The 2020 Coca-Cola 600, the 61st running of the event, was a NASCAR Cup Series race held at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, which started on May 24 and concluded in the early hours of May 25, 2020.[a]

2020 Coca-Cola 600
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 7 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
2020 Coca-Cola 600 program cover
2020 Coca-Cola 600 program cover
Date May 24–25, 2020[a]
Location Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina
Course Permanent racing facility
1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance 405 laps, 607.5 mi (977.67 km)
Scheduled Distance 400 laps, 600 mi (965.6 km)
Average speed 135.024 miles per hour (217.300 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Chip Ganassi Racing
Time 29.790
Most laps led
Driver Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports
Laps 164
Winner
No. 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network Fox
Announcers Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon
Nielsen Ratings 3.963 million[8]
Radio in the United States
Radio PRN
Booth Announcers Doug Rice and Mark Garrow
Turn Announcers Rob Albright (1 & 2) and Pat Patterson (3 & 4)

The seventh race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the Coca-Cola 600 was scheduled to be held over 400 laps of the 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometre) asphalt speedway, but following a late-race spin by William Byron, a caution period took the race into an overtime finish. Brad Keselowski took the victory after 405 laps had been completed; the 607.5 miles (977.7 kilometres) completed was the longest race distance in NASCAR history.[9]

Report

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Background

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Charlotte Motor Speedway, the track where the race was held.

The race was held at Charlotte Motor Speedway, located in Concord, North Carolina. The speedway complex includes a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) quad-oval track that was utilized for the race, as well as a dragstrip and a dirt track. The speedway was built in 1959 by Bruton Smith and is considered the home track for NASCAR with many race teams based in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The track is owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) with Marcus G. Smith serving as track president.

All four stages were scheduled to consist of 100 laps.

The race was held behind closed doors to an extent, with no spectators admitted in the grandstands. However, owners of the condominiums overlooking turn 1 of the track were able to watch the race from their residences (restricted to up to five per residence for social distancing requirements), for a maximum of 260 fans.[10] As one of the first major events to allow limited spectators, tickets to the event, available exclusively to ownership of the units, started at $7,802 for two nights in a unit, as offered on short-term vacation rental sites.[11]

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
7 J. J. Yeley (i) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
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 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 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 Ross Chastain (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford
88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota
96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota
Official entry list

Qualifying

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Kurt Busch scored the pole position.

Kurt Busch scored the pole for the race with a time of 29.790 and a speed of 181.269 mph (291.724 km/h).[12]

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time
1 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 29.790
2 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.799
3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.834
4 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 29.847
5 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.850
6 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 29.877
7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 29.925
8 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 29.946
9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 29.953
10 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 29.956
11 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 30.019
12 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 30.020
13 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 30.027
14 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 30.033
15 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota 30.042
16 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 30.059
17 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 30.071
18 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 30.072
19 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 30.081
20 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 30.095
21 77 Ross Chastain (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 30.150
22 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 30.156
23 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 30.172
24 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 30.183
25 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 30.254
26 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 30.313
27 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 30.324
28 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 30.334
29 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 30.352
30 00 Quin Houff (R) StarCom Racing Chevrolet 30.848
31 27 Gray Gaulding Rick Ware Racing Ford 31.160
32 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 31.234
33 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 31.452
34 7 J. J. Yeley (i) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 31.480
35 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 31.502
36 78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford 31.590
37 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 31.858
38 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 31.971
39 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford 33.538
40 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 0.000
Official qualifying results

Race

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Brad Keselowski won the race.

Stage Results

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Stage One Laps: 100

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10
2 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 8
4 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 7
5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 6
6 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 4
8 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 3
9 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 2
10 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 1
Official stage one results

Stage Two Laps: 100

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 10
2 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 9
3 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 8
4 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 7
5 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 6
6 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 4
8 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3
9 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 2
10 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 1
Official stage two results

Stage Three Laps: 100

Pos No Driver Team Manufacturer Points
1 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 10
2 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 9
3 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 8
4 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 7
5 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 6
6 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 5
7 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 4
8 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 3
9 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 2
10 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 1
Official stage three results

Final Stage Results

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Stage Four Laps: 100

Pos Grid No Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 9 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 405 44
2 3 9 Chase Elliott Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 405 49
3 26 12 Ryan Blaney Team Penske Ford 405 44
4 11 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 405 52
5 22 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 405 33
6 8 19 Martin Truex Jr. Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 405 56
7 1 1 Kurt Busch Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 405 32
8 5 8 Tyler Reddick (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 405 37
9 15 95 Christopher Bell (R) Leavine Family Racing Toyota 405 28
10 19 17 Chris Buescher Roush Fenway Racing Ford 405 27
11 14 20 Erik Jones Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 405 36
12 28 41 Cole Custer (R) Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 405 25
13 7 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 405 44
14 6 3 Austin Dillon Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 405 33
15 40 10 Aric Almirola Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 405 22
16 25 38 John Hunter Nemechek (R) Front Row Motorsports Ford 405 21
17 33 21 Matt DiBenedetto Wood Brothers Racing Ford 405 20
18 27 34 Michael McDowell Front Row Motorsports Ford 405 19
19 12 88 Alex Bowman Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 405 47
20 10 24 William Byron Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 404 29
21 21 77 Ross Chastain (i) Spire Motorsports Chevrolet 403 0
22 29 37 Ryan Preece JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 403 15
23 24 32 Corey LaJoie Go Fas Racing Ford 403 14
24 17 47 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 402 13
25 16 13 Ty Dillon Germain Racing Chevrolet 401 12
26 4 42 Matt Kenseth Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 401 11
27 18 6 Ryan Newman Roush Fenway Racing Ford 400 11
28 37 96 Daniel Suárez Gaunt Brothers Racing Toyota 399 9
29 13 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 398 8
30 35 15 Brennan Poole (R) Premium Motorsports Chevrolet 398 7
31 31 27 Gray Gaulding Rick Ware Racing Ford 397 6
32 36 78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod Motorsports Ford 393 0
33 38 53 Garrett Smithley (i) Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet 391 0
34 32 66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota 390 0
35 30 00 Quin Houff StarCom Racing Chevrolet 390 2
36 39 51 Joey Gase (i) Petty Ware Racing Ford 385 0
37 34 7 J. J. Yeley (i) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 251 0
38 23 43 Bubba Wallace Richard Petty Motorsports Chevrolet 164 1
39 20 14 Clint Bowyer Stewart-Haas Racing Ford 96 1
DSQ 2 48 Jimmie Johnson[b] Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 405 1
Official race results

Race statistics

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  • Lead changes: 20 among 11 different drivers
  • Cautions/Laps: 8 for 52
  • Red flags: 1 for 1 hour, 8 minutes and 35 seconds
  • Time of race: 4 hours, 29 minutes and 55 seconds
  • Average speed: 135.024 miles per hour (217.300 km/h)

Media

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Television

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Fox Sports televised the race in the United States for the 20th consecutive year. Mike Joy and three-time Coca-Cola 600 winner, Jeff Gordon covered the race from the Steve Byrnes Studio in Charlotte. Jamie Little and Regan Smith 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
Regan Smith
Larry McReynolds

Radio

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Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by the Performance Racing Network (PRN), and was simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Doug Rice and Mark Garrow called the race in the booth when the field raced through the quad-oval. Rob Albright called the race from a billboard in turn 2 when the field was racing through turns 1 and 2 and halfway down the backstretch. Pat Patterson called the race from a billboard outside of turn 3 when the field raced through the other half of the backstretch and through turns 3 and 4. Brad Gillie, Brett McMillan and Wendy Venturini were the pit reporters during the broadcast.

PRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Doug Rice
Announcer: Mark Garrow
Turns 1 & 2: Rob Albright
Turns 3 & 4: Pat Patterson
Brad Gillie
Brett McMillan
Wendy Venturini

Standings after the race

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b The race started on Sunday evening, and following a rain delay of over an hour, concluded at 12:09 am Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Monday morning.[7]
  2. ^ Johnson initially finished 2nd, but was disqualified after failing post-race inspection.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  2. ^ "Charlotte Motor Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on September 29, 2015. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  3. ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 22, 2020. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  4. ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 24, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  5. ^ "Coca-Cola 600 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  7. ^ "Commercial breakdown: 2020 Coca-Cola 600". Jayski's Silly Season Site. NASCAR Digital Media Network. May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  8. ^ "Coca-Cola 600 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on May 29, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2020.
  9. ^ Spencer, Reid (May 24, 2020). "Brad Keselowski wins Coca-Cola 600 in overtime". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved May 25, 2020. In Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600, which went to overtime for the second time in its history, Keselowski surged ahead after a restart on Lap 404 and beat Jimmie Johnson to the finish line by .293 seconds to win a race that stretched to 607.5 miles, longest in NASCAR history.
  10. ^ "Speedway Condo Owners to Get Front-Row Seat to Coca-Cola 600". Spectrum News. May 15, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  11. ^ Gastelu, Gary. "'Tickets' to closed NASCAR Coca-Cola 600 listed for $7,802". Foxnews.com. Fox News Media. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  12. ^ DeGroot, Nick (May 24, 2020). "Kurt Busch tops Jimmie Johnson for Coke 600 pole". Motorsport.com. Charlotte, North Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
  13. ^ "No. 48 fails inspection; Jimmie Johnson disqualified at Charlotte". NASCAR. May 25, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.


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