2020 FireKeepers Casino 400
The 2020 FireKeepers Casino 400 is a NASCAR Cup Series race that was originally scheduled to be held on June 7, 2020, at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, but moved to August 8, 2020, and to be held over 500 kilometers (312 miles), shortened by 44 laps from the original distance because of modified NASCAR rules for doubleheader races, one of three Cup Series events to be run under the doubleheader format.[8] It was the 21st race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 21 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
| Date | August 8, 2020 | ||
| Location | Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 2.0 mi (3.2 km) | ||
| Distance | 161 laps, 322 mi (518.098 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 156 laps, 312 mi (502.008 km) | ||
| Average speed | 124.712 miles per hour (200.705 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Team Penske | ||
| Grid positions set by ballot | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Laps | 92 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBCSN | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 1.649 million[7] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle | ||
| Turn Announcers | Dave Moody (1–2) and Kyle Rickey (3–4) | ||
Report
Background
The race was held at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile (3.2 km) moderate-banked D-shaped speedway located in Brooklyn, Michigan. The track is used primarily for NASCAR events. It is sometimes known as a "sister track" to Texas World Speedway, and was used as the basis of Auto Club Speedway. The track is owned by International Speedway Corporation. Michigan International Speedway is recognized as one of motorsports' premier facilities because of its wide racing surface and high banking (by open-wheel standards; the 18-degree banking is modest by stock car standards).
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Joey Logano was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.
Starting Lineup
Race
Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 40
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 2 |
| 10 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 45
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 10 |
| 2 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 3 |
| 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 71
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 161 | 60 |
| 2 | 5 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 161 | 47 |
| 3 | 12 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 161 | 34 |
| 4 | 11 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 161 | 50 |
| 5 | 7 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 161 | 39 |
| 6 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 161 | 48 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 33 |
| 8 | 1 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 161 | 29 |
| 9 | 24 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 28 |
| 10 | 10 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 38 |
| 11 | 23 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 161 | 38 |
| 12 | 17 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 26 |
| 13 | 29 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 161 | 24 |
| 14 | 19 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 23 |
| 15 | 15 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 161 | 22 |
| 16 | 4 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 161 | 21 |
| 17 | 20 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 20 |
| 18 | 14 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 19 |
| 19 | 9 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 161 | 20 |
| 20 | 22 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 161 | 17 |
| 21 | 6 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 23 |
| 22 | 36 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 161 | 15 |
| 23 | 34 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 14 |
| 24 | 37 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 161 | 13 |
| 25 | 35 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 12 |
| 26 | 26 | 27 | J. J. Yeley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 161 | 0 |
| 27 | 25 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 10 |
| 28 | 13 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 161 | 9 |
| 29 | 21 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 161 | 8 |
| 30 | 30 | 74 | Reed Sorenson | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 161 | 7 |
| 31 | 18 | 3 | Austin Dillon | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 6 |
| 32 | 32 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 161 | 6 |
| 33 | 38 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 159 | 0 |
| 34 | 16 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 148 | 3 |
| 35 | 33 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 141 | 0 |
| 36 | 31 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 127 | 1 |
| 37 | 27 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 125 | 1 |
| 38 | 28 | 51 | James Davison | Petty Ware Racing | Ford | 103 | 1 |
| 39 | 39 | 7 | Joey Gase (i) | Tommy Baldwin Racing | Chevrolet | 68 | 0 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 12 among 7 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 9 for 43
- Red flags: 1 for 5 minutes and 45 seconds
- Time of race: 2 hours, 34 minutes and 55 seconds
- Average speed: 124.712 miles per hour (200.705 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and two-time Michigan winner, Dale Earnhardt Jr. covered the race from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast handled the pit road duties on site.
| NBCSN | |
|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Marty Snider Kelli Stavast |
Radio
Radio coverage of the race was broadcast by Motor Racing Network (MRN) and simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio. Alex Hayden and Jeff Striegle called the race in the booth while the field is racing on the front stretch. Dave Moody called the race from a billboard outside of turn 2 when the field is racing through turns 1 and 2. Kyle Rickey called the race from a platform outside of turn 3 when the field races through turns 3 and 4. Winston Kelley and Kim Coon worked pit road for the radio side.
| MRN | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle | Turns 1 & 2: Dave Moody Turns 3 & 4: Kyle Rickey | Winston Kelley Kim Coon |
Standings after the race
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References
- "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
- "Michigan International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- "FireKeepers Casino 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 8, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 8, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
- "FireKeepers Casino 400 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- "NASCAR OEMs to battle this weekend for coveted Michigan Heritage Trophy". Michigan International Speedway. August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
The NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 will be held on Saturday, August 8 at 4:00 pm (NBCSN), while the Consumers Energy 400 will take place the following day at 4:30 pm (NBCSN). [...] The distance for each race will be 312 miles.
| Previous race: 2020 Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 |
NASCAR Cup Series 2020 season |
Next race: 2020 Consumers Energy 400 |