The 2020 GEICO 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on June 22, 2020, at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 191 laps -- extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mile (4.28 km) superspeedway, it was the 13th race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

2020 GEICO 500
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 13 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
2020 GEICO 500 program cover
2020 GEICO 500 program cover
Date June 22, 2020 (2020-06-22)
Location Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama
Course Permanent racing facility
2.66 mi (4.28 km)
Distance 191 laps, 508.06 mi (817.48 km)
Scheduled Distance 188 laps, 500.08 mi (804.64 km)
Average speed 146.933 miles per hour (236.466 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Joe Gibbs Racing
Grid positions set by ballot
Most laps led
Driver Ryan Blaney Team Penske
Laps 63
Winner
No. 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon
Nielsen Ratings 3.300 million[7]
Radio in the United States
Radio MRN
Booth Announcers Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle
Turn Announcers Dave Moody (1 & 2), Mike Bagley (Backstretch) and Kurt Becker (3 & 4)

The race was originally scheduled to be held on April 26, but was rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In turn, the race was postponed from June 21 due to inclement weather.[8]

Report

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Background

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Talladega Superspeedway, the track where the race was held

Talladega Superspeedway, formerly known as Alabama International Motor Speedway, 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. A tri-oval, the track was constructed in 1969 by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking. The track currently hosts NASCAR's Cup Series, Xfinity Series and 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 is 2.5-mile-long (4.0 km).

The GEICO 500 was the first NASCAR event since The Real Heroes 400 in May to admit a limited number of public spectators. Races had been held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the previous week's Dixie Vodka 400 was the first to admit spectators in grandstands — limited to an invited audience of local members of the U.S. military. Attendance was capped at 5,000 in grandstands and towers, with social distancing and mandatory masking enforced. A limited number of campsites above the Alabama Gang Superstretch were also opened. Tickets were being re-issued on a first come first served basis to local residents who had originally purchased tickets to the race before these changes.[9] Only the Cup race allowed spectators; support races did not open grandstands, but Alabama Gang Superstretch campsites were open for those races.

Impact of the FIA's End Racism campaign and noose incident

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This was the first race open to spectators after NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate battle flag following a pair of incidents -- a complaint by Bubba Wallace and the FIA's "End Racism" campaign by Sir Lewis Hamilton, since NASCAR is a founding member of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States, the national governing body of motorsport designated by the FIA.[10] On the day of the race, vendors outside of the track sold memorabilia carrying the flag, and a plane towing a banner with the flag and "Defund NASCAR" circled the track; NASCAR officials and Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey condemned the flyover, for which Sons of Confederate Veterans later claimed responsibility.[11][12]

NASCAR reported that a noose had been found inside Wallace's stall, and stated that it would investigate it as a hate crime with the FBI. NASCAR president Steve Phelps threatened that anyone found responsible "will be banned from this sport for life. I don't care who they are, they will not be here." The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division also joined the investigation.[10][13] As a sign of solidarity, other drivers and crew members pushed Wallace's car down pit road prior to the start of the race (which had been rescheduled to June 22 due to rain), while "#IStandWithBubba" was painted on the infield grass.[14][15]

On June 23, the FBI concluded that no hate crime targeting Wallace had occurred at the track, stating that the "noose" was a pulldown rope for a door, and had been present at the track since 2019.[13] On June 25, NASCAR released a photo of the rope, and announced that it had investigated the stalls of all other NASCAR facilities — concluding that the pulldown rope in that stall was the only one that had been tied in such a manner.[16]

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 (i) 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 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
62 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 B. J. McLeod (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 Garrett Smithley (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 Archived 2020-06-19 at the Wayback Machine

NOTE: Garrett Smithley was added as a late addition after owner B. J. McLeod was inserted into the Spire Motorsports car following NASCAR rejecting the team's original plan of having James Davison in the car because he lacked NASCAR superspeedway experience in a situation where practice and qualifying were omitted. Although the Australian has high-speed oval experience in other ACCUS-sanctioned events, NASCAR rejected Davison because he lacked drafting experience in similar cars in regards to the adverse conditions rules in effect after the pandemic.

Qualifying

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Martin Truex Jr. was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.

Starting Lineup

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
2 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
4 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
5 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
6 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford
7 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
8 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
10 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
11 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
12 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford
13 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
14 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford
15 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
16 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
17 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
18 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
19 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
20 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
21 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford
22 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford
23 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford
24 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet
25 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford
26 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford
27 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet
28 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford
29 27 Gray Gaulding (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford
30 77 B. J. McLeod (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
31 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
32 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet
33 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet
34 53 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
35 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota
36 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford
37 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
38 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
39 62 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
40 78 Garrett Smithley (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

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Ryan Blaney won the race.

Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 10
2 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 8
4 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 5
7 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 4
8 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 3
9 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 60

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 10
2 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 9
3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 8
4 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 7
5 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota 6
6 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 5
7 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 4
8 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 3
9 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 2
10 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

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Stage Three Laps: 68

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 12 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 191 54
2 20 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 191 45
3 15 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 191 34
4 2 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 191 33
5 18 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 191 32
6 21 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 191 33
7 8 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 191 39
8 22 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 191 29
9 7 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 191 31
10 5 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 191 27
11 19 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 191 28
12 33 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 191 25
13 4 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 191 31
14 24 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 191 27
15 31 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 191 22
16 25 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 191 21
17 9 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 191 33
18 26 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 191 19
19 6 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 191 29
20 16 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 191 27
21 39 62 Brendan Gaughan Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 191 16
22 28 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 191 18
23 14 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 191 14
24 1 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 191 13
25 10 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 191 12
26 23 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 191 11
27 32 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 190 10
28 27 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 190 9
29 35 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota 190 14
30 29 27 Gray Gaulding (i) Rick Ware Racing Ford 190 0
31 30 77 B. J. McLeod (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 190 0
32 3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 189 19
33 38 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 185 0
34 40 78 Garrett Smithley (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Chevrolet 185 0
35 27 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 178 2
36 34 53 J. J. Yeley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 178 0
37 36 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford 141 0
38 11 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 135 3
39 17 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 133 1
40 13 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 127 1
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 56 among 19 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 9 for 31
  • Red flags: 1 for 57 minutes and 18 seconds
  • Time of race: 3 hours, 27 minutes and 28 seconds
  • Average speed: 146.933 miles per hour (236.466 km/h)

Media

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Television

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Fox Sports covered their 20th race at the Talladega Superspeedway. Mike Joy and six-time Talladega winner – and all-time restrictor plate race wins record holder – Jeff Gordon covered the race from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte. Jamie Little and Vince Welch handled the pit road duties. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.

Fox
Booth announcers Pit reporters In-race analyst
Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy
Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon
Jamie Little
Vince Welch
Larry McReynolds

Radio

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MRN had the radio call for the race which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race in the booth when the field raced through the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 2 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2. Mike Bagley called the race from a platform inside the backstretch when the field raced down the backstretch. Kurt Becker called the race from the Sunoco spotters stand outside turn 4 when the field races through turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelley and Steve Post worked pit road for the radio side.

MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Alex Hayden
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody
Backstretch: Mike Bagley
Turns 3 & 4: Kurt Becker
Winston Kelley
Steve Post

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 March 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "Talladega Superspeedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
  3. ^ "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 15, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  4. ^ "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 18, 2020. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  5. ^ "GEICO 500 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. June 22, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.
  7. ^ "GEICO 500 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on July 2, 2020. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  8. ^ "NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega: Ryan Blaney wins Geico 500 in photo finish, Bubba Wallace has top-15 finish". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  9. ^ "NASCAR reveals plan to welcome back guests at select tracks". NASCAR. 2020-06-09. Retrieved 2020-06-10.
  10. ^ a b "Noose found in garage of black US racing driver". BBC News. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  11. ^ "Sons of Confederate Veterans takes responsibility for 'Defund NASCAR' banner that flew over Talladega". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  12. ^ "Nascar's race issues deepen as noose found in Wallace's stall". SportBusiness. 2020-06-22. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  13. ^ a b Martinelli, Michelle R. "FBI announces noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage had been there since 2019; no federal crime committed". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  14. ^ "#IStandWithBubba trending after noose found in NASCAR driver's stall". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  15. ^ "Drivers show support for Bubba Wallace after pushing No. 43 car to the front at Talladega, sports world reacts". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-06-25.
  16. ^ Bumbaca, Chris. "NASCAR shares picture of noose from Bubba Wallace's garage, says search at all tracks found only one pulldown rope in noose". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-06-25.


Previous race:
2020 Dixie Vodka 400
NASCAR Cup Series
2020 season
Next race:
2020 Pocono Organics 325