2020 GEICO 500

NASCAR Cup Series raceTemplate:SHORTDESC:NASCAR Cup Series race

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.

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.

## Report

### Background

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 have been held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the previous week's Dixie Vodka 400 was the first to admit any outside spectators — 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 back straightaway 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.

#### Confederate flag ban, Bubba Wallace noose incident

This was the first race open to spectators after NASCAR's decision to ban the Confederate battle flag following a complaint by Bubba Wallace — the only full-time African-American driver in the Cup Series — in light of the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement. 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.

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. As a sign of solidarity, other drivers and crew members pushed Wallace's car down pit row prior to the start of the race (which had been re-scheduled to June 22 due to rain), while "#IStandWithBubba" was painted on the infield grass.

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. Wallace disputed the result, arguing that he had "never seen a garage pull like that". 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.

#### Entry list

* **(R)** denotes rookie driver.
* **(i)** denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.

*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

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

## Race

For the second week in a row, Mother Nature interfered with the start of the race. A passing thunderstorm dotted the area with lightning strikes and torrential rains. Instead of diminishing, the storms built and washed away the race causing a postponement to Monday afternoon, June 22.

### Stage 1

When the green flag finally waved, Truex dropped down in front of his teammate Denny Hamlin who pushed him around the first lap as drivers went three-wide battling for positions.

As drivers changed positions, Hamlin led for a while, then Logano went to the front. The duo traded the lead several times until the competition caution, scheduled by NASCAR, came out after 25 laps.

On the restart, Team Penske led the pack with Logano out front, followed by Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski. Lead changes, position swaps, and bold moves as drivers seem to move from the front to rear and back to the front. All it takes is for a few cars to line up and get a big run to move forward. Three-wide racing is now the norm.

It will take 94 laps completed to make the race official. Rain is approaching the speedway as the laps wind down in Stage 1. Early leader Denny Hamlin had a tire go down on the right front with 6 laps to go in the Stage and had to pit. The rain started a lap later, bringing out the caution and helping Hamlin avoid losing a 2nd lap on pit road. The red flag was displayed with 3 laps to go in Stage 1.

After almost an hour-long red flag stoppage, cars were back on the track finishing out the Stage under yellow. Rookie Tyler Reddick earned his first stage win in the Cup Series.

Denny Hamlin was the lucky dog and returned to the lead lap during the caution period.

### Stage 2

Back to green in Stage 2 and the jockeying for positions continues. It was Alex Bowman and Jimmie Johnson on the front row, followed by the Ford Mustangs of Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney, and Brad Keselowski. Reddick sat in 8th place on the restart.

Three-wide racing commenced before the completion of one green flag lap. It did not take long for the Team Penske cars to find each other’s bumper and drive to the front. Blaney, Logano, and Keselowski got an extra push the Wood’s Brothers Matt DiBenedetto who has a technical alliance with Penske.

At the halfway point John Hunter Nemechek spun on the tri-oval bringing out the caution. All the leaders took the opportunity to pit for fuel and tires. Showers dotted north Alabama but they were avoiding the track. It appeared the race could run to its conclusion barring a pop-up shower making an appearance.

The race restarted with 21 laps to go in Stage 2 and the Penske cars out front again. Kyle Busch has hung around the front of the pack all-day, his car pushes well and he has worked to break up the Ford dominance with anyone getting a run. Ryan Blaney was almost sideways as Keselowski bump drafted him trying to get around a Ricky Stenhouse Jr. / Kyle Busch draft to the front.

With 6 laps to go in Stage 2, a piece of debris on the backstretch brought out the caution flag. The leaders opted to stay on the track and fight for stage points. The race restarted with 2 laps to go in the Stage, Ryan Blaney and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. shared the front row. They swapped the lead several times over the two laps, with the Stenhouse/Busch paring inching ahead of the Blaney/Keselowski duo under the green and white checkered flag

### Final Stage

Drivers who pitted on the debris caution came to pit road at the end of the stage and took gas only. Changing the complexion of the front of the field. Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, and Matt Kenseth will lead the field on the restart.

Matt Kenseth developed a problem with his car and quickly pulled out of line on the backstretch to avoid starting a wreck. He came to the pits with a report of no brakes. Last year’s winner, Chase Elliott, led for the first time with a push to the front from Harvick. As the Penske guys found each other and began their march back to the top.

With 55 laps to go, Chase Elliott was making a run and got a push from Keselowski. Joey Logano, who had an incident with Elliott at Bristol that cost both of them a chance at a win, saw the run and pulled up to block. Logano had warned Elliott that he would race him hard every time they encountered each other on the track and made good on that promise last week at Homestead-Miami. The two cars made slight contact and Elliott got sideways. Austin Dillon clipped Chase Elliott in the rear causing damage to both cars. Remarkably, everyone else avoided the incident and put “the big one” on hold for a few more laps. Both Dillon and Elliott were forced to retire from the event.

The race restarted with 50 laps to go and Team Penske out front again. Ryan Blaney, Logano, and Brad Keselowski, with Kyle Busch and Stenhouse lurking.

Three laps later Brendan Poole and Joey Gase wrecked at the back of the pack bringing out the caution again. The leaders opted to pit as the race reached the point where a full tank of Sunoco Racing Fuel should carry them to the end of the 188 laps.

More new names at the front for this restart as Christopher Bell, Erik Jones, Stenhouse, Harvick, and Clint Bowyer were the top 5 coming to the green. Bell and Jones almost wrecked as the rookie forced the Michigan driver below the double yellow line. Bell earned a drive-thru penalty for the move and Jones dropped back into the pack.

Kyle Busch had a right rear tire go flat forcing him to pit and go a lap down to the field. Logano moved to the front, but he was unable to hold the lead as his teammates struggled to form up behind him. William Byron, who started at the rear due to pre-race inspection issues, led the freight train around the track.

As two lines began to form, Bubba Wallace drove to the lead for a lap. Logano moved around with a push from fellow Ford Mustang driver Kevin Harvick. Alex Bowman and Ryan Preece took turns at the front. Tyler Reddick rejoined the leaders as the battle for the top spot heated up.

#### The Finish

With 8 laps to go, Ryan Blaney started his move forward and he drove to the lead with a push from Ricky Stenhouse Jr. With 3 laps to go, Jimmie Johnson had a big run and drove up to 2nd place. A bump from Harvick sent the 7-time champion spinning, adding another race to the winless streak that will now stand at 108.

The caution gave drivers who feared they were short on fuel to pit and sent the event into overtime. Blaney, Harvick, Buescher, Stenhouse, and Keselowski were the top 5.

##### Overtime

Harvick took the lead and looked like he might pull off the win as the white flag waved. Ryan Blaney got a run on the backstretch and moved out front. Cars began wrecking back in the pack as Blaney surged ahead.

Things got crazy as the leaders came through the tri-oval. Erik Jones got a nose in front, Blaney gave him a bump and drove back around, Stenhouse was closing fast and the pair crossed the line in a photo finish. Blaney ahead by inches as another wreck was developing right behind them. Aric Almirola came across the finish line backward taking third, with Hamlin 4th and Jones 5th.

### Stage Results

**Stage One**
*Laps:* 60

**Stage Two**
*Laps:* 60

### Final Stage Results

**Stage Three**
*Laps:* 68

### Race statistics

* 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

### Television

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.

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race which was also be 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.

 **Lead announcer:** Alex Hayden**Announcer:** Jeff Striegle | **Turns 1 & 2:** Dave Moody**Backstretch:** Mike Bagley**Turns 3 & 4:** Kurt Becker | Winston KelleySteve Post

## References

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