2020 NASCAR Cup Series (JacksFuture)

The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series is the 72nd season for NASCAR professional stock car racing in the United States and the 49th season for the modern era Cup Series. The season began at Daytona International Speedway with the Busch Clash,[1] the Bluegreen Vacations Duel qualifying races, and the 62nd running of the Daytona 500. The regular season is scheduled to end with the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona on August 29. The NASCAR playoffs is scheduled to end with the race at Phoenix Raceway on November 8.
This is the first season under NASCAR's new tiered sponsorship model after rejecting Monster Energy's offer to extend its title sponsorship.[2][3] On December 5, 2019, NASCAR announced Busch Beer, Coca-Cola, GEICO, and Xfinity as the Premier Partners of the NASCAR Cup Series, replacing the sole title sponsor of Monster Energy.[4]
This is scheduled to be the final year for the Gen-6 car, as the Next Gen car (formerly the Gen-7 car) is slated for a 2021 debut.[5]
It was announced that 2020 will be the last full-time season for seven-time series champion Jimmie Johnson[6][7] as well as for part-timer Brendan Gaughan.[8] This is also the first Cup Series season without Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard since they began racing during the 2002 and 2003 seasons respectively.
== Teams and drivers ==
===Chartered teams===
Manufacturer 	Team 	 	Race driver
Chevrolet 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	1 	Kurt Busch
Chevrolet 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	42	Kyle Larson
Chevrolet 	Germain Racing 	13	Ty Dillon
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	9 	Chase Elliott
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	24	William Byron
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	48	Jimmie Johnson
Chevrolet 	Hendrick Motorsports 	88	Alex Bowman
Chevrolet 	JTG Daugherty Racing 	37	Ryan Preece
Chevrolet 	JTG Daugherty Racing 	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Chevrolet 	Premium Motorsports 	15	Brennan Poole (R)
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	3 	Austin Dillon
Chevrolet 	Richard Childress Racing 	8 	Tyler Reddick (R)
Chevrolet 	Richard Petty Motorsports	43	Bubba Wallace
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	Ross Chastain (5)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	Reed Sorenson (11)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	J. J. Yeley (2)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	Garrett Smithley (5)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	B. J. McLeod (1)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	James Davison (5)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	Josh Bilicki (3)
Chevrolet 	Spire Motorsports 	 	Stanton Barrett (4)
Chevrolet 	StarCom Racing 	00	Quin Houff (R)
Ford 	Front Row Motorsports 	34	Michael McDowell
Ford 	Front Row Motorsports 	38	John Hunter Nemechek (R)
Ford 	Go Fas Racing 	32	Corey LaJoie
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	6 	Ryan Newman 27
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	6 	Ross Chastain 9
Ford 	Roush Fenway Racing 	17	Chris Buescher
Ford 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	4 	Kevin Harvick
Ford 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	10	Aric Almirola
Ford 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	14	Clint Bowyer
Ford 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	41	Cole Custer (R)
Ford 	Team Penske 	2 	Brad Keselowski
Ford 	Team Penske 	12	Ryan Blaney
Ford 	Team Penske 	22	Joey Logano
Ford 	Wood Brothers Racing 	21	Matt DiBenedetto
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	11	Denny Hamlin
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	18	Kyle Busch
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	19	Martin Truex Jr.
Toyota 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	20	Erik Jones
Toyota 	Leavine Family Racing 	95	Christopher Bell (R)
Chevrolet Ford TBA	Petty Ware Racing 	51	Joey Gase
Chevrolet Ford TBA	Petty Ware Racing 	51	Garrett Smithley
Chevrolet Ford TBA	Petty Ware Racing 	51	James Davison
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	B. J. McLeod
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	J. J. Yeley
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	Gray Gaulding
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	Josh Bilicki
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	David Ragan
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	Joey Gase
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	Garrett Smithley
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	Bayley Currey
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	David Starr
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	Josh Bilicki
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	J. J. Yeley
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	James Davison
Ford Chevrolet TBA	Rick Ware Racing 	 	
===Non-chartered teams===
====Complete schedule====
Manufacturer 	Team 	 	Race driver
Toyota 	Gaunt Brothers Racing	96	Daniel Suárez
Ford Toyota	MBM Motorsports 	66	Timmy Hill
====Limited schedule====
Manufacturer	Team 	 	Race driver
Chevrolet 	Beard Motorsports 	62	Brendan Gaughan
Chevrolet 	Kaulig Racing 	16	Justin Haley
Chevrolet 	Premium Motorsports 	27	Reed Sorenson
Chevrolet 	Tommy Baldwin Racing 	7 	Josh Bilicki
Chevrolet 	Tommy Baldwin Racing 	7 	J. J. Yeley
Chevrolet 	Tommy Baldwin Racing 	7 	Reed Sorenson
Chevrolet 	Tommy Baldwin Racing 	7 	Joey Gase
Chevrolet 	Tommy Baldwin Racing 	7 	Garrett Smithley
Ford 	Rick Ware Racing 	54	J. J. Yeley
Toyota 	MBM Motorsports 	49	Chad Finchum
Chevrolet 	B. J. McLeod Motorsports	78	B. J. McLeod
Chevrolet 	B. J. McLeod Motorsports	78	Garrett Smithley
== Results and Standings ==
No 	Race Title 	Date 	Pole 	Most Laps Led 	Winner 	Winning Team 	Manufacturer
 	Busch Clash 	February 9 	Ryan Newman 	Brad Keselowski 	Erik Jones 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
 	Bluegreen Vacations Duels 	February 13 	Ricky Stenhouse Jr & Alex Bowman	Ricky Stenhouse Jr & Kevin Harvick	Joey Logano & William Byron	Team Penske & Hendrick Motorsports	Ford & Chevrolet
1 	Daytona 500 	February 16-17 	Ricky Stenhouse Jr 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
2 	Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube 	February 23 	Kyle Busch 	Kevin Harvick 	Joey Logano 	Team Penske 	Ford
3 	Auto Club 400 	March 1 	Clint Bowyer 	Alex Bowman 	Alex Bowman 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
4 	FanShield 500 	March 8 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott 	Joey Logano (2) 	Team Penske 	Ford
5 	Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 	March 15 	Chase Elliott 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
6 	Dixie Vodka 400 	March 22 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin (2) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
7 	O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 	March 29 	Chase Elliott 	Ryan Blaney 	Kurt Busch 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	Chevrolet
8 	Food City 500 	April 5 	Brad Keselowski 	Denny Hamlin 	Brad Keselowski 	Team Penske 	Ford
9 	Toyota Owners 400 	April 19 	Kevin Harvick 	Brad Keselowski 	Martin Truex Jr 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
10 	GEICO 500 	April 26 	Tyler Reddick 	Ryan Blaney 	Ryan Blaney 	Team Penske 	Ford
11 	Gander RV & Outdoors 400 	May 3 	Chase Elliott 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin (3) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
12 	STP 500 	May 9 	Ryan Blaney 	Joey Logano 	Martin Truex Jr (2) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
 	NASCAR All Star Open 	May 16 	Aric Almirola 	Matt DiBenedetto 	Matt DiBenedetto 	Wood Brothers Racing 	Ford
 	NASCAR All Star Race 	May 16 	Kevin Harvick 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
13 	Coca-Cola 600 	May 24 	Kurt Busch 	Alex Bowman 	Brad Keselowski (2) 	Team Penske 	Ford
14 	Digital Ally 400 	May 31 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick (2) 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
15 	FireKeepers Casino 400 	June 7 	Joey Logano 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick (3) 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
16 	Toyota/Save Mart 350 	June 14 	Kyle Larson 	Martin Truex Jr 	Chase Elliott 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
17 	Camping World 400 	June 21-22 	Kevin Harvick 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin (4) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
18 	Kids Free 325 	June 27 	Chase Elliott 	Aric Almirola 	Kevin Harvick (4) 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
19 	Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350 	June 28 (Rain-shortened) 	Ryan Preece 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin (5) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
20 	Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard	July 5 	Kevin Harvick 	Denny Hamlin 	Kyle Larson 	Chip Ganassi Racing 	Chevrolet
21 	Quaker State 400 	July 11 	Aric Almirola 	Aric Almirola 	Jimmie Johnson 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
22 	Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 	July 19 	Aric Almirola 	Brad Keselowski 	Brad Keselowski (3) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
23 	Consumers Energy 400 	August 9 	Joey Logano 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick (5) 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
24 	Go Bowling at The Glen 	August 16 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott (2) 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
25 	Drydene 400 	August 24 (Rain Delayed) 	Kyle Larson 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick (6) 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
26 	Coke Zero Sugar 400 	August 29 	Chase Elliott 	Joey Logano 	William Byron 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
Cup Championship Playoffs	Cup Championship Playoffs 	Cup Championship Playoffs	 	 	 	 	
Round of 16 	Round of 16 	Round of 16 	 	 	 	 	
27 	Southern 500 	September 6 	Chase Elliott 	Martin Truex Jr 	Chase Elliott (3) 	Hendrick Motorsports 	Chevrolet
28 	Federated Auto Parts 400 	September 12 	Kevin Harvick 	Brad Keselowski 	Brad Keselowski (4) 	Team Penske 	Ford
29 	Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race 	September 19 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Larson 	Kyle Busch 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
Round of 12 	Round of 12 	Round of 12 	 	 	 	 	
30 	South Point 400 	September 27 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick 	Joey Logano (3) 	Team Penske 	Ford
31 	1000bulbs.com 500 	October 4 	Clint Bowyer 	Ryan Blaney 	Aric Almirola 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
32 	Bank of America Roval 400 	October 11 	Chase Eliott 	Chase Elliott 	Chase Elliott (4) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
Round of 8 	Round of 8 	Round of 8 	 	 	 	 	
33 	Hollywood Casino 400 	October 18 	Kyle Busch 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin (6) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
34 	AAA Texas 500 	October 25 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick 	Kevin Harvick (7) 	Stewart-Haas Racing 	Ford
35 	TUMS QuikPak 500 	November 1 	Brad Keselowski 	Joey Logano 	Martin Truex Jr (3) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
Championship 4 	Championship 4 	Championship 4 	 	 	 	 	
36 	Bluegreen Vacations 500 	November 8 	Ryan Blaney 	Denny Hamlin 	Denny Hamlin (7) 	Joe Gibbs Racing 	Toyota
Bolded races indicate a NASCAR Major also known as Crown Jewel race
=== Changes ===
: Further information: History of NASCAR schedule realignments
The 2020 schedule for the NASCAR Cup Series will undergo a series of significant changes.
* The Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway will move behind the West Coast swing to March 15, 2020, returning to its pre-2010 date of mid-March.
* The Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead–Miami Speedway will no longer serve as the final race of the season ending a tradition that dated back to 2002 and bringing an end to Ford Championship Weekend. The race date will move to March 22, 2020, following the race at Atlanta. This will be Fox Sports' first time carrying the event.
* After 21 years of being NASCAR's Fourth of July weekend event (and 60 of 61 years overall), the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway will move to August and become the final race of NASCAR's "regular season". The Brickyard 400, run at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will switch race weekends with Daytona.
* The STP 500 at Martinsville Speedway will be run under the lights for the first time on May 9, Mother's Day Weekend.
* Kansas Speedway's spring race, the Digital Ally 400 that has been run under the lights on Mother's Day Weekend will move from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon and be held on May 31, 2020, after the Coca-Cola 600.
* Both events at Pocono Raceway will be run on consecutive days the weekend of June 27–28.
* Dover International Speedway's second date moves to late August, marking the first time the race has not been in NASCAR's postseason.
* The Toyota/Save Mart 350 will move one week earlier than 2018.
* The Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway will be held as the first race of the Playoffs as the South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway will move to the first race of the Round of 12. Also the race will no longer be sponsored by Bojangles'. [122]
* The Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway will move from mid-August to mid-September, replacing Charlotte and becoming the final race of the Round of 16.
* The Championship Round of the Playoffs will be conducted at Phoenix Raceway on November 8. This will be the first Phoenix race to close out the season. Due to this and the consolidation of the Pocono doubleheader, the 2020 season will end one week earlier than in the past. Usually, the season finale had been held on third weekend in November, falling sometime between November 16–22.
* The Bank of America Roval 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway will become the final race of the Round of 12, replacing Kansas.
* The Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway will be held one week later than 2019, replacing Martinsville and becoming the first race of the Round of 8.
* The Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond will move back to Sunday afternoon, similar to 2015–2017 when it was run on a Sunday afternoon. This was done because the two Martinsville Speedway races will be night races in 2020, as both races will start in the day and end at night.
* There will be two off weeks between Loudon and Michigan to accommodate the NBC networks' coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics, meaning the off week for the U.S. Open Golf Championships that Fox instituted will be removed. This prevents a conflict that happened at the 2016 Olympics, when NBC moved the Watkins Glen race to their USA Network. NBC's half starts on the weekend of that golf championship.
=== Drivers' Championship ===
1.Denny Hamlin
2.Kevin Harvick
3.Martin Truex Jr
4.Brad Keselowski
5.Joey Logano*
6.Chase Elliott*
7.Kyle Larson*
8.Kyle Busch^
9.Ryan Blaney#
10.Aric Almirola*
11.Kurt Busch^
12.Jimmie Johnson#
13.Alex Bowman^
14.William Byron#
15.Clint Bowyer^
16.Matt DiBenedetto#
17.Erik Jones
18.Austin Dillon
19.Tyler Reddick
20.Christopher Bell
21.Cole Custer
22.Chris Buescher
23.Bubba Wallace
24.Ricky Stenhouse Jr
25.Michael McDowell
26.John Hunter Nemechek
27.Ty Dillon
28.Ryan Preece
29.Ryan Newman
30.Corey LaJoie
31.Daniel Suarez
32.Brennan Poole
33.Quin Houff
34.Reed Sorenson
35.Brendan Gaughan
*Means driver made Round of 8
^Means driver made Round of 12
#Means driver made Round of 16
Further information: List of NASCAR points scoring systems
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