While Kevin Harvick celebrated another momentous victory of this season in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 6 and punched his ticket to the second round of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, teammates Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer battled back from early struggles to their respective cars and persevered through a long night of racing to record top-10 results, thus opening the Playoffs on a decent note.
For Almirola, who started in 10th place, he started the race on a strong note as he kept his No. 10 Go Bowling Ford Mustang within the top 10, running as high as seventh place. Throughout the run, however, Almirola began battling loose-handling conditions as he lost track position and he was also involved in an incident past the Lap 80 mark involving Playoff contender Brad Keselowski, who cut a tire and drew out a caution due to debris. At the end of the first stage, he was scored in 18th place.
Restarting inside the top 20 at the start of the second stage, Almirola was able to work his way back into the top 15 and following adjustments to his car, he nearly cracked the top 10 before he settled in 11th place following the second stage. For the remainder of the run in the final stage, Almirola was able to work his way back into the top 10 on the track following a stellar pit stop from his crew and gaining track position. He was scored in seventh place prior to a late restart before he settled in ninth place when he crossed the finish line.
The top-10 result was Almirola’s 15th of the season and despite scoring no stage points throughout the race, he holds sole possession of the 12th and final transfer spot above the top-12 cutline in a tie-breaker over teammate Clint Bowyer, who finished right behind him.
“I think the downforce package has been a little bit different, for sure,” Almirola said in a post-race conference call. “I enjoy slipping and sliding around. Tires still seemed like they mattered, for sure. I think tires were a second-and-a-half to two seconds faster, so I’m excited about Richmond — going back to a short track package with low downforce and that’s been a good place for us, so I’m looking forward to there and Bristol and we’ll go from there…As far as Darlington compared to Las Vegas, I felt like I ran about the same as I would have at Las Vegas. I’ve been about a sixth to tenth place car at both places and that’s about what we ran tonight. We got in a little bit of a hole early in the race with some left-rear quarter panel damage that we had to fix on pit road and really put us in a spot to where we couldn’t capitalize on stage points, so that hurt us a little bit just not scoring any stage points, but we were able to battle back from that and get back to the top 10, which is where we felt like we were capable of running. I felt like we were a seventh to tenth place car and we finished ninth.”
For Bowyer, who started ninth, he was scored back in 10th place on the track when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. Though he had a car capable of running inside the top 10 and was able to work his way up to eighth place, he dropped back to 12th place, where he finished following the first stage. During the early run, he also had an on-track altercation with Kyle Busch, where both competitors made contact with one another for two consecutive laps and ended with Bowyer getting bumped by Kyle before he was passed for position in the top 10. Restarting inside the top 15 for the second stage, Bowyer received adjustments to his car throughout the run to improve the handling, which he was able to carve his way back into the top 10 and finish ninth when the second stage ended. As a result, he collected a couple of stage points.
Restarting in 11th place to start the final stage, Bowyer continued to methodically work his way towards the front as he worked his way up as high as sixth place on the track with his pit crew delivering strong service to his No. 14 PEAK Ford Mustang. With 66 laps remaining, however, he pitted to have a flat right-rear tire addressed. Though he returned to the track on fresh tires and was poised to gain more track position, a caution with less than 50 laps remaining due to debris evaporated Bowyer’s progress and chances of making a late rally for the win. Instead, he restarted inside the top 15 with approximately 40 laps remaining and made his way up to 10th place when the checkered flag flew and he crossed the finish line.
The top-10 result was Bowyer’s eighth of the season as he is ranked in 13th place in the Playoff standings and is tied with teammate Aric Almirola for the 12th and final transfer spot while being below the top-12 cutline.
“I certainly was hoping for more,” Bowyer said in a post-race conference call. “Frustrated to be honest with you. I have to go back and look at the race to see what happened with the debris. By the time that they picked it up I’d say it was way off the race track, so that kind of set us up to not have a not very good day. That put us in a hole. We were gonna be in the single digits for sure there, looking pretty good, but just had a lot of trouble. Right-rear — threw the rubber off the right-rear and had to pit there. It could have been catastrophic. At the end the left-rear was about to fall off of it, so we’ve got to clean some things up. I told you going into this we’ve got to put 10 races together. We’ve got to put whole races together. We can’t make these mistakes. If we can clean those up, we’re going to some good tracks for us — for us all, Aric, Kevin and all of us, we enjoy these short tracks. We’ve got a good short track program, so looking forward to what’s to come.”
Photo by Ted Seminara for SpeedwayMedia.com.
Following the race, however, disaster struck for Bowyer, when NASCAR discovered that his No. 14 Ford had two lug nuts not safely secured on his race car during post-race inspection. A similar discovery was made to Kyle Busch’s No. 18 M&M’s/Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. As a result, both competitors will compete next weekend’s Playoff race at Richmond without their respective crew chiefs. Bowyer will have veteran Greg Zipadelli, Stewart-Haas Racing’s competition director, as an interim crew chief on a one-race basis next weekend.
Teammates Almirola and Bowyer, along with their fellow Cup contenders, will return for the next NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
For the majority of Sunday night’s Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Jimmie Johnson drove like a legend as a non-title contender and down to his final 10 races as a full-time NASCAR Cup Series competitor. Despite recording top-five runs in both stages and having a car to contend for a possible victory, contact with fellow competitor Denny Hamlin and being shuffled towards the middle of the pack in the closing laps left the seven-time champion and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet team with an 18th-place run in the final running order.
Starting in 22nd place while sporting a special blue, white, red and black scheme to his No. 48 Chevrolet and paying tribute to Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt (two of three seven-time champions in NASCAR), Johnson wasted no time making his way to the front. Five laps into the event, Johnson was scored in 15th place and he continued to march towards the front. Following the competition caution on Lap 25 and the ensuing restart past the Lap 30 mark, Johnson made his way into the top 10. Battling teammates and Playoff contenders William Byron and Alex Bowman for position (both of whom sported special Jimmie Johnson throwback schemes), Johnson was scored in the top five by Lap 60. Following a caution past the Lap 80 mark due to debris, his pursuit to the front continued on the ensuing restart when he moved up to third place and then passed teammate Chase Elliott for second place on the track. Unable to catch leader Martin Truex Jr., Johnson settled in second place in the first stage on Lap 115.
Following a slow pit stop under the stage break, Johnson was shuffled back to eighth place for the start of the second stage. Nonetheless, when the racing resumed under green, he methodically worked his way back towards the front. Racing as high as third place in the stage when he cycled through a green flag pit stop and gained a handful of track position, he settled in fifth place when the second stage concluded on Lap 230.
Starting in eighth place for the final stage, Johnson raced as high as fourth place before he dropped and settled inside the top 10. His race, however, went away with less than 50 laps remaining and during a cycle of green flag pit stops. After completing his stop and cycling his way back on the track, he made contact with Denny Hamlin, who struggled and missed the pit road entrance. The incident dropped Johnson and his No. 48 team back within the top 20. Trying to charge his way back towards the front, he ended up getting shuffled back to 18th place when the checkered flag flew.
In the end, Johnson emerged as the second highest-finishing non-title contender on the track in his 24th and final run at Darlington, a track where he won three times during his 19-year career run in NASCAR.
Johnson, along with his fellow competitors, will return for the next Cup event at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
If there was a competitor and a team that came into the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 6, with a game plan, it was Kurt Busch and his No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE team led by crew chief Matt McCall. Following a gusty call in the first stage to remain on the track on old tires for track position, the 2004 Cup champion was able to collect stage points within both stages and maintain track position inside the top 10 throughout the race before he battled back to record a solid eighth-place result in his quest for his second Cup title.
Starting in 16th place, Kurt Busch gained only three spots on the track in 13th place when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. Restarting in the top 15, Kurt was able to work his way into the top 10 as he was scored in eighth place by Lap 70. Following the first round of green flag pit stops and a caution just past the Lap 80 mark for debris, crew chief Matt McCall made the call for Kurt to remain on track, which he did along with Bubba Wallace while the majority of lead lap competitors behind him pitted. Leading two laps, he would be quickly overtaken by Martin Truex Jr. for the lead. Despite running on older tires compared to nearly the entire field, Kurt remained well inside the top five. When the first stage concluded on Lap 115, Kurt was able to maintain fifth place on the track and collect a handful of stage points.
Starting the second stage in fourth place, Kurt was able to race his way as high as second place by Lap 164. Following a green flag pit stop and a caution near Lap 180 for a spin involving Wallace, Kurt returned to pit road for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. Restarting in ninth place, Kurt was able to maintain 10th place on the track when the second stage concluded on Lap 230, thus collecting a single stage point.
Restarting in 10th place in the final stage, Kurt worked his way from the top 10 to the top five throughout the run. Following a late caution due to debris, he restarted in 11th place with approximately 40 laps remaining and was trying to battle his way back into the top 10 in the final laps. When leaders Truex and Chase Elliott tangled with 15 laps remaining, Kurt was able to gain a few more spots on the track and cross the finish line in eighth place, one spot behind brother Kyle but ahead of Playoff contenders Aric Almirola, Clint Bowyer, Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer and Denny Hamlin.
With his 15th top-10 result of this season, Kurt Busch is ranked in 11th place in the Playoff standings and is four points above the top-12 cutline.
“It was a great call by Matt McCall to stay out and use our strength,” Busch said on NBCSN. “Our strength was long run speed and it just seemed like our car needed 10-15 laps to get going on fresh tires. That put us in clean air, gave us a shot at trying to hang on to points and yeah, I gotta let some guys go. Otherwise, people will move you. You don’t want damage. I knew my job was to manage it. We got fifth. That was a great stage. Then we struggled with some of the loose and the tight on the Monster Energy Chevy. But all in all, when we were on that alternative strategy, I was loving it. That’s when you go back to old school Darlington and you’re out there for 60-70 laps at a time and you got to get every lap time you can when everybody else is on fresh tires. I was in the zone, I was feeling it and the yellow came out. We had to battle back, we got eighth. It was a good points night for us, but I wanted a little bit more out of Darlington.”
Kurt Busch, along with his fellow Cup Playoff contenders, will return for the next Playoff race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
While Kevin Harvick emerged with the upper hand over his fellow Playoff contenders by winning the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff opener in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports teammates William Byron and Alex Bowman produced strong results for themselves after finishing in fifth and sixth place under the lights and in their pursuit for this year’s Cup title.
For Byron, he started the race in third place and with momentum fresh off of his first Cup career victory at Daytona International Speedway, a victory that locked himself and his No. 24 Chevrolet team into the Playoffs. When the race started, Byron raced inside the top five and was scored in fourth place when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. In the ensuing restart past the Lap 30 mark, he slipped back to sixth place, but was able to work his way back to fourth place following the first round of green flag pit stops around Lap 70. When the race restarted on Lap 86, Byron was back in eighth place. For the remainder of the first stage, he remained in eighth place and he collected a handful of stage points.
Restarting in the top 10 to start the second stage, he dropped back and was battling inside the top 15. Struggling to keep pace with the leaders under dark conditions than earlier, Byron was forced to settle in 12th place when the second stage concluded. During the final stage that started with approximately 130 laps remaining, he methodically worked his way back into the top 10 and was poised for a top-10 result in the final laps. Following an incident involving teammate Chase Elliott and Martin Truex Jr., however, Byron gained a few more spots on the track and was scored in fifth place when he crossed the line and took the checkered flag.
The fifth-place result marked Byron’s third consecutive top-five result in recent weeks as the Charlotte native is in ninth place in the standings and nine points above the top-12 cutline.
“It was a struggle [early],” Byron said on NBCSN. “We just kind of kept slowly losing track position whether it was the restart or pit stop. After we got some of it back, I felt like we gotten our car just good enough that prior run to kind of run higher than most guys and that worked out pretty good for us on the final two runs. We just kind of have to find that lane and get our car in the track a little bit more. The combination of those two and some track position kind of got us up towards the top 10 and we were able to get a top five, so that’s nice. It’s good. We rallied [tonight]. It wasn’t pretty all 500 miles, but this really isn’t a track that we have a ton of notes on. We wrecked out early in the spring, so we had to get some of those spots back. Hopefully, we can go on to Richmond and have a pretty good run there.”
For Bowman, he started his run in the Playoffs in fourth place, but he was up into second place in the opening laps behind teammate Chase Elliott. Though he lost a spot as the early run under green progressed, Bowman was able to stabilize himself in third place when the competition caution flew on Lap 25. Restarting in second place in the ensuing restart, the Arizona native started to lose spots on the track and as the run progressed. Falling out of the top five, he was able to stabilize himself in the top 10 following a pit stop under green with the lead lap competitors and retain sixth place when the first stage concluded.
Throughout the second stage, Bowman contended well inside the top 10 and was able to work his way up to fourth place when the second stage concluded, thus collecting more stage points. Starting in the top five for the final stage, Bowman was poised to continue his charge back to the front. During the early portions of the final stage, however, he dropped all the way back inside the top 20 due to a pit road miscue, where the jack dropped during service to his No. 88 Chevrolet. Through most of the final stage, he worked his way back into the top 15 and then, the top 10. He was poised for a top-10 run in the final laps when contact between teammate Elliott and Truex while battling for the lead allowed Bowman to gain a few more spots on the track. When the checkered flag flew, Bowman crossed the line in sixth place.
With his ninth top-10 result of this season, Bowman is in fifth place in the Playoff standings and is 19 points above the top-12 cutline.
“I think we were definitely a little better on the long runs,” Bowman said on NBCSN. “[I] Came in fourth and went out like 18th. The jack had one job and it didn’t do its job, but my pit crew nails it every week. They’re one of the fastest crews on pit road. That stuff will happen. That’s part of this sport, but really pumped for everybody at [Hendrick Motorsports]. Obviously, [Byron] had a good run, [Chase Elliott] had a good run going and [teammate Jimmie Johnson] was really fast, too. Four really fast race cars. My cars looks so cool tonight. It’s so cool to be able to drive a Jimmie Johnson paint scheme. Man, that was pretty crazy. Big thanks to ChevyGoods and Truck Hero. [I] Had a good race car. Just hard to recover from that [pit road miscue], but we’ll move on to Richmond next week.”
With Byron and Bowman leading the way out of the four-car lineup from Hendrick Motorsports at Darlington Raceway, Elliott, a title contender, dropped all the way back to 20th place following his late incident while Jimmie Johnson, a non-title contender, settled in 18th place in his 24th and final run at Darlington.
Teammates Byron and Bowman, along with their fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
While Kevin Harvick came out on top and celebrated a thrilling win in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Austin Dillon and Joey Logano rallied from their share of challenges throughout Sunday night’s race to record second- and third-place results as they kicked off the 2020 Cup Playoffs on a strong note.
For Austin Dillon, his race started off at the rear of the field when unapproved adjustments to his No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE forced Dillon to surrender his 12th-place starting spot on the grid and take the green flag behind the leaders.
Following the first 25 laps of the race, Dillon, who was battling a tight-handling race car, managed to crack the top 30 as he was scored in 29th place. Dillon’s progression throughout the race continued as he was able to complete a smooth green flag pit stop during the stage and settle in 15th place, two spots behind teammate Tyler Reddick, when the first stage concluded on Lap 115.
Throughout the second stage, Dillon continued to make his way to the front and he was able to rack up a handful of stage points following the stage’s conclusion on Lap 230, where he was posted in eighth place.
Under 50 laps remaining, Dillon and the No. 3 Chevrolet made its way into the top five and appeared to have a fourth-place run settled to open this year’s Playoffs. With 15 laps remaining and following an incident involving leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott, Dillon moved up to second place and had an opportunity to strike for the lead as he was catching race leader Kevin Harvick in the closing laps.
On the final lap, Dillon cut Harvick’s advantage down to six-tenths of a second and he continued to narrow his deficit through Turn 2. Entering Turns 3 and 4, Dillon went high and gained a huge run through the turns in an attempt to draw even with Harvick coming to the finish line. The run, however, was not enough for Dillon to challenge Harvick for the win as Dillon came up three-tenths of a second short to Harvick for the win.
The runner-up result marked Dillon’s third top-five result of the season, his best result since winning at Texas Motor Speedway in July and his best start to the Playoffs as a title contender (fourth season making the postseason). With his second-place finish, Austin Dillon is ranked in eighth place in the Playoff standings and is 10 points above the top-12 cutline.
“I was just trying all I could,” Dillon said on NBCSN. “I can’t thank American Ethanol enough. We’ve had E15 in these cars, have made a million miles on it and they’ve been a great partner of mine. Man, it would’ve been nice to get that win and lock ourselves into the next round, but heck of a finish for our whole No. 3 team. We had a really good long run car and Harvick was getting tighter and tighter. I’d caught him earlier in the run and he’d kind of take my low line down there in [Turn] 1 and 2. That was where I was really good. What a fun race, really happy that I got a great run for [late NASCAR Hall of Famer] Junior Johnson. He’s one of my heroes. We’re really tight with our family…Man, so close! It’s been fun. We just gotta keep on pluggin’. Richmond’s next week and we’ve got another short-track car for’em. We showed up when it mattered. I mean, a lot of people count you out, but I don’t count myself out or this team. I feel like we’ve brought good race cars all year, really progressed throughout races and made good changes. Sometimes, it just don’t fall your way, but we got that win at Texas and it was some momentum that we needed. We’re just gonna keep continuing doing our thing.”
Logano’s run, on the other hand, was more eventful throughout the race. Starting in 13th place, Logano was able to work his way and settle into the top 10 through the first 25 laps and when the competition caution flew. Following a four-tire pit stop with air adjustments to his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang, Logano proceeded to running inside the top 10 throughout the first stage while his teammates and title contenders, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney, battled early issues of their own. When the first stage concluded on Lap 115, Logano was scored in seventh place as he collected a handful of stage points.
The second stage was where Logano’s struggles along with his teammates occurred as all three Penske competitors struggled to keep pace with the leaders. When the second stage concluded on Lap 230, Logano was the highest-running Penske competitor on the track in 17th place while Keselowski and Blaney were in 18th and 20th.
At the start of the final stage, a stack up on a restart resulted with Logano sustaining rear end damage to his car after he was hit by Corey LaJoie. Not long after, the caution flew and Logano pitted along with his teammates to have the damage assessed. From there, Logano started to charge his way back to the front. Following a restart with 41 laps remaining, Logano found himself back inside the top five and as the lone Penske competitor to be running inside the top five.
With the laps winding down, it appeared that Logano was content for a fifth-place run. When leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott got tangled up in Turn 1 and both dropped out of race-winning contention, however, Logano was able to gain a couple more spots on the track as he was in third place behind Kevin Harvick and Austin Dillon. For the final 15 laps, however, Logano was unable to close the gap between himself and the two leaders as he settled in third place, two seconds behind, when he crossed the finish line under the checkered flag.
With his seventh top-five result of this season and his fourth at Darlington in the Cup Series, Logano is ranked in third place in the Playoff standings and is 27 points above the top-12 cutline.
“Man, hard fought,” Logano said. “We kind of were decent, it’s just so hard to pass with these big spoilers on the car at this racetrack. That makes it challenging. We had a right-front go down the last lap of the second stage, hit the wall and we did a good job fixing the car and then strategy worked well, so [crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] did great there, and then they had an amazing pit stop the last stop, had a good restart and all of a sudden I was like, ‘Shoot, we could win this thing.’ To see what the left-rear looks like after that I was pretty impressed to get whatever we got. It’s funny how the team always tells you, ‘How does the damage look?’ ‘It looks great. It looks great.’ You get out and you’re like, ‘Whoa!’ Overall, that’s what we needed to do. We need to come out of these playoffs running hard and having a solid top three finish to start the playoffs with a couple stage points is a good way to start.”
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images.
Dillon and Logano, along with their fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the second Cup Playoff race at Richmond Raceway on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Fifteen laps prior to Kevin Harvick winning the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the battle for the win of the first 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff event was shaping up between Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott. Then, the tables turned when contact between both competitors knocked them both out of race-winning contention with 15 laps remaining. When the checkered flag flew, both finished outside the top 15 on the track and were left with damaged race cars.
Throughout the main event at Darlington on Sunday, September 6, Elliott and Truex were the class of the field, with both leading a combined 310 of the event’s 367-scheduled laps. At the start of the race, Elliott, who started on pole position, rocketed out of the gate by leading the first 71 laps. Leading nine more laps, Truex, who started sixth, took his turn to the front following a restart past the Lap 80 mark. He went on to lead 32 laps and claim the Stage 1 victory. His strong pace on the track continued throughout the second stage, where he led 103 laps and went on to claim the second stage.
Under 120 laps remaining, Truex was back atop the leaderboard, where he led 59 laps before Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick took turns at the front. Following a late debris caution and a restart with less than 50 laps remaining, Elliott received a push from Harvick to reassume the lead, though Truex kept Elliott’s rear bumper within his sights.
Coming to 15 laps remaining and after stalking Elliott for several laps, Truex gained a run in Turn 3 and was able to utilize his momentum to pull his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry beneath Elliott’s No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE past the start/finish line. Emerging out in front entering Turn 1 and with a faster car, Truex attempted to slide in front of Elliott’s nose to clear him for the lead and the win. Instead, they came into contact with one another and both scrubbed the outside wall, with Truex out in front.
Following the incident, Truex was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop the following lap due to a flat tire. Elliott, however, remained on track, though his chances of winning evaporated as Harvick took the lead. For the remaining 15 laps, Elliott continued to fade towards the rear of the field as competitor after competitor passed him for position. When the checkered flag flew, Elliott dropped back to 20th place on the lead lap while Truex limped home in 22nd place, a lap down.
With their results and stage points collected throughout the race, Truex is ranked in sixth place in the Playoff standings and is 16 points above the top-12 cutline to advance to the second round of the Playoffs. Elliott is in seventh place and is 12 points above the cutline.
“[Truex] had a run on me there off of [Turn] 4 and he just kind of cleared himself into [Turn] 1,” Elliott said on NBCSN. “He was close, but he wasn’t all the way clear, obviously. I hate it. Obviously, we had a fast NAPA Camaro, fast enough to contend. We needed a little pace there to extend our lead instead of playing defense, but regardless I thought we were in a good spot. I ran the bottom in [Turn] 3 and 4 to see if there was anything left down there, that’s what kind of gave him the run and then he just slid up in to my left front, I felt like and on we went.”
“Just not enough room there for both of us,” Truex, who won the first Playoff race the previous three of four seasons, said on NBCSN. “[I] Thought I had enough of a run to clear [Elliott]. I think it was close, obviously. I thought I had enough of a momentum and distance on him that he was gonna let me in there. I didn’t expect him to be on my right rear and I was committed. Once I figured he was still there, nothing I could do. Really unfortunate for our Bass Pro Toyota. Unbelievable job by the guys. A smokin’ fast race car, obviously. Lot to be proud of. I hate it for the No. 9 team. There was nothing intentional. Just two guys going for the win. Not enough room for both of us there. If it was my fault, I apologize. I really felt like I had the position to get him into [Turn] 1. It’s how it goes. We’ll see what goes on from here…It looked like we were gonna get the lead there and that would’ve been big. Sometimes, things just don’t work out. We gave it our all and come up short.”
Both Elliott and Truex, along with their fellow Playoff contenders, will return for the next NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race at Richmond Raceway, which will occur on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Kevin Harvick capped off a thrilling triple-header Labor Day weekend of racing at Darlington Raceway and opened the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by winning the Cook Out Southern 500. Harvick’s opportunity of winning came with 15 laps remaining following a late incident involving leaders Martin Truex Jr. and Chase Elliott while Harvick was back in third place. With Truex pitting and Elliott falling off the pace, Harvick was able to snatch the lead and fend off a late charge from Austin Dillon to notch another victory of this season and continue his quest for a second Cup championship.
The starting lineup was based on four statistical categories: current owner standings, the driver’s result from a previous Cup race, the team owner’s result from a previous Cup race and the fastest lap recorded from a previous Cup race. With that, Chase Elliott started on pole position and was joined on the front row with Denny Hamlin.
Prior to the race, Playoff contender Ryan Blaney dropped to the rear of the field and his crew chief Todd Gordon was suspended for the main event due to an improperly mounted ballast discovered on Blaney’s No. 12 Menards/Maytag Ford Mustang during pre-race inspection. Blaney’s team was also docked 10 driver/owner points as a result of the ballast, leaving him with a one-point deficit to start this year’s Playoffs. With Gordon out, Travis Geisler, Team Penske’s competition director, served as an interim crew chief for Blaney at Darlington. In addition, Playoff contender Austin Dillon and Joey Gase dropped to the rear of the field due to unapproved adjustments along with Ross Chastain due to a driver change.
When the green flag waved and the 2020 Cup Playoffs commenced, Elliott and Hamlin battled dead even through Turns 1 and 2 before Elliott managed to clear Hamlin entering Turn 3 and come back around to lead the first lap.
With Elliott in the lead, teammate Alex Bowman moved into second place followed by Martin Truex Jr. while Hamlin fell back to fourth in front of William Byron and Kevin Harvick.
Five laps into the race, 14 of the 16 Playoff contenders were running in the top-14 positions on the track led by teammates Elliott and Bowman. Behind, Jimmie Johnson was the highest-running non-title contender in 15th place. Way behind, Blaney was in 26th while Austin Dillon was in 31st.
Five laps later and following the first 10 laps of the race, Elliott was still leading by nearly a second over teammate Bowman while Truex, Hamlin and Byron were in the top five. Harvick was settled in sixth place followed by teammate Aric Almirola, Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano. The Busch brothers were in 11th and 12th while Johnson moved up to 13th ahead of Matt DiBenedetto and Cole Custer. Behind, Bubba Wallace was in 17th behind Tyler Reddick, Erik Jones was in 18th, Matt Kenseth was in 20th behind Chris Buescher, John Hunter Nemechek was in 22nd, Christopher Bell was in 25th and Ryan Newman was in 27th. Blaney was in 21st while Austin Dillon made his way into the top 30.
By Lap 20, Elliott extended his advantage to more than a second over Truex, who passed Bowman to move into second place. Behind, Harvick and Hamlin battled for fifth place while Keselowski moved up to seventh place.
On Lap 25, the competition caution flew with Elliott and his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE at the front of the pack ahead of Truex, Bowman, Byron and Hamlin while Harvick, Keselowski, Almirola, Logano and Bowyer were in the top 10. By then, Blaney was scored in 21st while Austin Dillon was in 29th.
Under the competition caution, the lead lap competitors pitted and Elliott retained the lead after exiting pit road first by a nose over Truex followed by Bowman, Hamlin, Harvick and Byron. Prior to the restart and under the Choose Rule lane effect, Truex elected to restart in fourth place and in the second row on the outside lane while teammates Bowman and Byron moved up to restart in second and third. Logano and Hamlin restarted on the third row while teammates Bowyer and Harvick restarted on the fourth row
When the race restarted under green on Lap 31, Elliott retained the lead after clearing Bowman’s No. 88 ChevyGoods.com/Truck Hero Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE in Turn 3. Behind, Truex charged his way back to second place followed by teammate Hamlin while Bowman settled in fourth place in front of Harvick. Byron fell back to sixth ahead of Keselowski while Johnson and Logano battled for eighth.
By Lap 35, Elliott and his No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet were ahead by nearly three-tenths of a second over Truex. Behind, Harvick moved up to fourth and Johnson was gaining ground on Keselowski for seventh place. A few laps later, Byron passed teammate Bowman for fifth place.
With the first 40 laps of the race complete, Elliott was still leading by half a second over Truex and after leading every lap thus far. In addition, all 16 Playoff contenders were scored in the top 20 on track with nine in the top 10.
A few laps later, Playoff contenders Kyle Busch and Clint Bowyer made contact, where Busch ran into the back of Bowyer’s rear bumper and loosened him up in Turn 1 before passing him for 10th place. With Kyle up to 10th, Kurt Busch was in 12th place in between Bowyer and Erik Jones.
Following the first 50 laps of the race, Elliott extended his advantage by more than a second over Truex. Elliott’s three teammates from Hendrick Motorsports (Byron, Bowman and Johnson) were running in fifth, sixth and seventh while Harvick and Hamlin were in fourth and fifth.
By Lap 60 and with the leaders catching and making their way past lapped traffic, it was still Elliott with the lead by more than a second over Truex followed by Harvick and Hamlin, both of whom continued to battle intensely for position. Johnson, meanwhile, continued to march towards the front as he was in sixth place ahead of Bowman and reeling in on teammate Byron for more while Keselowski and Logano battled for eighth place. Behind, Kurt Busch and Bowyer overtook Kyle Busch for 10th and 11th. Blaney and Austin Dillon were in 16th and 18th while Almirola, DiBenedetto and Custer were back in 15th, 19th and 21st.
Not long after, Austin Dillon made a pit stop under green due to a flat right rear tire. When the race surpassed the Lap 70 mark and with Elliott still ahead of Truex with the lead, a few competitors like Nemechek and Newman pitted. In addition, Kyle Busch pulled his No. 18 M&M’s Toyota Camry to pit road for a pit stop. Shortly after, pit stops under green for the leaders continued as Bowman pitted. When the pit stops concluded, Elliott retained the lead ahead of Truex.
The second caution flew past the Lap 80 mark due to debris on the track that started when Keselowski cut a right-front tire following contact with Almirola before he made contact with the outside wall near Turn 3, thus sustaining damage to the right side of his No. 2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang.
Under caution, nearly the entire field led by Elliott pitted for service, fresh tires and fuel. Following the stops, Truex emerged with the lead after exiting pit road in first place followed by teammate Hamlin and Elliott. By then, Keselowski lost a lap to the leaders while his No. 2 crew went to work to repair the damage to the car. Back on the track, Kurt Busch and Wallace moved up to first and second when both opted to remain on track on old tires.
With the race restarting on Lap 86, Kurt Busch and Truex battled dead even through the first three turns before Truex and his No. 19 Bass Pro Shops Toyota Camry cleared Busch’s No. 1 Monster Energy Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE entering Turn 4 to take the lead. While Wallace dropped out of the top five and was clinging inside the top 10, Kurt Busch retained second place followed by Elliott, Johnson, Hamlin, Bowman, Logano and Byron.
When the race reached its 100-lap mark, Truex was leading by more than two seconds over Elliott and Johnson. Kurt Busch was back in fifth in between Hamlin and Bowman while Byron was in eighth behind Logano. Harvick was in ninth ahead of Kyle Busch and Jones while Blaney was in 13th in between Bowyer and Reddick. Bowyer, Austin Dillon and Custer were in 12th, 16th and 17th while DiBenedetto was back in 26th. Keselowski was back in 31st place and a lap behind following his incident.
Five laps later and with 10 laps remaining in the first stage, Johnson and his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, muscled his way into second place after passing teammate Elliott a lap earlier in Turn 4.
Though Johnson had a fast race car and started to reel in Truex for the lead, Truex was able to stabilize his advantage by four seconds and win the first stage on Lap 115 for his third stage victory of the season. Johnson settled in second followed by Elliott, Hamlin and Kurt Busch while Bowman, Logano, Byron, Kyle Busch and Harvick were scored in the top 10.
Under the stage break and with the skies setting into darkness, the leaders pitted for service and adjustments with Truex retaining the lead after exiting pit road in first place. Following the pit stops, Elliott moved up to second followed by Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Logano and Kyle Busch while Johnson fell all the way back to eighth place following a slow pit stop.
The second stage started on Lap 121 with Truex and Hamlin on the front row followed by Logano, Elliott, Johnson and Kurt Busch while Blaney made an unscheduled pit stop prior to the restart to address a flat left-rear tire. At the front, Truex managed to clear Hamlin entering Turn 2 to retain the lead while Elliott moved up to second place.
By Lap 130, Truex was ahead by nearly eight-tenths of a second over Elliott with Hamlin trailing by more than a second. Johnson was in seventh behind Kyle Busch while Harvick was in ninth in between Bowman and Jones. Kurt Busch and Logano were in fourth and fifth while Byron was in 12th in between Reddick and Bowyer. Way behind the leaders, Blaney was in 31st and two laps behind.
Ten laps later and on Lap 140, Truex was still ahead by more than two seconds over Elliott, who had made contact with the wall a few laps earlier but continued to run on the track in second place. Hamlin, Kurt Busch and Logano were in the top five while Johnson was in sixth place ahead of Kyle Busch.
Another eight laps later, Hamlin and Kurt Busch overtook Elliott to move into second and third. By then Truex’s advantage grew to more than three seconds.
Just past the Lap 155 mark, Harvick made a pit stop under green. Nearly 15 laps later and on Lap 170, Truex was still ahead by more than four seconds over Kurt Busch followed by Hamlin while Elliott and Logano battled for fourth place ahead of Johnson.
By then, pit stops under green started to commence as DiBenedetto pitted along with Corey LaJoie, Ryan Preece, Johnson, Newman, Christopher Bell, Bowman, Jones, Custer, Bowyer, Hamlin and Kyle Busch. When the pit stops under green cycled through, Harvick emerged with the lead by eight seconds over Truex with Johnson back up to third place.
Just shy of the Lap 180 mark, the caution returned when Wallace got loose and spun entering Turn 4. Under caution, the leaders led by Harvick pitted, but Truex emerged with the lead after exiting ahead of Harvick on pit road in first place. Following the pit stops, Custer was sent to the rear for speeding on pit road.
With the race reaching Lap 185 and past its halfway mark, the race restarted under green. At the front, Truex muscled his way back to the lead after passing Hamlin in Turn 2 while Harvick moved up to second place by Turns 3 and 4. With Hamlin in third, Johnson was in fourth followed by Bowman, Kyle Busch, Jones and Austin Dillon. Byron was in 11th behind Kurt Busch while Elliott was back in 14th behind Logano and Matt Kenseth.
Nearly five laps later and on Lap 190, Truex was ahead by half a second over Harvick with Hamlin trailing by less than a second. By then, 12 of the 16 Playoff contenders were running inside the top 15, with eight being scored in the top 10. In addition, Penske teammates Keselowski and Blaney, both of whom raced their way back on the lead lap under the last caution involving Wallace, were in 19th and 24th.
Ten laps later and on Lap 200, Truex stabilized his lead by seven-tenths of a second over Harvick with Hamlin trailing by less than two seconds. By then, Wallace took his No. 43 Cash App Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to the garage due to mechanical issues.
Another 20 laps later and on Lap 220, Truex was still ahead by more than four seconds over teammate Hamlin with Harvick, Johnson, Bowman and Kyle Busch trailing by six or more seconds.
For the remainder of the second stage, Truex was able to extend his advantage by more than five seconds to claim the stage victory on Lap 230 as he claimed his fourth stage win of the season. Hamlin settled in second followed by Harvick, Bowman and Johnson, who made late contact with the outside wall, while Kyle Busch, Jones, Austin Dillon, Bowyer and Kurt Busch were scored in the top 10. By then, 24 of the 39-car field were running on the lead lap. In addition, DiBenedetto was pinned a lap behind the leaders in 27th place while Custer was in 24th, the final car on the lead lap.
Under the stage break, the leaders pitted and Hamlin emerged the lead over teammate Truex following his pit stop. Harvick exited in third place followed by Bowman, Kyle Busch, Jones, Austin Dillon, Johnson and Elliott.
With 132 laps remaining and the lights shining around the track, the race restarted under green with Hamlin and Bowman on the front row. At the start, a stack-up behind occurred that left Logano with damage to the rear end of his No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Ford Mustang, where he was hit by Corey LaJoie.
Following an intense battle for the lead, Hamlin and his No. 11 Federal Express Toyota Camry cleared the field with the lead in Turn 3 followed by teammate Truex. Harvick also moved up to third place while Bowman fell back to fourth. While Joe Gibbs Racing’s Jones and Kyle Busch moved up to fifth and sixth, Johnson was stuck in a battle with Kurt Busch for seventh place. In addition, Bowyer was starting to battle Austin Dillon for ninth place with teammate Almirola joining the party.
With 123 laps remaining, the caution returned when John Hunter Nemechek cut a right-front tire and made contact with the outside wall in Turn 1 with sparks flying out from his No. 38 Citgard Ford Mustang. Under cautions, the leaders returned to pit road for service and Truex reassumed the lead following his pit stop ahead of teammate Hamlin with Kyle Busch, Harvick and Johnson scored in the top five. During the stops, Bowman dropped from fourth to 14th due to a jack issue during his pit stop. In addition, Logano and Blaney pitted to have the damage on their respective Fords addressed. Under caution, Bell took his No. 95 Rheem Toyota Camry to the garage due to a mechanical issue.
The race restarted under green with 117 laps remaining and with teammates Truex and Kyle Busch on the front row. At the start, Truex launched ahead with the lead through Turn 1 before Busch initiated a challenge in Turn 2. Truex, however, was able to clear Busch through Turns 3 and 4 with the lead while Hamlin pulled a crossover move in an attempt to pass Busch for second place.
Behind the three Joe Gibbs Racing competitors, Harvick and Kurt Busch started to reel in Hamlin for third place while Bowyer was in sixth and Elliott moved up to seventh ahead of teammate Johnson. Jones was in ninth, Almirola was in 10th ahead of teammate Custer and Keselowski rallied his way back into 12th place.
With 100 laps remaining, Truex was out in front by more than a second over teammate Kyle Busch with teammate Hamlin trailing by three seconds. By then 12 of the 16 Playoff contenders were running no lower than 14th, with eight scored in the top 10. Meanwhile, Logano was back in 17th while teammate Blaney was back in 24th. In addition, Byron was in 18th while DiBenedetto was in 20th.
Ten laps later and with 90 laps remaining, Truex’s lead grew to nearly two seconds over teammate Kyle Busch with teammate Hamlin still lurking behind by less than four seconds. Harvick and Kurt Busch stabilized their spots in the top five followed by Bowyer, who reported voltage issues to his No. 14 PEAK Ford Mustang. Elliott was in seventh ahead of Jones while Johnson was in ninth ahead of Almirola, Austin Dillon, Keselowski, Custer and Bowman.
With approximately 85 laps remaining, Johnson made a pit stop under green. Shortly after, Austin Dillon pitted. Then, pit stops under green for most of the lead lap competitors commenced as Bowman, Blaney, Logano and Harvick pitted. During the stops, Ty Dillon was assessed a pass-through penalty for speeding on pit road.
With 70 laps remaining, Truex was still out in front by more than two seconds over teammate Kyle Busch and more than three seconds over teammate Hamlin. By then, the top-six competitors led by Truex had yet to pit.
Four laps later, Bowyer pitted under green. Shortly after, Keselowski pitted. With 60 laps remaining, Truex and teammate Kyle Busch pitted while Hamlin assumed the lead. Another lap later, Hamlin missed the pit road entrance when he struggled to turn his car below the apron in Turn 3 towards the entrance, was hit by Johnson and was unable to slow his car in time to make the turn to the pit road entrance. As a result, he had to cycle around the track for another circuit before he could enter pit road successfully and pit for service. The late misfortune dropped Hamlin out of race-winning contention.
Following the stops from the Joe Gibbs Racing competitors, Harvick was back at the front by less than a second over Elliott and coming to 55 laps remaining. Nearly eight laps later, just as Elliott passed Harvick for the lead, the caution flew due to debris on the backstretch. Under caution, the competitors on the lead lap pitted and Elliott retained the lead after beating Harvick by a nose off of pit road.
With 41 laps remaining, the race restarted under green with Elliott and Truex on the front row followed by Harvick, Austin Dillon, Jones and Almirola. At the start, Elliott and Truex duked for the lead through Turn 1 before Elliott cleared Truex for the lead following a push from Harvick. Truex and Harvick went to work in battling one another for position and closing in on Elliott for the lead while Logano made his way up to fifth place with a damaged rear end and behind Austin Dillon’s No. 3 American Ethanol Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE.
With Elliott maintaining a three-tenths of a second advantage over Truex, Jones was back in sixth place in front of Almirola and Byron while Kyle Busch was in ninth place ahead of Bowman. Hamlin was in 14th behind Kurt Busch, Custer and Bowyer while Johnson was in 16th behind Keselowski.
Under 30 laps remaining, Elliott’s advantage grew to less than a second over Truex with Harvick trailing by less than two seconds. Behind, Bowman made his way into ninth place after passing Almirola while Byron and Kyle Busch were in seventh and eighth. Jones was the highest-running non-title contender in sixth place while Johnson was in 15th.
With 20 laps remaining, the battle for the lead started to ignite with Truex trailing Elliott by less than two-tenths of a second and continuing to close to the rear bumper of Elliott’s No. 9 Chevrolet. Behind, Harvick and his No. 4 Busch Beer Ford Mustang trailed the two leaders by more than five seconds with Austin Dillon and Logano continuing to run in the top five.
With 15 laps remaining, Truex gained a huge run on Elliott entering Turn 4 as he crossed beneath him past the start/finish line to take the lead. In Turn 1, however, Truex tried to slide up in front of Elliott, but they made contact and both made contact against the outside wall. Despite the damage, Truex continued with the lead while Elliott continued to run in second place, trailing by less than two seconds.
Shortly after, Truex pitted due to sustaining a flat right-rear tire. Back on the track, Harvick assumed the lead and was followed by Austin Dillon while Elliott started to fade out of race-winning contention.
With 10 laps remaining, Harvick was ahead by six-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon followed by Logano, Jones and Byron while Elliott dropped back to eighth place after being passed by teammate Bowman and Kyle Busch. Elliott would continue to lose more positions as he was off the pace with the field.
With the laps winding down and the leaders approaching lapped traffic, Harvick was still out in front while Austin Dillon continued to keep Harvick in his sights for the lead. However, with five laps remaining, Harvick started to extend his advantage to a second over Austin Dillon with Logano trailing by less than two seconds.
When Harvick started the final lap, he was still ahead by six-tenths of a second over Austin Dillon. For one final circuit, Austin Dillon got the deficit down to less than three-tenths of a second, but it was not enough through Turns 3 and 4 as Harvick managed to streak across the finish line in first place and add a second Southern 500 title to his racing resume.
The victory was Harvick’s eighth of this season, his fourth win since August and the 57th of his Cup career, which he surpassed fellow competitor Kyle Busch and moved into ninth place on the NASCAR Cup Series all-time wins list. In addition, Harvick’s win was the 15th of the season for Ford and the ninth of the season for Stewart-Haas Racing. With the victory, Harvick clinched his spot to the Round of 12 in the Playoffs.
Ironically, Darlington Raceway served as the track where NASCAR made its return to on-track racing back in May amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and where the race was also won by Harvick. Compared to May, where the grandstands were empty, Harvick’s victory on Sunday evening at Darlington was met by a chorus of cheers from the fans with up to 8,000 spectators allowed to attend the race from the grandstands, something that delighted Harvick upon saluting the fans with his win.
“The first thing I wanna say is, ‘Welcome back, fans!’ Woo!” Harvick exclaimed on the frontstretch on NBCSN. “This interview’s a hell of a lot more fun with you guys up there. [I] Just wanna say thank you to everybody from NASCAR, all of you fans here in South Carolina…Just wound up fighting all night long. This Busch Beer Ford Mustang wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but the leaders got tangled up there and the next thing you know, we were racing for the win. Anytime you can win the Southern 500, it’s a good day. This is one of the most prestigious races in our sport and this is one of the most prestigious race tracks in our sport. Anytime you can win at Darlington, it’s a big deal. Man, Southern 500!”
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Austin Dillon rallied from starting at the rear of the field to post a strong runner-up result while Logano made a nice rally from his incident at the start of the final stage to finish in third place. Jones, the reigning Southern 500 winner, finished in fourth place as he emerged as the highest-finishing non-title contender in the field while Byron rallied to finish in fifth place and record his third consecutive top-five result.
Playoff contenders Bowman, Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Almirola and Bowyer finished inside the top 10 on the track. Keselowski finished 11th ahead of Custer, Hamlin finished 13th, Elliott faded back to 20th and Truex ended his night in 22nd, a lap behind the leaders. DiBenedetto finished 21st, a lap down, while Blaney finished 24th, the lowest-finishing Playoff contender in the field.
There were 18 lead changes for six different leaders. The race featured seven cautions for 34 laps.
Results.
1. Kevin Harvick, 32 laps led
2. Austin Dillon
3. Joey Logano
4. Erik Jones
5. William Byron
6. Alex Bowman, one lap led
7. Kyle Busch
8. Kurt Busch, five laps led
9. Aric Almirola
10. Clint Bowyer
11. Brad Keselowski
12. Cole Custer
13. Denny Hamlin, 19 laps led
14. Matt Kenseth
15. Ryan Newman
16. Michael McDowell
17. Ryan Preece
18. Jimmie Johnson
19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
20. Chase Elliott, 114 laps led
21. Matt DiBenedetto, one lap down
22. Martin Truex Jr., one lap down, 196 laps led, Stage 1 & 2 winner
23. Tyler Reddick, one lap down
24. Ryan Blaney, one lap down
25. Daniel Suarez, three laps down
26. Chris Buescher, three laps down
27. Ty Dillon, four laps down
28. Brennan Poole, five laps down
29. Ross Chastain, seven laps down
30. J.J. Yeley, seven laps down
31. Quin Houff, 10 laps down
32. Josh Bilicki, 11 laps down
33. Joey Gase, 16 laps down
34. Christopher Bell, 18 laps down
35. Timmy Hill – OUT, Overheating
36. John Hunter Nemechek – OUT, Accident
37. Corey LaJoie – OUT, Accident
38. Bubba Wallace – OUT, Transmission
39. James Davison – OUT, Engine
*Bold indicates Playoff contenders
Playoff standings
1. Kevin Harvick – Advanced
2. Denny Hamlin +54
3. Joey Logano +27
4. Brad Keselowski +22
5. Alex Bowman +19
6. Martin Truex Jr. +16
7. Chase Elliott +12
8. Austin Dillon +10
9. William Byron +9
10. Kyle Busch +7
11. Kurt Busch +4
12. Aric Almirola +0
13. Clint Bowyer -0
14. Cole Custer -3
15. Matt DiBenedetto -17
16. Ryan Blaney -17
Next on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is Richmond Raceway for the Federated Auto Parts 400 and the second Playoff race of the season. The race will occur on Saturday, September 12, at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBCSN.
Talladega Superspeedway revealed plans to feature a limited number of fans to attend the upcoming NASCAR Cup Series Playoff race on Sunday, October 4.
Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the decision to allow a limited number of fans to attend the Cup race at Talladega was made while the facility continues to adhere towards the guidelines of safety and health from medical professionals, public safety officials and state/local government. In addition, seating and camping capacities around the superspeedway venue will be reduced.
While the fans will be welcome to attend the Cup Series Playoff race on October 4, the grandstands will not be open for them to attend the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series and Xfinity Series doubleheader Playoff races on October 3. In addition, on October 1, NASCAR president Steve Phelps noted that access to pit road and garage areas will remain prohibited and closed for fans, select team members, sponsor guests and the media until a vaccine to treat COVID-19 will be available for the public. Phelps’ announcement was made as the sport continues to work on outlining its racing schedule for the 2021 season.
The Cup Series Playoff race at Talladega in October, the YellaWood 500, is scheduled to be the fifth Playoff race of the 2020 season and the second of three events featured in the Round of 12.
This marks the second time this season amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic where Talladega Superspeedway will open its facilities to a limited number of fans. On June 22, approximately 5,000 guests attended the Cup Series’ first race of this season at the superspeedway venue while scattered across the frontstretch and grandstands.
In addition, Talladega has joined a host of tracks that opened its facilities for a limited number of fans to publicly attend a NASCAR race in 2020 since May, among which include Homestead-Miami Speedway, Bristol Motor Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Road America and Daytona International Speedway. The upcoming Playoff races at Darlington Raceway on September 6 and the Xfinity-Cup doubleheader races at Bristol on September 18-19 are also scheduled to feature fans in attendance.
The NASCAR Cup Series’ YellaWood 500 at Talladega will occur on October 4 at 2 p.m. ET on NBC.
NASCAR provided us access to Zoom meetings with several of the drivers who have advanced to the Playoffs, including Matt DiBenedetto. And while it appeared as though he was set up in a professional home office with a NASCAR Cup Series background, he pulled back the curtain on Instagram to reveal that he was actually at home in his bedroom.
Welcome to NASCAR in 2020.
If you’re the curious type, and who isn’t, check out his Instagram account for this unique behind the scenes story.
On a more serious note, DiBenedetto is seeded in 16th place heading into the Playoffs at Darlington Raceway for Wood Brothers Racing in the iconic No. 21 car. While many may consider him a long shot, he is optimistic about his chances. And though winning is always a priority, his main objective is to make the most of each moment.
Determination. Focus. Maximize. These are his goals as he heads into the final races of the season.
“You know, I think the reason that I say I don’t put too much emphasis on winning is that my goal is absolutely that we want to win. That is a given,” DiBenedetto explained. “I know we can win, for sure and we will. That has been my goal my entire career. As far as execution, the reason I say it is that I feel like you can get too caught up in focusing your race on how to win. It isn’t always the best car that wins.
“My focus is on how to make the most of our race car and the most of that day and not get too caught up in guys pulling away or how to get to them but focusing on yourself, your car and your team. Make the most of it. Maximize your day. Hopefully that puts you in position to have a shot at winning at the end of the race. Everyone prepares differently mentally but that is how I prepare to go into a race and I have learned over time, and even this year, to make sure I stay focused on this because it makes us better as a team.”
While he is optimistic, DiBenedetto is also realistic about what he hopes to accomplish over the next 10 races.
“Clicking off a win would be great. That is a great goal. When I say that I don’t focus too much on winning that is more when I am on the track and in the car. From a goal standpoint we would absolutely love to get that 100th win for the Wood Brothers,” he said. “That would be an amazing goal to accomplish. I would say that now that we are in the Playoffs we are focusing on executing and making the most of what we have and make it through a round or a couple rounds.”
Winning the championship may be an elusive goal but success can be achieved on several levels. For DiBenedetto and the Wood Brothers Racing team, the Playoffs will be an opportunity to flourish amid overwhelming odds.
“We are competing for a championship. This is the time to shine and hopefully make it down to the end, DiBenedetto said.
“I would say if I come out of it knowing that we made the most of our race cars and executed well and continue to grow as a team, win a race, that would be an amazing end of the season. To really pick off a lot of positions and points, this is a great opportunity for us to capitalize on now that we are closed in points wise and are the most prepared as a team to go out there and pick off a lot of guys. That is the most exciting thing that I could check off the rest of the season and what we would call a success.”
It’s the opportunity of a lifetime and no one knows better than DiBenedetto how few of those come along.
“I have gone so far and gotten so lucky, to fight and claw from start and parking a car to being in underfunded equipment and trying to show that I can make the most of a race car to fast-forwarding to now and being in way beyond my dream opportunity of driving the 21 car and making the Playoffs driving for the Wood Brothers. It is pretty surreal to have that opportunity to drive. All those things make me and my whole entire family appreciate it on a completely different level that we wouldn’t be able to without those experiences.”
It’s been an emotional and hard-fought journey for DiBenedetto and his family. But each step along the way has led him to this moment and there is no doubt that he intends to make the most of it, with a little humor thrown in along the way.
All three national series will compete at Darlington Raceway Saturday and Sunday for the annual “Throwback Weekend.” It marks the first race in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs as the top 16 drivers begin the competition for the 2020 championship trophy.
The Xfinity Series will take on “The Track Too Tough to Tame” Saturday while the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series is set to race Sunday prior to the Southern 500. It’s the first time the Truck Series has competed at Darlington since 2011.
All times are Eastern.
Saturday, Sept. 5 12:30 p.m.: Xfinity Series Sport Clips Haircuts VFW 200 race (Stages 45/90/147 Laps = 200.1 Miles) NBC/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 2019 Winner: Cole Custer Pole: Justin Haley
Sunday, Sept. 6 2 p.m.: Truck Series South Carolina Education Lottery 200 race (Stages 45/90/147 Laps = 200.1 Miles) FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Pole: Brett Moffitt
6 p.m.: Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 race (Stages 115/230/367 Laps = 501.3 Miles) NBCSN/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio 2019 Winner: Erik Jones Pole: Chase Elliott
Notes:
A non-Playoff driver has never won the opening race of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.
Trevor Bayne (Niece Motorsports), Greg Biffle and David Ragan are scheduled to compete in the Truck Series race at Darlington.
This will be Bayne’s first start in the series and his first time back on the track since the end of the 2018 season when he was released from Roush Fenway Racing. Biffle will pilot the GMS Racing No. 24 Chevrolet while David Ragan will team up with DGR-Crosley for his first start in the series since 2006.
The formula to set the starting lineup has been updated and is based on the following: 15% of fastest lap position in the previous race, 25% of the driver’s finish in the previous race, 25% of the car owners finish in the previous race and 35% of the owner points position.
