2020 The Real Heroes 400

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.

2020 The Real Heroes 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 5 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series
Date May 17, 2020 (2020-05-17)
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

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Background

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Layout of Darlington Raceway, the track where the race is held.

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

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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 Josh Bilicki (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 J. J. Yeley (i) 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 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet
66 Timmy Hill (i) MBM Motorsports Toyota
77 Reed Sorenson Spire Motorsports Chevrolet
78 B. J. McLeod (i) B. J. McLeod 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

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Under 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

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

Race

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Kevin Harvick won the race.

Stage Results

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Stage 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

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Stage 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

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  • 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

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Television

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The 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

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The 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

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References

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  1. ^ "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  2. ^ "Darlington Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "Entry List". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. ^ "Starting Lineup". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 14, 2020. Retrieved May 14, 2020.
  5. ^ "The Real Heroes 400 Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  6. ^ "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. May 17, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "The Real Heroes 400 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on 20 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  8. ^ Norris, Brad. "NASCAR realigns 2020 schedule, shifts events from Chicagoland, Richmond, Sonoma". NASCAR.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. ^ "NASCAR statement on Atlanta and Homestead". NASCAR.com. 12 March 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  10. ^ "NASCAR statement: All race events through May 3 postponed | NASCAR". NASCAR.com. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  11. ^ "NASCAR postpones Martinsville Speedway race – NBC Sports". NASCAR Talk. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  12. ^ "NASCAR goes green in May; 7 races in 11 days". ESPN.com. 2020-04-30. Retrieved 2020-05-02.
  13. ^ "NASCAR honors healthcare workers in race at Darlington". NASCAR.com. 2020-05-14. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  14. ^ "Goodyear Plans Sweepstakes For NASCAR Return". www.mediapost.com. Retrieved 2020-05-15.
  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.


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NASCAR Cup Series
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