2020 Season Finale 500 Explained

Type:	CUST
Description:	Race 36 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
Race Name:	Season Finale 500
Details Ref:	^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] ^[5] ^[6]
Year:	2020
Location:	Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona
Course Mi:	1
Course Km:	1.6
Distance Laps:	312
Distance Mi:	312
Distance Km:	499.2
Avg:	112.096mph
Pole Driver:	Chase Elliott
Pole Team:	Hendrick Motorsports
Grid From Prev Perf:	yes
Most Driver:	Chase Elliott
Most Team:	Hendrick Motorsports
Most Laps:	154
Car:	9
First Driver:	Chase Elliott
First Team:	Hendrick Motorsports
Network:	NBC
Announcers:	Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Radio:	MRN
Booth Ann:	Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace
Turn Ann:	Dave Moody (1 & 2) and Mike Bagley (3 & 4)

The 2020 Season Finale 500 was a NASCAR Cup Series race held on November 8, 2020 at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Contested over 312 laps on the one mile (1.6 km) oval, it was the 36th and final race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

The Season Finale 500 was the final start for seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, and for 2012 Cup runner-up Clint Bowyer, and 2003 Winston Cup champion Matt Kenseth as full-time Cup Series drivers.

Report

Background

Phoenix Raceway – also known as PIR – is a one-mile, low-banked tri-oval race track located in Avondale, Arizona. It is named after the nearby metropolitan area of Phoenix. The motorsport track opened in 1964 and currently hosts two NASCAR race weekends annually. PIR has also hosted the IndyCar Series, CART, USAC and the Rolex Sports Car Series. The raceway is currently owned and operated by International Speedway Corporation.

The raceway was originally constructed with a 2.5miles road course that ran both inside and outside of the main tri-oval. In 1991 the track was reconfigured with the current 1.51miles interior layout. PIR has an estimated grandstand seating capacity of around 67,000. Lights were installed around the track in 2004 following the addition of a second annual NASCAR race weekend.

Phoenix Raceway is home to two annual NASCAR race weekends, one of 13 facilities on the NASCAR schedule to host more than one race weekend a year. The track is both the first and last stop in the western United States, as well as the fourth and the last track on the schedule.

This was the first time the championship race was held in Phoenix.

Championship drivers

Joey Logano was the first of the four drivers to clinch a spot in the Championship 4, winning the first race of the Round of 8 at Kansas.

Chase Elliott clinched the second spot in the Championship 4, winning the final race of the Round of 8 at Martinsville.

Brad Keselowski clinched the third spot in the Championship 4 based on points.

Denny Hamlin clinched the final spot in the Championship 4 based on points.

Entry list

(R) denotes rookie driver.
(i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
(CC) denotes championship contender

	Driver	Manufacturer
00	Quin Houff (R)	Chevrolet
1		Chevrolet
2	Brad Keselowski (CC)	Ford
3		Chevrolet
4		Ford
6		Ford
7	Garrett Smithley (i)	Chevrolet
8	Tyler Reddick (R)	Chevrolet
9	Chase Elliott (CC)	Chevrolet
10		Ford
11	Denny Hamlin (CC)	Toyota
12		Ford
13		Chevrolet
14		Ford
15	Brennan Poole (R)	Chevrolet
17		Ford
18		Toyota
19		Toyota
20		Toyota
21		Ford
22	Joey Logano (CC)	Ford
24		Chevrolet
27	J. J. Yeley (i)	Chevrolet
32		Ford
34		Ford
37		Chevrolet
38	John Hunter Nemechek (R)	Ford
41	Cole Custer (R)	Ford
42		Chevrolet
43		Chevrolet
47		Chevrolet
48		Chevrolet
51	Joey Gase (i)	Ford
53		Ford
66	Timmy Hill (i)	Toyota
77	Josh Bilicki (i)	Chevrolet
88		Chevrolet
95	Christopher Bell (R)	Toyota
96		Toyota
Official entry list

Qualifying

Chase Elliott was awarded the pole for the race as determined by competition-based formula. However he was sent to the rear of the field as a result of failing pre-race inspection multiple times.^[7]

Starting Lineup

Pos		Driver	Manufacturer
1	9	Chase Elliott (CC)	Chevrolet
2	22	Joey Logano (CC)	Ford
3	2	Brad Keselowski (CC)	Ford
4	11	Denny Hamlin (CC)	Toyota
5	12		Ford
6	88		Chevrolet
7	1		Chevrolet
8	18		Toyota
9	14		Ford
10	10		Ford
11	4		Ford
12	21		Ford
13	19		Toyota
14	20		Toyota
15	41	Cole Custer (R)	Ford
16	42		Chevrolet
17	95	Christopher Bell (R)	Toyota
18	3		Chevrolet
19	6		Ford
20	47		Chevrolet
21	8	Tyler Reddick (R)	Chevrolet
22	13		Chevrolet
23	43		Chevrolet
24	37		Chevrolet
25	24		Chevrolet
26	48		Chevrolet
27	38	John Hunter Nemechek (R)	Ford
28	32		Ford
29	34		Ford
30	96		Toyota
31	17		Ford
32	27	J. J. Yeley (i)	Chevrolet
33	66	Timmy Hill (i)	Toyota
34	00	Quin Houff (R)	Chevrolet
35	15	Brennan Poole (R)	Chevrolet
36	53		Ford
37	51	Joey Gase (i)	Ford
38	77	Josh Bilicki (i)	Chevrolet
39	7	Garrett Smithley (i)	Chevrolet
Official starting lineup

Race

Note: Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin are not eligible for stage points because of their participation in the Championship 4.

Stage Results

Stage OneLaps: 75

Pos		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Points
1	22	Joey Logano (CC)	Team Penske	Ford	0
2	11	Denny Hamlin (CC)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	0
3	9	Chase Elliott (CC)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	0
4	2	Brad Keselowski (CC)	Team Penske	Ford	0
5	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford	6
6	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	5
7	88	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	4
8	14	Clint Bowyer	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	3
9	1	Kurt Busch	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet	2
10	21	Matt DiBenedetto	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	1
Official stage one results

Stage TwoLaps: 115

Pos		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Points
1	2	Brad Keselowski (CC)	Team Penske	Ford	0
2	9	Chase Elliott (CC)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	0
3	22	Joey Logano (CC)	Team Penske	Ford	0
4	11	Denny Hamlin (CC)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	0
5	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford	6
6	48	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	5
7	1	Kurt Busch	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet	4
8	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	3
9	21	Matt DiBenedetto	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	2
10	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	1
Official stage two results

Final Stage Results

Stage ThreeLaps: 122

Pos	Grid		Driver	Team	Manufacturer	Laps	Points
1	1	9	Chase Elliott (CC)	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	312	40
2	3	2	Brad Keselowski (CC)	Team Penske	Ford	312	35
3	2	22	Joey Logano (CC)	Team Penske	Ford	312	34
4	4	11	Denny Hamlin (CC)	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	312	33
5	26	48	Jimmie Johnson	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	312	37
6	5	12	Ryan Blaney	Team Penske	Ford	312	43
7	11	4	Kevin Harvick	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	312	30
8	12	21	Matt DiBenedetto	Wood Brothers Racing	Ford	312	32
9	25	24	William Byron	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	312	29
10	13	19	Martin Truex Jr.	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	312	27
11	8	18	Kyle Busch	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	312	34
12	7	1	Kurt Busch	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet	312	30
13	10	10	Aric Almirola	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	311	24
14	9	14	Clint Bowyer	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	311	26
15	23	43	Bubba Wallace	Richard Petty Motorsports	Chevrolet	311	22
16	6	88	Alex Bowman	Hendrick Motorsports	Chevrolet	311	25
17	17	95	Christopher Bell (R)	Leavine Family Racing	Toyota	311	20
18	18	3	Austin Dillon	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	311	19
19	21	8	Tyler Reddick (R)	Richard Childress Racing	Chevrolet	311	18
20	31	17	Chris Buescher	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford	311	17
21	22	13	Ty Dillon	Germain Racing	Chevrolet	311	16
22	14	20	Erik Jones	Joe Gibbs Racing	Toyota	311	15
23	29	34	Michael McDowell	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	311	14
24	19	6	Ryan Newman	Roush Fenway Racing	Ford	311	13
25	16	42	Matt Kenseth	Chip Ganassi Racing	Chevrolet	311	12
26	27	38	John Hunter Nemechek (R)	Front Row Motorsports	Ford	311	11
27	20	47	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	310	10
28	15	41	Cole Custer (R)	Stewart-Haas Racing	Ford	310	9
29	35	15	Brennan Poole (R)	Premium Motorsports	Chevrolet	309	8
30	32	27	J. J. Yeley (i)	Rick Ware Racing	Chevrolet	306	0
31	30	96	Daniel Suárez	Gaunt Brothers Racing	Toyota	306	6
32	37	51	Joey Gase (i)	Petty Ware Racing	Ford	302	0
33	36	53	James Davison	Rick Ware Racing	Ford	302	4
34	24	37	Ryan Preece	JTG Daugherty Racing	Chevrolet	299	3
35	38	77	Josh Bilicki (i)	Spire Motorsports	Chevrolet	296	0
36	33	66	Timmy Hill (i)	MBM Motorsports	Toyota	288	0
37	39	7	Garrett Smithley (i)	Tommy Baldwin Racing	Chevrolet	261	0
38	28	32	Corey LaJoie	Go Fas Racing	Ford	215	1
39	34	00	Quin Houff (R)	StarCom Racing	Chevrolet	149	1
Official race results

Race statistics

Lead changes: 19 among 9 different drivers
Cautions/Laps: 4 for 27
Red flags: 0
Time of race: 2 hours, 47 minutes and 0 seconds
Average speed: 112.096mph

Media

Television

NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, two–time Phoenix winner Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte, and three-time Phoenix winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. called the action from the booth. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman, Marty Snider, and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties, and Rutledge Wood handled the features from his home during the race.

Radio

MRN covered the radio call for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle, and Rusty Wallace called the action from the broadcast booth when the field raced down the front straightaway. Dave Moody called the action from turns 1 & 2 and Mike Bagley called the action from turns 3 & 4. Winston Kelley and Steve Post covered the action for MRN from pit lane.

Standings after the race

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
1	1	Chase Elliott	5,040
1	2	Brad Keselowski	5,035 (–5)
2	3	Joey Logano	5,034 (–6)
	4	Denny Hamlin	5,033 (–7)
	5	Kevin Harvick	2,410 (–2,630)
	6	Alex Bowman	2,371 (–2,669)
	7	Martin Truex Jr.	2,341 (–2,699)
	8	Kyle Busch	2,341 (–2,699)
	9	Ryan Blaney	2,336 (–2,704)
1	10	Kurt Busch	2,287 (–2,753)
1	11	Austin Dillon	2,277 (–2,763)
	12	Clint Bowyer	2,254 (–2,786)
1	13	Matt DiBenedetto	2,249 (–2,791)
1	14	William Byron	2,247 (–2,793)
	15	Aric Almirola	2,235 (–2,805)
	16	Cole Custer	2,202 (–2,838)
Official driver's standings

Manufacturers' Championship standings

Pos	Manufacturer	Points
1	Ford	1,329
2	Toyota	1,258 (–71)
3	Chevrolet	1,232 (–97)

Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.

Notes and References

Web site: 2020 schedule . Jayski.com. . September 13, 2020. January 17, 2020.
Web site: Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. September 13, 2020. January 3, 2013. March 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170310031052/http://www.nascar.com/en_us/nascar-tracks/phoenix-international-raceway.html. dead.
Web site: Entry List. Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. November 4, 2020. November 4, 2020.
Web site: Starting Lineup. NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. November 4, 2020. November 4, 2020.
Web site: Season Finale 500 Results. NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC.. November 8, 2020. November 8, 2020.
Web site: Points standings. Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. November 8, 2020. November 8, 2020.
Web site: Chase Elliott starts from rear, No. 9 fails pre-race inspection | NASCAR. 8 November 2020.