2020 Brickyard 400

The 2020 Brickyard 400, branded as Big Machine Hand Sanitizer 400 Powered by Big Machine Records is a NASCAR Cup Series race that was held on July 5, 2020 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. It is the 27th running of the Brickyard 400. Contested over 161 laps -- extended from 160 laps due to an overtime finish, on the 2.5 mi speedway, it was the 16th race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.

This was the first NASCAR race without Jimmie Johnson since the 2001 New Hampshire 300.

Background
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, located in Speedway, Indiana, (an enclave suburb of Indianapolis) in the United States, is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. It is located on the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Road, approximately 6 mi west of Downtown Indianapolis.

Constructed in 1909, it is the original speedway, the first racing facility so named. It has a permanent seating capacity estimated at 235,000 with infield seating raising capacity to an approximate 400,000. It is the highest-capacity sports venue in the world.

Considered relatively flat by American standards, the track is a 2.5 mi, nearly rectangular oval with dimensions that have remained essentially unchanged since its inception: four 0.25 mi turns, two 0.625 mi straightaways between the fourth and first turns and the second and third turns, and two .125 mi short straightaways – termed "short chutes" – between the first and second, and third and fourth turns.

Due to postponements stemming from the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 2020 edition of the Brickyard 400 became part of a double-header weekend, as the IndyCar Series moved their GMR Grand Prix to July 4, the day before 400. However, all races during the weekend were run with no fans in attendance.

In the lead up to the race, multi-time winner Jimmie Johnson announced he had tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to withdraw. Justin Allgaier replaced Johnson for the weekend.

Entry list

 * (R) denotes rookie driver.
 * (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.


 * Allgaier replaced Jimmie Johnson after Johnson tested positive for COVID-19.

Qualifying
Joey Logano was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.

The Start
The forecast was correct, no rain. However, a lightning strike in the area delayed the start for almost an hour. At the drop of the green flag, Logano outraced Kurt Busch through turns 1 & 2.

Side by side action produced sparks early. After being taken out of last week’s race at Pocono by a tap to the bumper from Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch made it know that he remembers. Busch drove into the side of Blaney’s car while passing him down the front straightaway.

Martin Truex Jr. had a problem that left his racecar down on power. He reported an ECU error displaying on the digital dash. With a competition caution after Lap 12, his crew may be able to correct the error.

As the field came to pit road, a pile-up at the narrow entrance brought traffic to a halt. While the leaders had passed safely, Christopher Bell checked up and was hit by Chris Buescher. Ryan Preece slammed on the brakes and was nailed by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., he, Corey LaJoie, and Martin Truex Jr. blocked the pit road entrance. Justin Allgaier tried to squeeze by on the inside and got jammed up. Brennan Poole tried to follow Allgier and ran into the rear tire changer for Ryan Blaney pinning the crewman between the two cars.

NASCAR red-flagged the race while emergency crews tended to the injured crew member, transporting him to the hospital via ambulance as track crews cleaned up pit road. After an 11 minute stoppage, the yellow was displayed and crews began to work on damaged race cars.

Kurt Busch had a problem on pit road when the jackman dropped the car early and Busch ran over the air hose. They had to back up and finish the stop properly. He restarted at the rear of the field.

Kevin Harvick led the field back to the green flag, he had pitted prior to the caution and stayed out while everyone else pitted. Logano, Alex Bowman, Aric Almirola, and Brad Keselowski followed.

Bell was able to continue with minor damage, the others involved in the pit road incident were retired to the garage.

With 10 laps to go in the Stage, Ryan Newman hit the outside wall when his right front tire went down bringing out the caution a 2nd time. The damage took Newman out of the event.

Pit road strategy swapped positions at the front of the field. William Byron, Erik Jones, and Austin Dillon stayed out to gain track position. Ty Dillon changed two tires and beat Harvick out of the pits.

With 4 laps to go in Stage 1 the green flag waved, the sprint for Stage points was on. Byron and Jones pulled away picking up valuable points in their playoff push. Drivers scrambled for position over the closing laps like it was the finish of the race.

Stage 2
Those cars that stayed out to battle for Stage points pitted on during the caution. So the lead swapped hands again. Chase Elliott and Harvick sat on the front row, followed by Matt DiBenedetto, Hamlin, and Kyle Busch.

Elliott stretched the lead until Erik Jones cut a right-front tire and slammed hard into the Turn 3 outside wall with 26 laps to go in the Stage. The caution gave everyone a chance to pit for fresh tires and enough fuel to carry them to the green and white checkered flag.

Under green again and leading, William Byron blows a left front tire destroying the fender and a portion of the hood of his car. Fortunately, everyone avoids the incident but it still brings out a caution.

Austin Dillon, Hamlin, Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Chase Elliott lead the pack back to green with 13 laps to go in Stage 2. Down the backstretch, Harvick takes Hamlin and Dillon three-wide driving almost into the grass to take the lead. While Blaney was entering Turn 3 he got loose and spun to the top of the track contacting the wall. Another caution. Blaney’s crew was able to repair the damage and get him back on track, but his chance at the win is likely gone.

The yellow flag will again give teams an opportunity to play with pit strategies. On the restart, Harvick pulls away easily. Hamlin and Austin Dillon battle for 2nd when Elliott goes three-wide into Turn 3 and takes the 2nd spot for himself. The battle for Stage points is on again.

Harvick holds on for the stage win, some new names pick up valuable Stage points with a top 10 finish.

The Final Stage
Harvick and Elliott led Hamlin and Christopher Bell back to the start. Harvick drives off Turn 2 with the lead followed by Elliott. Just like the last two restarts its three-wide by the time they reach the end of the backstretch and Hamlin noses ahead. But, Harvick fights him off and has the clean air as they cross the yard of bricks.

Harvick and Hamlin turned the race into their personal two-man battle running away from the field. With one pit stop needed to get enough fuel to finish the race, Hamlin pitted first on Lap 123, Harvick followed on the next circuit. A little trouble changing the left side tires cost Harvick dearly as he returned to the track over a second behind Hamlin.

Matt Kenseth inherited the lead, Hamlin and Harvick will have to wait until pit stops cycle through to get back to the front.

With 26 laps to go, Alex Bowman crushes the wall in Turn 1 as a tire goes down. The caution is going to wreak havoc with the running order. Hamlin and Harvick will stay out, those who pit will line up with fresh tires and look to make a move on the leaders.

The Finish
Hamlin drives to the lead as the race restarts with 22 laps to go. Harvick closes the gap quickly and appears to have a faster car. Clean air is king and Harvick will have to force Hamlin to make a mistake to make the pass.

With 7 laps to go, Denny Hamlin has a right-front tire go down and he slams the wall in Turn 1. A perfect day goes bad just 17 miles away from the win. A late restart is sure to produce a wild finish.

Harvick will inherit the lead, 48-year old Matt Kenseth taking over for Kyle Larson in the #42 car will join Harvick on the front row for the restart. Aric Almirola and rookie Cole Custer will follow them into Turn 1. Nine of the top 13 cars are Ford Mustangs as the race restarts with 2 laps to go.

Custer pushes his Stewart-Haas Racing teammate to a huge advantage and Harvick drives to back-to-back wins at the Brickyard. Ford Performance dominates with 4 cars in the top 5. Matt Kenseth pulls off an improbable 2nd place finish, just missing out on the win that would have put him in the Playoffs. Hamlin finished in 28th.

Playoff Point Standings
Probably the most surprising thing about the NASCAR Playoff Standings is last year’s champion, Kyle Busch, sits in 10th without a win yet in 2020. Aric Almirola has five top 5 finishes and could be the next driver to clinch a playoff spot with a win.

Matt DiBenedetto sits in 12th, a good spot for the Wood Brothers Ford Mustang. Young gun William Byron is 14th, Sidelined Jimmie Johnson is 36 points above the cut line, but that interval will shrink in the following weeks as he battles COVID-19.

Austin Dillon sits on the playoff bubble, having replaced Erik Jones who crashed out of Indy.

Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 50

Stage Two Laps: 50

Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 60

Race statistics

 * Lead changes: 11 among 9 different drivers
 * Cautions/Laps: 9 for 43
 * Red flags: 1 for 11 minutes and 17 seconds
 * Time of race: 3 hours, 16 minutes and 5 seconds
 * Average speed: 123.162 mph

Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. will cover the race from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties on site. Rutledge Wood handled the features from the track.

Radio
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and the Performance Racing Network jointly co-produced the radio broadcast for the race, which was simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio, and aired on IMS or PRN stations, depending on contractual obligations. The lead announcers and two pit reporters were PRN staff, while the turns announcers and one pit reporter were from IMS.

Standings after the race

 * Drivers' Championship standings


 * Manufacturers' Championship standings


 * Note: Only the first 16 positions are included for the driver standings.
 * . – Driver has clinched a position in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.