The 2020 Toyota 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on May 20, 2020, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, replacing Richmond Raceway's Toyota Owners 400.[8] Contested over 208 laps—shortened from 228 laps due to rain, on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the sixth race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season and the 57th edition of the event.

2020 Toyota 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 6 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
Date May 20, 2020 (2020-05-20)
Location Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.366 mi (2.198 km)
Distance 208 laps, 284.128 mi (457.162 km)
Scheduled Distance 228 laps, 311.448 mi (501.12 km)
Average speed 104.984 miles per hour (168.955 km/h)
Pole position
Driver JTG Daugherty Racing
Grid positions set by partial inversion
of previous race's finishing order
Most laps led
Driver Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing
Laps 71
Winner
No. 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing
Television in the United States
Network FS1
Announcers Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon
Nielsen Ratings 2.087 million[7]
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden and Dave Moody
Turn Announcers Dillon Welch (1 & 2) and Steve Post (3 & 4)

There were three stages: first two were 75 laps each & the final was originally scheduled 78 laps, but reduced to 58 laps by weather.

Report

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Background

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Layout of Darlington Raceway, the track where the race is held.

The event was the second NASCAR Cup Series race held following a hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, after the formal resumption of the season with The Real Heroes 400 three days earlier, also at Darlington.[9][10][11] The race marked the first Cup Series event to be held on a Wednesday since the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona (until 1987, the Firecracker 400 was always held on July 4, regardless of day) — a race also noted for hosting Richard Petty's 200th and final Cup Series victory. It was the 57th edition of the event, dating to the 1950 Southern 500 (races billed as the Southern 500 from 2005 to 2020 ware lineally related the 1957 Rebel 300; for the 2021 season, with two race meetings scheduled, Darlington swapped the lineage of both races). It was the first scheduled Cup Series Darlington race with scheduled 300 mile (or 500 km distance, which is similar) distance since 1963, when the Rebel 300 was run in two 150-mile heat races.[12]

Entry list

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  • (R) denotes rookie driver.
  • (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
No. Driver Team Manufacturer
00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet
1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet
17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
27 Gray Gaulding Rick Ware Racing Ford
32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford
34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford
53 Garrett Smithley Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 J. J. Yeley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet
88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota
96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
Official entry list

Qualifying

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Under modified operational procedures, no qualifying sessions were held for this race. The starting order was determined by the results of The Real Heroes 400, but with the order of the top 20 inverted.

Starting Lineup

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
2 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
4 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
5 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
6 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
7 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
8 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
9 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
11 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
12 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
13 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
14 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
15 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
16 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
17 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
18 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
19 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
20 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
21 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
22 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
24 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota
25 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
26 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
27 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet
28 27 Gray Gaulding Rick Ware Racing Ford
29 77 J. J. Yeley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
30 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford
31 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford
32 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
33 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
34 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
35 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet
36 53 Garrett Smithley Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
37 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
38 78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet
39 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

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Denny Hamlin was declared the winner after rain shortened the race to 208 laps.

Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 10
2 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 8
4 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 6
6 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 5
7 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 4
8 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 3
9 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2
10 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 65

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 10
2 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 8
4 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 6
6 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 5
7 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 4
8 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 2
10 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

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Final Stage Laps: 83

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 16 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 208 47
2 26 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 208 35
3 20 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 208 40
4 8 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 208 33
5 13 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 208 39
6 3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 208 39
7 9 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 208 35
8 37 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 208 29
9 7 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 208 29
10 15 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 208 44
11 24 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota 208 26
12 34 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 208 30
13 14 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 208 24
14 6 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 208 23
15 18 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 208 22
16 21 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 208 21
17 23 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 208 20
18 19 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 208 29
19 2 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 208 18
20 10 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 208 17
21 5 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 208 24
22 4 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 208 35
23 32 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 208 14
24 31 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 207 13
25 39 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 207 12
26 35 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 207 11
27 25 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 207 10
28 29 77 J. J. Yeley (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 207 0
29 30 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford 207 0
30 11 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 206 9
31 22 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 206 6
32 28 27 Gray Gaulding Rick Ware Racing Ford 206 5
33 33 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 204 0
34 36 53 Garrett Smithley Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 204 3
35 12 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 202 2
36 38 78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet 202 0
37 27 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 201 1
38 17 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 200 14
39 1 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 69 2
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 17 among 13 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 11 for 54
  • Red flags: 1
  • Time of race: 2 hours, 42 minutes and 23 seconds
  • Average speed: 104.984 miles per hour (168.955 km/h) It was the slowest hardtop race since the 1958 Southern 500.

Media

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Television

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The Toyota 500 was carried by FS1 in the United States. Mike Joy and five-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon covered the race from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. Matt Yocum handled the pit road duties. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

FS1
Booth announcers Pit reporter In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Matt Yocum Larry McReynolds

Radio

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The Motor Racing Network (MRN) called the race for radio, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Dave Moody called the action for MRN when the field raced down the front stretch. Dillon Welch called the race from a Billboard outside of turn 1 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2, and Steve Post called the race atop of the Darlington Raceway Club outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Kim Coon and Hannah Newhouse called the action on pit road for MRN.

MRN
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Dave Moody
Turns 1 & 2: Dillon Welch
Turns 3 & 4: Steve Post
Kim Coon
Hannah Newhouse

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 16, 2020. Retrieved May 16, 2020.
  4. ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  5. ^ "Toyota 500 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 20, 2020. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Toyota 500 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  8. ^ Norris, Brad. "NASCAR realigns 2020 schedule, shifts events from Chicagoland, Richmond, Sonoma". NASCAR.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "NASCAR statement on Atlanta and Homestead". NASCAR.com. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  10. ^ "NASCAR statement: All race events through May 3 postponed | NASCAR". NASCAR.com. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  11. ^ "NASCAR postpones Martinsville Speedway race – NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  12. ^ "Primetime: NASCAR set for first Wednesday start since 1984". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2020-05-22.


Previous race:
2020 The Real Heroes 400
NASCAR Cup Series
2020 season
Next race:
2020 Coca-Cola 600