# 2020 Cook Out Southern 500

The 2020 Cook Out Southern 500, the 71st running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on September 6, 2020, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. Contested over 367 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the 27th race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, first race of the Playoffs, and the first race of the Round of 16. It was the first time Darlington hosted three Cup Series races in a single season.

## Report
### Background

Darlington Raceway is a race track built for NASCAR racing located near Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that is effective at both ends.

#### Entry list

* (R) denotes rookie driver.
* (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
| No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Sponsor or Throwback |
| 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | Permatex – Scheme based on the Ford V-8 Roadster that driver Milt Marion piloted to victory during America's first stock car race, which was held at the Daytona Beach Course in 1936. |
| 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | Monster Energy |
| 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | Discount Tire – Keselowski's 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship car; scheme also honors the 10th anniversary of Discount Tire's involvement with Team Penske. Keselowski would later decide to run this scheme through the remainder of the NASCAR Playoffs, and throughout the 2021 season. |
| 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | American Ethanol E15 – Scheme pays homage to Hall of Famer Junior Johnson. |
| 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1997 Busch Beer design. |
| 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Oscar Mayer – Newman's 1999 scheme from the USAC Silver Crown Series, where he won the National Championship. |
| 7 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | Insurance King – Scheme paying homage to team owner Tommy Baldwin Jr.'s father, Tommy Baldwin Sr. |
| 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | Cat Power – Jeff Burton's 1994 Rookie of the Year Raybestos car. |
| 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | NAPA Auto Parts – Jimmie Johnson's 2009 paint scheme. |
| 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Go Bowling – Hall of Famer Fireball Roberts's 1957 NASCAR Grand National Series paint scheme. |
| 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1973 FedEx design and Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough inspired car. |
| 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | Menards/Maytag – Scheme honors Paul Menard and his 2003 ARCA victory at Talladega. |
| 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | GEICO – Todd Bodine's 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship paint scheme. |
| 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | PEAK – Kyle Petty's 1990 Goodwrench 500 winning car. |
| 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | R.E.D. – Ricky Rudd's red Bud Moore Engineering paint scheme from the mid-80's |
| 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | Fastenal |
| 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | M&M's – Elliott Sadler's 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series car. |
| 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Bass Pro Shops – Hank Parker Jr.'s 2003 Aaron's 312 car. |
| 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | Sport Clips – Tony Stewart's 2005 Martinsville Home Depot inspired car. |
| 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | Ford Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center – Tiny Lund's 1963 Daytona 500 inspired car. |
| 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | Shell Pennzoil – Bobby Allison's 1985 Miller car. |
| 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Liberty University – Jimmie Johnson's 2013 NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race paint scheme. |
| 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | Jacob Companies – Kenny Irwin Jr.'s 1997 Nerf car. |
| 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | Trump 2020 |
| 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Love's Travel Stops |
| 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Bush's Beans |
| 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | Citgard – Elliott Sadler's 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup Series inspired car. |
| 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | Haas Automation – 1956 Southern 500 and Hall of Famer Curtis Turner's 1965 NASCAR Grand National Series inspired car. |
| 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | McDelivery |
| 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | Cash App – Scheme will honor Team Owner and Hall of Famer Richard Petty and his one-off 1986 Darlington ride in D. K. Ulrich's No. 6 Chevrolet. |
| 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | Kroger |
| 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | Ally – Scheme honors Hall of Famers and seven-time Cup Series Champions Richard Petty and Dale Earnhardt. |
| 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | Agri Supplies – Bobby Allison's 1971 Southern 500 inspired car. |
| 53 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | Signing Day Sports – Tom Sneva's 1983 NASCAR Winston Cup Series inspired car. |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | RoofClaim.com – Phil Parsons' 1984 Skoal Bandit scheme. |
| 77 | Ross Chastain (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | Dirty Mo Media – Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt's 1976 NASCAR Winston Cup Series paint scheme. |
| 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | ChevyGoods.com – Jimmie Johnson's 2006-2008 paint scheme. |
| 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | Rheem – Bell's 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship paint scheme. |
| 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | Arris Now CommScope – Suárez's 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship paint scheme. |
| Official entry list |||||

## Qualifying

Chase Elliott was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.

### Starting Lineup

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

## Race
### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 115
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||
Stage Two Laps: 115
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 137
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| 1 | 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 49 |
| 2 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 38 |
| 3 | 13 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 38 |
| 4 | 30 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 37 |
| 5 | 3 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 35 |
| 6 | 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 43 |
| 7 | 15 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 37 |
| 8 | 16 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 36 |
| 9 | 10 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 28 |
| 10 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 29 |
| 11 | 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 367 | 26 |
| 12 | 14 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 367 | 25 |
| 13 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 367 | 40 |
| 14 | 26 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 23 |
| 15 | 31 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 367 | 22 |
| 16 | 19 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 367 | 21 |
| 17 | 35 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 20 |
| 18 | 22 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 34 |
| 19 | 29 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 367 | 18 |
| 20 | 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 367 | 25 |
| 21 | 11 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 366 | 16 |
| 22 | 6 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 366 | 35 |
| 23 | 24 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 366 | 14 |
| 24 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 366 | 13 |
| 25 | 28 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 364 | 12 |
| 26 | 20 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 364 | 11 |
| 27 | 25 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 363 | 10 |
| 28 | 23 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 362 | 9 |
| 29 | 34 | 77 | Ross Chastain (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 360 | 0 |
| 30 | 37 | 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 360 | 0 |
| 31 | 32 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 357 | 6 |
| 32 | 38 | 7 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 356 | 0 |
| 33 | 39 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 351 | 0 |
| 34 | 21 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 349 | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 296 | 0 |
| 36 | 18 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 245 | 1 |
| 37 | 27 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 234 | 1 |
| 38 | 17 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 217 | 1 |
| 39 | 36 | 53 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 162 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 18 among 6 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 7 for 34
* Red flags: 0
* Time of race: 3 hours, 47 minutes and 26 seconds
* Average speed: 132.256 miles per hour (212.845 km/h)

## Media
### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Darlington winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. covered the race from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Earnhardt Jr., Dale Jarrett and Kyle Petty also called a portion of the race as part of the Throwback Weekend, Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman and Marty Snider handled the pit road duties on site, and Rutledge Wood handled the features from his home during the race.
NBCSN :
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | Features reporter |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. Throwback commentator: Dale Jarrett Throwback commentator: Kyle Petty | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Marty Snider | Rutledge Wood |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
MRN Radio :
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Mike Bagley | Winston Kelley Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| | 1 | Kevin Harvick | 2,106 |
| | 2 | Denny Hamlin | 2,087 (–19) |
| 1 | 3 | Joey Logano | 2,060 (–46) |
| 1 | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 2,055 (–51) |
| 3 | 5 | Alex Bowman | 2,052 (–54) |
| | 6 | Martin Truex Jr. | 2,049 (–57) |
| 2 | 7 | Chase Elliott | 2,045 (–61) |
| 2 | 8 | Austin Dillon | 2,043 (–63) |
| | 9 | William Byron | 2,042 (–64) |
| 4 | 10 | Kyle Busch | 2,040 (–66) |
| 4 | 11 | Kurt Busch | 2,037 (–69) |
| | 12 | Aric Almirola | 2,033 (–73) |
| | 13 | Clint Bowyer | 2,033 (–73) |
| 3 | 14 | Cole Custer | 2,030 (–76) |
| 1 | 15 | Matt DiBenedetto | 2,016 (–90) |
| 9 | 16 | Ryan Blaney | 2,016 (–90) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Ford | 1,004 |
| 2 | Toyota | 947 (–57) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 906 (–98) |