2020 YellaWood 500
# 2020 YellaWood 500

The 2020 YellaWood 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on October 4, 2020 at Talladega Superspeedway in Lincoln, Alabama. Contested over 200 laps -- extended from 188 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.66 mile (4.2 km) superspeedway, it was the 31st race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, the fifth race of the Playoffs, and the second race of the Round of 12.

## Report

### Background

Talladega Superspeedway, originally known as Alabama International Motor Superspeedway (AIMS), 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. The track is a tri-oval and was constructed in the 1960s by the International Speedway Corporation, a business controlled by the France family. Talladega is most known for its steep banking and the unique location of the start/finish line that's located just past the exit to pit road. The track currently hosts the NASCAR series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, Xfinity Series and the 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 also is a 2.5-mile-long (4 km) tri-oval.

**Entry list**

* (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 |
| 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 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 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 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford |
| 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 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

Denny Hamlin was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula.

### Starting Lineup

| Pos | No. | Driver | Team | Manufacturer |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 2 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford |
| 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford |
| 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 11 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 13 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford |
| 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford |
| 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota |
| 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 18 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford |
| 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford |
| 20 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet |
| 21 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 22 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota |
| 23 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford |
| 25 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet |
| 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet |
| 29 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford |
| 30 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet |
| 31 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota |
| 32 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 33 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet |
| 34 | 27 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 35 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| 36 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford |
| 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford |
| 38 | 53 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet |
| 39 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet |
| Official starting lineup |||||

## Race

### Stage Results

Stage One Laps: 60

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 6 |
| 6 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage one results ||||||

Stage Two Laps: 60

| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 4 |
| 8 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results ||||||

### Final Stage Results

Stage Three Laps: 80 (was originally 68, but got extended due to Overtime)

| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 40 |
| 2 | 16 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 200 | 41 |
| 3 | 28 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 36 |
| 4 | 21 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 38 |
| 5 | 10 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 44 |
| 6 | 19 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 31 |
| 7 | 30 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 34 |
| 8 | 23 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 35 |
| 9 | 32 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 28 |
| 10 | 25 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 30 |
| 11 | 35 | 77 | Justin Haley (i) | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 0 |
| 12 | 12 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 33 |
| 13 | 33 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 24 |
| 14 | 4 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 200 | 23 |
| 15 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Ford | 200 | 0 |
| 16 | 20 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 21 |
| 17 | 36 | 51 | Joey Gase (i) | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 200 | 0 |
| 18 | 7 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 200 | 35 |
| 19 | 34 | 27 | Cody Ware | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 200 | 18 |
| 20 | 5 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 200 | 17 |
| 21 | 13 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 200 | 16 |
| 22 | 15 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 200 | 33 |
| 23 | 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 198 | 27 |
| 24 | 27 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 192 | 15 |
| 25 | 14 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 192 | 16 |
| 26 | 8 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 188 | 20 |
| 27 | 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 188 | 10 |
| 28 | 29 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 188 | 9 |
| 29 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 133 | 8 |
| 30 | 38 | 53 | James Davison | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 118 | 7 |
| 31 | 18 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 108 | 7 |
| 32 | 2 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 108 | 7 |
| 33 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 108 | 4 |
| 34 | 31 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 108 | 3 |
| 35 | 39 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 108 | 2 |
| 36 | 24 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 79 | 1 |
| 37 | 11 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 57 | 1 |
| 38 | 26 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 8 | 1 |
| 39 | 22 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 1 | 1 |
| Official race results ||||||||

### Race statistics

* Lead changes: 58 among 18 different drivers
* Cautions/Laps: 13 for 54 laps
* Red flags: 2 for 21 minutes and 19 seconds
* Time of race: 4 hours, 5 minutes and 58 seconds
* Average speed: 129.774 miles per hour (208.851 km/h)

## Track limits controversy

Track limits are used at Daytona, Talladega, and the road courses. Officiating by NASCAR officials involving the finish of the race generated in regards to track limits drew considerable controversy afterwards. Initially, second-place finisher Matt DiBenedetto and sixth-place finisher Chase Elliott were penalized and moved to 21st and 22nd positions, respectively. NASCAR penalized DiBenedetto for forcing William Byron beyond track limits, marked with a double yellow line at the bottom of the track, and the sanctioning body penalized Elliott for voluntarily moving under the line. NASCAR later redistributed its penalty originally given to Elliott, assessing it to Chris Buescher for forcing Elliott beyond track limits. Race winner Denny Hamlin also maneuvered under the track limits boundaries on the final corner, but race officials ruled that he was avoiding a potential accident from DiBenedetto and Byron. Despite myriad negative reactions to the decision at Talladega and online, a NASCAR official later said that the rulings were "clear-cut". NBC commentators Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Dale Jarrett called for NASCAR to remove track limits, but the sanctioning body, citing safety concerns, said the rule would stay in place.

## Media

### Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton and six-time Talladega winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the action from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway, which was the last time this setup would be used, as starting with the next race booth commentators started calling races on site. Steve Letarte called the action on site. Dave Burns, Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties on site.

NBC :

| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. On-Site analyst: Steve Letarte | Dave Burns Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |

### Radio

MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcasted on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race for MRN when the field races thru the tri-oval. Dave Moody called the action from turn 1, Mike Bagley called the action for MRN when the field races down the backstraightaway, and Dan Hubbard called the race from the Sunoco tower just outside of turn 4. Winston Kelley and Steve Post called the action for MRN from pit lane.

MRN :

| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| - | - | - |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Backstretch: Mike Bagley Turns 3 & 4: Dan Hubbard | Winston Kelley Steve Post |

## Standings after the race

| | Pos | Driver | Points |
| - | - | - | - |
| 1 | 1 | Denny Hamlin | 3,141 |
| 1 | 2 | Kevin Harvick | 3,121 (–20) |
| 3 | 3 | Chase Elliott | 3,097 (–44) |
| 1 | 4 | Brad Keselowski | 3,094 (–47) |
| 1 | 5 | Martin Truex Jr. | 3,085 (–56) |
| 1 | 6 | Alex Bowman | 3,075 (–66) |
| 2 | 7 | Joey Logano | 3,074 (–67) |
| | 8 | Kyle Busch | 3,053 (–88) |
| 3 | 9 | Austin Dillon | 3,053 (–88) |
| 1 | 10 | Kurt Busch | 3,048 (–93) |
| 1 | 11 | Clint Bowyer | 3,036 (–105) |
| 1 | 12 | Aric Almirola | 3,026 (–115) |
| | 13 | Ryan Blaney | 2,114 (–1,027) |
| 2 | 14 | William Byron | 2,113 (–1,028) |
| 1 | 15 | Matt DiBenedetto | 2,108 (–1,033) |
| 1 | 16 | Cole Custer | 2,095 (–1,046) |
| Official driver's standings ||||
| Pos | Manufacturer | Points |
| 1 | Ford | 1,151 |
| 2 | Toyota | 1,091 (–60) |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 1,046 (–105) |
