2020 YellaWood 500
The 2020 YellaWood 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 4, 2020 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 200 laps -- extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mile (4.2 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 12.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 31 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | October 4, 2020 | ||
| Location | Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.66 mi (4.28 km) | ||
| Distance | 200 laps, 532 mi (856 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km) | ||
| Average speed | 129.774 miles per hour (208.851 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Joey Logano | Team Penske | |
| Laps | 45 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (Charlotte) and Steve Letarte (Talladega) | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 1.9 (3.10 million) | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Dan Hubbard (3 & 4) | ||
Report
Background
Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), is a motorsports complex located north of Talladega, Alabama. It is located on the former Anniston Air Force Base in the small city of Lincoln. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series. Talladega is the longest NASCAR oval with a length of 2.66-mile-long (4.28 km) tri-oval like the Daytona International Speedway, which also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.
Starting Lineup
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 60
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 80 (was originally 68, but got extended due to Overtime)
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 40 |
| 2 | 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 41 |
| 3 | 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 36 |
| 4 | 21 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 38 |
| 5 | 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 44 |
| 6 | 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 31 |
| 7 | 30 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 34 |
| 8 | 23 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 35 |
| 9 | 32 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 28 |
| 10 | 25 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 30 |
| 11 | 35 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 33 |
| 13 | 33 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 24 |
| 14 | 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 23 |
| 15 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 |
| 16 | 20 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 21 |
| 17 | 36 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 |
| 18 | 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 35 |
| 19 | 34 | 27 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 18 |
| 20 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 17 |
| 21 | 13 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 16 |
| 22 | 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 33 |
| 23 | 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 198 | 27 |
| 24 | 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 192 | 15 |
| 25 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 192 | 16 |
| 26 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 20 |
| 27 | 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 10 |
| 28 | 29 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 188 | 9 |
| 29 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 133 | 8 |
| 30 | 38 | 53 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 118 | 7 |
| 31 | 18 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 108 | 7 |
| 32 | 2 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 108 | 7 |
| 33 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 108 | 4 |
| 34 | 31 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 108 | 3 |
| 35 | 39 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 108 | 2 |
| 36 | 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 79 | 1 |
| 37 | 11 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 57 | 1 |
| 38 | 26 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 8 | 1 |
| 39 | 22 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 1 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 58 among 18 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 13 for 54 laps
- Red flags: 2 for 21 minutes and 19 seconds
- Time of race: 4 hours, 5 minutes and 58 seconds
- Average speed: 129.774 miles per hour (208.851 km/h)
Finish
Track limits are used at Daytona, Talladega, and the road courses. Officiating by NASCAR officials involving the finish of the race generated in regards to track limits drew considerable controversy afterwards. Initially, second-place finisher Matt DiBenedetto and sixth-place finisher Chase Elliott were penalized and moved to 21st and 22nd positions, respectively. NASCAR penalized DiBenedetto for forcing William Byron beyond track limits, marked with a double yellow line at the bottom of the track, and the sanctioning body penalized Elliott for voluntarily moving under the line.[7] NASCAR later redistributed its penalty originally given to Elliott, assessing it to Chris Buescher for forcing Elliott beyond track limits.[8] Race winner Denny Hamlin also maneuvered under the track limits boundaries on the final corner, but race officials ruled that he was avoiding a potential accident from DiBenedetto and Byron.[9] Despite myriad negative reactions to the decision at Talladega and online, a NASCAR official later said that the rulings were "clear-cut".[10][11] NBC commentators Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett called for NASCAR to remove track limits, but the sanctioning body, citing safety concerns, said the rule would stay in place.[7][12]
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the action from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was the last time this setup would be used, as starting with the next race booth commentators started calling races on site. Steve Letarte called the action on site. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties on site.
| NBC | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. On-Site analyst: Steve Letarte | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race for MRN when the field races thru the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the action from turn 1, Mike Bagley called the action for MRN when the field races down the backstraightaway, and Dan Hubbard called the race from the Sunoco tower just outside of turn 4. Winston Kelley and Steve Post called the action for MRN from pit lane.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard | Winston Kelley Steve Post |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. September 26, 2020. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 30, 2020. Retrieved September 30, 2020.
- "YellaWood 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Long, Dustin (October 4, 2020). "Should NASCAR eliminate yellow line rule at Talladega?". NASCAR on NBC. NBC Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- Gastelu, Gary (October 5, 2020). "NASCAR: Penalty strips Matt DiBenedetto's Talladega second-place finish". FOX News. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- Crandall, Kelly (October 4, 2020). "Hamlin calls yellow line move "a non-story"". Racer. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- Taranto, Steven (October 4, 2020). "Yellow line controversy mars Denny Hamlin's win at Talladega". 247Sports. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- DeGroot, Nick (October 5, 2020). "NASCAR explains Talladega penalties, defends yellow line rule". Yahoo! Sports. Autosport. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- Albert, Zack (October 4, 2020). "NASCAR official: Out-of-bounds rulings 'clear-cut' in turbulent Talladega finish". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
| Previous race: 2020 South Point 400 |
NASCAR Cup Series 2020 season |
Next race: 2020 Bank of America Roval 400 |