The 2020 NASCAR Cup Series was the 72nd season of the NASCAR Cup Series. The season began with the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 17 and ended with the Season Finale 500 at Phoenix Raceway on November 8.
Kyle Busch came in as the defending series champion. After decades of title sponsorship from Winston, Sprint/Nextel and Monster Energy, NASCAR’s Cup Series didn't have a presenting sponsor starting in 2020. Instead, Busch, Coca-Cola, GEICO and Xfinity bought in as lower-level sponsors in what NASCAR says is a “tiered” sponsor system.
Teams and drivers[]
see 2020 Cup Series team chart
Schedule[]
Changes[]
- Phoenix Raceway hosts the championship race, marking the first time since 2002 that the Cup Series will finish its season somewhere other than Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- Homestead's Cup Series date moves to the spring (March 22), making the Dixie Vodka 400 the sixth race of the season rather than the last.
- For the first time in the modern era, the Cup Series has a doubleheader on the schedule. Pocono Raceway hosts the Kids Free 325 on Saturday, June 27 and the Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350 on Sunday, June 28.
- The Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona, which had been an early July staple on the Cup Series schedule, is now the regular-season finale. It's scheduled for Aug. 29.
- The Southern 500 at Darlington, one of the most prestigious races on the schedule, is now the first race of the playoffs. It's scheduled for Sept. 6.
- The famous Bristol night race, which previously had been run in August, is now a playoff race scheduled for Sept. 19. It will be the first cut-off race of the postseason.
- The Brickyard 400 moves up to July 4th weekend, replacing Daytona at that point of the schedule.
- The first night race of the season is ... Martinsville? The short track that recently installed lights gets its first ever 8 p.m. ET start time on May 9.
- NASCAR has moved the Digital Ally 400 at Kansas Speedway from the night before Mothers' Day, a spot it has occupied since 2014, to May 31, 2020 — a Sunday afternoon and the week after Memorial Day.
- Following the race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 19, the Cup Series will have 2 consecutive off weekends. This time will allow teams to prepare for the Playoffs, as the break comes late in the regular season. In addition, this summer break lines up with the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Following this break will be the August 9 race at Michigan International Speedway.
- Additional summer changes include a Cup Series race on Father’s Day, which recently has been an off weekend for the premier series, Chicagoland Speedway hosts the event, the first in the NBC portion of the schedule.
| No.
|
Date | Race name
|
Track | Stages end on laps | Time (ET) | TV/Radio (All races on SiriusXM NASCAR) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | February 9 | Busch Clash | Daytona International Speedway | 75 | 3:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |
| E | February 13 | Bluegreen Vacations Duel | 60 | 7:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | ||
| 1 | February 16-17 | Daytona 500 | 65/130/200 | 4:00 p.m. | FOX/MRN | ||
| 2 | February 23 | Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 80/160/267 | 3:30 p.m. | FOX/PRN | |
| 3 | March 1 | Auto Club 400 | Auto Club Speedway | 60/120/200 | 3:30 p.m. | FOX/MRN | |
| 4 | March 8 | FanShield 500 | Phoenix Raceway | 75/190/312 | 3:30 p.m. | FOX/MRN | |
| 5 | March 15
(Postponed) |
Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | 105/210/325 | 2:00 p.m. | FOX/PRN | |
| 6 | March 22 (Postponed) | Dixie Vodka 400 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | 80/160/267 | 2:00 p.m. | FOX/MRN | |
| 7 | March 29 (Postponed) | O'Reilly Auto Parts 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | 105/210/334 | 2:00 p.m. | FS1/PRN | |
| 8 | April 5 (Postponed) | Food City 500 | Bristol Motor Speedway | 125/250/500 | 2:00 p.m. | FS1/PRN | |
| 9 | April 19 (Postponed) | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond Raceway | 80/235/400 | 2:00 p.m. | FOX/MRN | |
| 10 | April 26 (Postponed) | GEICO 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 60/120/188 | 2:00 p.m. | FOX/MRN | |
| 11 | May 3 (Postponed) | Gander RV 400 | Dover International Speedway | 75/237/400 | 2:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |
| 12 | May 9 | Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 130/260/500 | 8:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |
| E | May 16 | NASCAR Open | Charlotte Motor Speedway | 20/20/10 | 7:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |
| E | NASCAR All-Star Race | 30/20/20/10 | 9:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |||
| 13 | May 24 | Coca-Cola 600 | 100/200/300/400 | 6:00 p.m. | FOX/PRN | ||
| 14 | May 31 | Kansas 400 | Kansas Speedway | 80/160/267 | 2:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |
| 15 | June 7 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan International Speedway | 60/120/200 | 2:00 p.m. | FS1/MRN | |
| 16 | June 14 | Toyota/Save Mart 350 | Sonoma Raceway | 20/40/90 | 3:00 p.m. | FS1/PRN | |
| 17 | June 21 | Camping World 400 | Chicagoland Speedway | 80/160/267 | 2:30 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | |
| 18 | June 27 | Kids Free 325 | Pocono Raceway | 25/77/130 | 3:00 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | |
| 19 | June 28 | Worry-Free Weather Guarantee 350 | 30/85/140 | 3:30 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | ||
| 20 | July 5 | Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | 50/100/160 | 3:30 p.m. | NBC/IMS | |
| 21 | July 11 | Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart | Kentucky Speedway | 80/160/267 | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN/PRN | |
| 22 | July 19 | Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | 75/185/301 | 3:00 p.m. | NBCSN/PRN | |
| 23 | August 9 | Consumers Energy 400 | Michigan International Speedway | 60/120/200 | 3:00 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | |
| 24 | August 16 | Go Bowling at The Glen | Watkins Glen International | 20/40/90 | 3:00 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | |
| 25 | August 23 | Drydene 400 | Dover International Speedway | 75/237/400 | 3:00 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | |
| 26 | August 29 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona International Speedway | 50/100/160 | 7:30 p.m. | NBC/MRN | |
| NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs | |||||||
| Round of 16 | |||||||
| 27 | September 6 | Southern 500 | Darlington Raceway | 115/230/367 | 6:00 p.m. | NBC/SNMRN | |
| 28 | September 12 | Federated Auto Parts 400 | Richmond Raceway | 80/235/400 | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN/MRN | |
| 29 | September 19 | Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race | Bristol Motor Speedway | 125/250/500 | 7:30 p.m. | NBCSN/PRN | |
| Round of 12 | |||||||
| 30 | September 27 | South Point 400 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | 80/160/267 | 7:00 p.m. | NBCSN/PRN | |
| 31 | October 4 | 1000Bulbs.com 500 | Talladega Superspeedway | 60/120/188 | 2:00 p.m. | NBC/MRN | |
| 32 | October 11 | Bank of America Roval 400 | Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval | 25/50/109 | 2:30 p.m. | NBC/PRN | |
| Round of 8 | |||||||
| 33 | October 18 | Hollywood Casino 400 | Kansas Speedway | 80/160/267 | 2:30 p.m. | NBC/MRN | |
| 34 | Sun., Oct. 25 | AAA Texas 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | 105/210/334 | 3:00 p.m. | NBCSN/PRN | |
| 35 | November 1 | First Data 500 | Martinsville Speedway | 130/260/500 | 2:00 p.m. | NBC/MRN | |
| Championship 4 | |||||||
| 36 | November 8 | Season Finale 500 | Phoenix Raceway | 75/190/312 | 3:00 p.m. | NBC/MRN | |