The 2020 The Real Heroes 400 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on May 17, 2020, at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina, replacing Chicagoland Speedway event.[8] Contested over 293 laps on the 1.366-mile (2.198 km) egg-shaped oval, it was the fifth race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was the first Darlington event held in the spring since 2014, and the first major sporting event in the United States since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 5 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 | |||
| Date | May 17, 2020 | ||
| Location | Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 293 laps, 400.238 mi (644.12 km) | ||
| Average speed | 115.815 miles per hour (186.386 km/h) | ||
| Attendance | 0 (behind closed doors) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Grid positions set by ballot | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 159 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy and Jeff Gordon | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 6.323 million[7] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden and Dave Moody | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dillon Welch (1 & 2) and Steve Post (3 & 4) | ||
Report
editBackground
edit
The 56th edition of this race, last held in 2004, was the first of the NASCAR Cup Series season following a hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, beginning with the postponement of the Atlanta Motor Speedway race weekend on March 13, 2020, and subsequent postponement of all races through at least early-May.[9][10][11] On April 30, 2020, NASCAR announced the resumption of races with twin races at Darlington, including a 400-mile race on May 17, 2020 and a 310-mile (500 kilometer) race the following Wednesday, May 20, 2020. All races will be held behind closed doors with only essential staff present, guidelines for social distancing and use of protective equipment by team staff, and logging to help with contact tracing efforts.[12]
On May 14, 2020, NASCAR announced that the May 17 race would be branded as The Real Heroes 400, the naming was in support of The Real Heroes Project—a collaboration of major U.S. sports leagues to honor health care professionals working during the pandemic. As part of the initiative, the names of drivers printed above the cars' driver-side windows were replaced with the names of health care professionals (determined in collaboration with local Fox affiliates). The selected workers collectively served as Grand Marshals of the race via a video "mosaic".[13][14]
Ryan Newman returned to racing, having recovered from injuries sustained after the final lap crash of the 2020 Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth made his return to the series, having been named the new driver of the Chip Ganassi Racing No. 42 Chevrolet, after the suspension and firing of Kyle Larson.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
- Brennan Poole competed under Premium Motorsports banner but the team is now owned by Rick Ware (also owner of the Rick Ware Racing).
Qualifying
editUnder modified operational procedures, no qualifying sessions were held for this race. The starting order was determined by a random draw, with drivers grouped into pots of positions based on segments of the owners' points standings going into the race.[15]
Starting Lineup
editRace
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Stage Results
editStage One Laps: 90
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 95
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
editStage Three Laps: 108
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 293 | 54 |
| 2 | 2 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 52 |
| 3 | 22 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 39 |
| 4 | 11 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 34 |
| 5 | 10 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 293 | 43 |
| 6 | 15 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 293 | 39 |
| 7 | 29 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 33 |
| 8 | 20 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 293 | 30 |
| 9 | 34 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 293 | 28 |
| 10 | 12 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 27 |
| 11 | 16 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 26 |
| 12 | 5 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 293 | 30 |
| 13 | 1 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 293 | 40 |
| 14 | 3 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 293 | 23 |
| 15 | 21 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 293 | 24 |
| 16 | 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 293 | 21 |
| 17 | 13 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 293 | 30 |
| 18 | 9 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 293 | 22 |
| 19 | 33 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 18 |
| 20 | 25 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 293 | 21 |
| 21 | 17 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 293 | 16 |
| 22 | 14 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 293 | 15 |
| 23 | 31 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 293 | 14 |
| 24 | 28 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 293 | 13 |
| 25 | 37 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 292 | 12 |
| 26 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 292 | 11 |
| 27 | 35 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 292 | 10 |
| 28 | 30 | 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 291 | 0 |
| 29 | 36 | 77 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 291 | 8 |
| 30 | 32 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 289 | 0 |
| 31 | 19 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 289 | 6 |
| 32 | 24 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 287 | 5 |
| 33 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 286 | 0 |
| 34 | 40 | 7 | Josh Bilicki (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 286 | 0 |
| 35 | 18 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 279 | 12 |
| 36 | 27 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 137 | 1 |
| 37 | 26 | 53 | Garrett Smithley | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 127 | 1 |
| 38 | 8 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 89 | 1 |
| 39 | 39 | 78 | B. J. McLeod (i) | B. J. McLeod Motorsports | Chevrolet | 13 | 0 |
| 40 | 23 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 0 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
edit- Lead changes: 10 among 6 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 10 for 57
- Red flags: 0
- Time of race: 3 hours, 27 minutes and 21 seconds
- Average speed: 115.815 miles per hour (186.386 km/h)
Media
editTelevision
editThe Real Heroes 400 was carried by Fox in the United States. Mike Joy and seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon called the race from the Fox Sports Studio in Charlotte. Regan Smith handled pit road duties. Larry McReynolds provided insight from the Fox Sports studio in Charlotte.
| Fox | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporter | In-race analyst |
| Lap-by-lap: Mike Joy Color-commentator: Jeff Gordon |
Regan Smith | Larry McReynolds |
Radio
editThe Motor Racing Network (MRN) called the race for radio, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Dave Moody called the action for MRN when the field raced down the front stretch. Dillon Welch called the race from a Billboard outside of turn 1 when the field raced through turns 1 and 2, and Steve Post called the race atop of the Darlington Raceway Club outside of turn 3 when the field raced through turns 3 and 4. Kim Coon and Hannah Newhouse called the action on pit road for MRN.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Dave Moody |
Turns 1 & 2: Dillon Welch Turns 3 & 4: Steve Post |
Kim Coon Hannah Newhouse |
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
- ^ "The Real Heroes 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
- ^ "The Real Heroes 400 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
- ^ Norris, Brad. "NASCAR realigns 2020 schedule, shifts events from Chicagoland, Richmond, Sonoma". NASCAR.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR statement on Atlanta and Homestead". NASCAR.com. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR statement: All race events through May 3 postponed | NASCAR". NASCAR.com. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
- ^ "NASCAR postpones Martinsville Speedway race – NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ^ "NASCAR goes green in May; 7 races in 11 days". ESPN.com. 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
- ^ "NASCAR honors healthcare workers in race at Darlington". NASCAR.com. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ "Goodyear Plans Sweepstakes For NASCAR Return". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
- ^ DeGroot, Nick (May 14, 2020). "Brad Keselowski takes Darlington pole, per random draw". Motorsport.com. Darlington, South Carolina: Motorsport Network. Retrieved May 14, 2020.