Background Phoenix International Raceway is one of five
short tracks to hold
NASCAR races; the others are
Richmond International Raceway,
Dover International Speedway,
Bristol Motor Speedway, and
Martinsville Speedway. The standard track at Phoenix International Raceway is a four-turn short track
oval that is long. The track's first two turns are
banked from 10 to 11
degrees, while the third and fourth turns have an 8–9 degree banking. The front stretch, the location of the finish line, is banked at 3 degrees, and the back stretch has a 10–11 degree banking. In the
Manufacturers' Championship,
Chevrolet was leading with nine points, three points ahead of their rival
Toyota.
Ford was in the third position with four points.
Denny Hamlin was the race's defending winner. The race was the first of the season to remove roof cameras to lessen turbulent air impact, and would be removed for two-thirds of the points races.
Entry list Practice and qualifying won the
pole position Three practice sessions were held before the race on March 1 and March 2, 2013. The first session lasted 85 minutes long, while the second was 55 minutes long. The third session lasted for 50 minutes.
Matt Kenseth was quickest with a speed of in the first session, faster than
Kyle Busch. Martin was just off Kyle Busch's pace, followed by Hamlin,
Carl Edwards, and Johnson. The session was paused temporarily after debris prompted a caution. Martin clinched his fifty-sixth
pole position of his career, with a time of 26.073 seconds, which was a new race record. He was joined on the front row of the
grid by
Kasey Kahne. Because Hamlin publicly refused to pay the fine, NASCAR instead took $25,000 off his race winnings instead. ==Results==