2013 NASCAR Cup Series Head-to-Head Playoff Results

Originally published on Mar. 23, 2025

By Zane Miller

First round

(8) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. v. (1) #48 Jimmie Johnson

(7) #78 Kurt Busch v. (2) #99 Carl Edwards

(6) #15 Clint Bowyer v. (3) #29 Kevin Harvick

(5) #18 Kyle Busch v. (4) #20 Matt Kenseth

With Matt Kenseth making the 500^th start of his Cup Series career at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, he would make it a good one as he led the final 53 laps en route to his seventh race win of the 2013 season. Despite teammate and postseason competition Kyle Busch making a valiant effort, his run would come up short in the second spot. Another close battle would take place between another pair of teammates in Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., with Johnson getting a fourth-place finish to Earnhardt Jr.’s sixth. Meanwhile, Carl Edwards nabbed a solid ninth while former teammate Kurt Busch was stuck in unlucky 13^th. Speaking of ex-teammates, Clint Bowyer finished just ahead of Kevin Harvick with a 17^th-place run as Harvick ended up 20^th to give Bowyer the early advantage.

At Dover, Johnson and Earnhardt Jr. stood out as the clear favorites, but only one could move on. However, the twist came in when a caution came out for debris with 30 laps remaining, bringing all of the leaders down pit road for their final stop. From the lead, Johnson opted for just two tires, while Earnhardt went with four. Although Earnhardt was able to reach Johnson’s rear bumper fairly quickly after the restart, the #48 ride was still too strong even with older tires. Johnson grabbed the race win with Earnhardt following his tire tracks, though this would actually be the only elimination happening at the Monster Mile. Edwards was unable to finish off Kurt Busch due to a mechanical issue, while Busch salvaged a 21^st-place result to keep his hopes for a second title alive. Harvick nabbed the sixth spot with Bowyer in 10^th, while Kyle Busch held off Kenseth by two spots in fifth.

The championship hunt was still wide open going into Kansas, but the first to make the unwelcome transition from hunter to hunted was Kyle Busch as he was eliminated in a crash with less than 100 laps to go. This enabled Kenseth to take the easy path to reaching the semifinals, which he did with an 11^th-place finish. Further up the field, Harvick dominated by leading over half of the race’s length, easily capturing both the race win and the series with Bowyer finishing in 14^th. Following behind Harvick was Kurt Busch, as he scored the runner-up spot after fighting back from a mediocre starting spot. Despite taking the fifth spot, Edwards was unable to continue his run at a third championship.

Semifinal

(7) #78 Kurt Busch v. (1) #48 Jimmie Johnson

(4) #20 Matt Kenseth v. (3) #29 Kevin Harvick

At Charlotte, Johnson continued to prove why he was the #1-seed, leading 130 laps on the way to a fourth-place finish as Busch ended the race a lap down in 14^th. Harvick put together another strong run, culminating in a sixth-place result, but this wasn’t good enough to unseat Kenseth from his third-place finish. The round continued at Talladega, where Harvick kept his playoffs going with a 12^th-place result as Kenseth was mired in 20^th. While Busch’s return trip to Talladega Superspeedway was better than his first of 2013, as that ended with him flipping over, it was still nothing to write home about as he finished 18^th. Although Johnson wasn’t able to being the same level of dominance that he had been throughout the playoffs, his 13^th-place run was still good enough to once again punch his ticket to the championship finals.

The Kenseth-Harvick series would be settled at Martinsville, as both drivers were able to effectively navigate NASCAR’s shortest track as they held down spots inside the top 10. However, Kenseth still made himself the frontrunner, leading over 200 laps on the afternoon. Although Kenseth was passed for the race lead with just over 20 laps to go, he would happily settle for runner-up in this instance as Harvick trailed behind in sixth. Just like that, the Wisconsin native had himself a chance at his first career Cup Series title.

Final

(4) #20 Matt Kenseth v. (1) #48 Jimmie Johnson

Johnson showed that his sub-10^th place finish at Talladega was just a fluke, as he returned with a vengeance at Texas Motor Speedway by leading 255 of the event’s 334 laps. He took the checkered flag with a 4.39 second lead over second place, with Kenseth out of the zip code despite a strong run overall in fourth. Phoenix was even less of a contest, as Kenseth struggled all day in the Arizona sun to a disappointing 23^rd-place finish. Meanwhile, Johnson remained inside the top-five, claiming a third-place result and his fourth Cup Series championship.

Jimmie Johnson’s stats for 2013 were six victories, 16 top-fives and 24 top-10s as he claimed the real-life championship as well.