2013 NASCAR Cup Series (Simpsonverse)

The 2013 NASCAR Cup Series was the 65th season of NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 42nd modern-era Cup season. The season began on February 16, 2013, at Daytona International Speedway, with the Budweiser Shootout, followed by the Daytona 500 on February 24. The season ended with the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on November 30.

This season was the last for defending champion Mark Martin and 27-time race winner Tim Steele. Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturer's Champions, while Brad Keselowski was the reigning Drivers' Champion. By the end of the season, Matt Kenseth claimed his second Cup Championship.

Manufacturer Changes

 * Chevrolet replaced the Impala with the Holden Commodore VF, rebadged for American markets as the Chevrolet SS.
 * With the sudden downsurge in part-time teams, and Roger Penske switching back to Ford due to Ford offering him top support priority, Dodge had no choice but to pull the Charger from Cup Series competition, leaving the Challenger as their only model at the top level after they managed to secure the loyalties of Chip Ganassi and Richard Petty. This allowed the remaining Penske Chargers to be cascaded to the Grand National Series. Focusing on one model and two teams had the added benefit of making the remaining Dodge cars much more competitive, with at least one finishing in the top 5 of every race in 2013.

Schedule
The final calendar was released on September 25, 2012, containing 38 races, with the addition of two exhibition races. The schedule also includes two Gatorade Duels, which are the qualifying races for the Daytona 500.