kyle Busch won the NRA 500 at Texas, completing his second weekend sweep of the season after winning the Nationwide race the day before. Matt Kenseth won at Kansas, his second win of the year, and Kevin Harvick won at Richmond, his first win of the season.

At Talladega, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne triggered a 16-car crash on lap 42. Rain then stopped the race for 3 hours, 36 minutes, and the Front Row Motorsports pair of David Ragan and David Gilliland finished first and second.

It was Ragan's second career Cup win, and it was the first Cup win Front Row had ever recorded. The win came after a late restart in which Ragan and Gilliland surged past the leaders.

How did the spring end at Darlington and the All-Star race?

Matt Kenseth won the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington, his first win there, with interim crew chief Wally Brown filling in for Jason Ratcliff, and Jimmie Johnson won the All-Star race for a record fourth time. Danica Patrick won the fan vote to enter the All-Star race.

The All-Star race used a new stipulation: the field was re-ordered by average finish before the mandatory pit stop at the end of segment four. Johnson pulled away on the final segment after a side-by-side battle with Kasey Kahne.

At the Coca-Cola 600, Kevin Harvick took two tyres on the final restart and drove past Kahne to win his second race of the season. Kahne had stayed out on old tyres after a caution, which proved costly.

Who won in June and July?

Tony Stewart won at Dover, his first win of the season, and Johnson won at Pocono for his third win of the year. Greg Biffle won at Michigan, the 1,000th Ford victory in NASCAR's top three series.

Martin Truex Jr. won at Sonoma, his first win in 218 races. Johnson won the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona, his fourth win of the season, and Brian Vickers won the Camping World RV Sales 301 at Loudon.

Ryan Newman won the Brickyard 400 from pole, his 50th career pole. Kyle Busch won at Watkins Glen for his second career win there, and Joey Logano won at Michigan for the first win of the year for Penske Racing.

Kasey Kahne won at Kentucky for his second win of the year, and Matt Kenseth won at Bristol for his fifth win of the season.

What was the wild-card controversy at Richmond?

Carl Edwards won the regular-season finale at Richmond, but the bigger story was the wild-card tie-break. Martin Truex Jr. took the second wild-card spot over Ryan Newman, and NASCAR later docked Michael Waltrip Racing 50 points for manipulating the Chase order.

Brian Vickers was found to have been pitted improperly on the final restart, which pushed Newman to the back of the pit cycle. Penske Racing and Front Row Motorsports were placed on probation after evidence suggested Logano had received help to make the Chase.

Chairman Brian France said that Jeff Gordon had suffered an unfair disadvantage, and he was added to the Chase. The change expanded the Chase to 13 cars, which NASCAR called an unprecedented step.

How did the first half of the Chase go?

The Chase began with Matt Kenseth winning the GEICO 400 at Chicagoland, his sixth win of the year. Kenseth then took the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire, his seventh win, and Johnson won the AAA 400 at Dover for a record eighth time there.

At Kansas, Kevin Harvick won the Hollywood Casino 400 for his third win of the season. Brad Keselowski won the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte, his first win of the year, after a fierce battle with Kasey Kahne.

Jamie McMurray won the Camping World RV Sales 500 at Talladega, his first win since 2010. Jeff Gordon won the Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 at Martinsville, his first win of the season.

How did the final Chase races decide the title?

Johnson won the AAA Texas 500, his sixth win of the season. At Phoenix, Kevin Harvick took the win after Carl Edwards ran out of fuel with a lap and a half to go.

Denny Hamlin won the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead, his first win of the year, and Johnson finished ninth to clinch his sixth championship by 19 points over Matt Kenseth.

Which races and titles were the headline results?