2020 Genesys 300
The 2020 Genesys 300 is an IndyCar Series event that was held on June 6, 2020 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. It was the opening event of the 2020 IndyCar Series, due to race cancellations and postponements tied to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Race details | |
|---|---|
| 1 round of the 2020 IndyCar Series season | |
 | |
| Date | June 6, 2020 |
| Official name | Genesys 300 |
| Location | Texas Motor Speedway |
| Course | Oval 1.5 mi / 2.4 km |
| Distance | 200 laps 300 mi / 482.803 km |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) |
| Time | 24.0227 + 24.0351 = 48.0578 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Felix Rosenqvist (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Time | 24.1088 (on lap 189 of 200) |
| Podium | |
| First | Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing) |
| Second | Simon Pagenaud (Team Penske) |
| Third | Josef Newgarden (Team Penske) |
Background
On May 7, 2020, it was announced that the season would commence with a condensed, one-day event format at Texas Motor Speedway, with only limited spectators (Lone Star Towers office and condominium owners and tenants in Turn 2 were given tickets and parking passes to watch the event from their units), and drivers and crew members subject to social distancing and health screening protocols, and use of face coverings. Practice, qualifying and the race took place on the same day,[1] requiring it to be shortened from 248 laps or around 600 kilometres (370 miles), to 200 laps (300 miles).[2]
As the pandemic prevented Firestone from manufacturing new tire compounds for the race, existing compounds were used instead. The right-hand tires had originally been manufactured for tests at the track in 2019, simulating the effects of the new aeroscreen introduced to all vehicles for the 2020 season. The left-hand tires were originally manufactured for the 2019 Indianapolis 500. Due to these tire variances, Firestone and IndyCar required that these tires be replaced after 35 laps of use, with each car provided with nine sets of tires to use across the day.[3][4]
Entry list
In May 2020, DragonSpeed revealed that it planned to prioritize an entry for the rescheduled Indianapolis 500, so that it could initially focus on its core European Le Mans Series operations.[5] On June 2, Carlin withdrew its entry for the race in the #31, citing economic impacts of the pandemic in Europe.[6]
All cars ran a Dallara safety tub utilizing the IndyCar mandated Universal Aero Kit 18. All cars also utilized Firestone tires.
Withdrawn
| Car No. | Driver Name | Owner/Team | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | Unnamed | Carlin | Chevrolet |
| 81 | Ben Hanley | DragonSpeed | Chevrolet |
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| R | Rookie |
| W | Past winner |
Full Results
| Key | Meaning |
|---|---|
| R | Rookie |
| W | Past winner |
Practice
Practice ran on race day from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. CT
| Pos | No. | Name | Lap Time | Avg. Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 |  Scott Dixon W |
24.0006 | 215.995 mph (347.610 km/h) |
| 2 | 88 |  Colton Herta |
24.1689 | 214.491 mph (345.190 km/h) |
| 3 | 5 |  Patricio O'Ward |
24.1875 | 214.326 mph (344.924 km/h) |
| 4 | 26 | Zach Veach |
24.1906 | 214.298 mph (344.879 km/h) |
| 5 | 98 | Marco Andretti |
24.1945 | 214.264 mph (344.824 km/h) |
| 6 | 30 |  Takuma Sato |
24.2437 | 213.826 mph (344.120 km/h) |
| 7 | 1 | Josef Newgarden |
24.3029 | 213.308 mph (343.286 km/h) |
| 8 | 22 |  Simon Pagenaud |
24.3128 | 213.221 mph (343.146 km/h) |
| 9 | 15 | Graham Rahal |
24.3179 | 213.176 mph (343.074 km/h) |
| 10 | 10 |  Felix Rosenqvist |
24.3974 | 212.482 mph (341.957 km/h) |
| 11 | 4 | Charlie Kimball |
24.4184 | 212.299 mph (341.662 km/h) |
| 12 | 12 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Will Power |
24.4281 | 212.215 mph (341.527 km/h) |
| 13 | 8 | Marcus Ericsson |
24.4408 | 212.104 mph (341.348 km/h) |
| 14 | 55 |  Alex Palou R |
24.4446 | 212.071 mph (341.295 km/h) |
| 15 | 7 | Oliver Askew R |
24.4842 | 211.728 mph (340.743 km/h) |
| 16 | 27 | Alexander Rossi |
24.4853 | 211.719 mph (340.729 km/h) |
| 17 | 29 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} James Hinchcliffe |
24.4979 | 211.610 mph (340.553 km/h) |
| 18 | 20 | Ed Carpenter |
24.5508 | 211.154 mph (339.819 km/h) |
| 19 | 14 |  Tony Kanaan |
24.5521 | 211.143 mph (339.802 km/h) |
| 20 | 59 | Conor Daly |
24.5561 | 211.108 mph (339.745 km/h) |
| 21 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
24.6094 | 210.617 mph (338.955 km/h) |
| 22 | 18 | Santino Ferrucci |
24.6094 | 210.617 mph (338.955 km/h) |
| 23 | 21 |  Rinus VeeKay R |
25.0564 | 209.893 mph (337.790 km/h) |
| 24 | 60 |  Jack Harvey |
25.2599 | 205.226 mph (330.279 km/h) |
| Source:[8] | ||||
Qualifying
Qualifying was run on race day starting at 5 p.m. (ET)
| Pos | No. | Name | Lap 1 Time | Lap 2 Time | Total Time | Avg. Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Josef Newgarden |
24.0227 | 24.0351 | 48.0578 | 215.740 mph (347.200 km/h) |
| 2 | 9 | Scott Dixon |
24.0393 | 24.0413 | 48.0806 | 215.638 mph (347.036 km/h) |
| 3 | 22 | Simon Pagenaud |
24.0507 | 24.0686 | 48.1193 | 215.464 mph (346.756 km/h) |
| 4 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
24.2439 | 24.1344 | 48.3783 | 214.311 mph (344.900 km/h) |
| 5 | 26 | Zach Veach |
24.2942 | 24.1588 | 48.4530 | 213.981 mph (344.369 km/h) |
| 6 | 12 | Will Power |
24.2708 | 24.1937 | 48.4645 | 213.930 mph (344.287 km/h) |
| 7 | 15 | Graham Rahal |
24.2734 | 24.2029 | 48.4763 | 213.878 mph (344.203 km/h) |
| 8 | 27 | Alexander Rossi |
24.2336 | 24.2855 | 48.5191 | 213.689 mph (343.899 km/h) |
| 9 | 10 | Felix Rosenqvist |
24.3100 | 24.2384 | 48.5484 | 213.560 mph (343.692 km/h) |
| 10 | 14 | Tony Kanaan |
24.3959 | 24.1917 | 48.5876 | 213.388 mph (343.415 km/h) |
| 11 | 98 | Marco Andretti |
24.2882 | 24.3444 | 48.6326 | 213.190 mph (343.096 km/h) |
| 12 | 4 | Charlie Kimball |
24.4347 | 24.2917 | 48.7264 | 212.780 mph (342.436 km/h) |
| 13 | 20 | Ed Carpenter |
24.4153 | 24.3261 | 48.7414 | 212.714 mph (342.330 km/h) |
| 14 | 88 | Colton Herta |
24.3807 | 24.3648 | 48.7455 | 212.697 mph (342.303 km/h) |
| 15 | 29 | James Hinchcliffe |
24.3560 | 24.4109 | 48.7669 | 212.603 mph (342.151 km/h) |
| 16 | 55 | Álex Palou |
24.5459 | 24.2437 | 48.7896 | 212.504 mph (341.992 km/h) |
| 17 | 8 | Marcus Ericsson |
24.4232 | 24.4733 | 48.8965 | 212.040 mph (341.245 km/h) |
| 18 | 5 | Patricio O'Ward |
24.4068 | 24.4959 | 48.9027 | 212.013 mph (341.202 km/h) |
| 19 | 59 | Conor Daly |
24.5452 | 24.4934 | 49.0386 | 211.425 mph (340.256 km/h) |
| 20 | 7 | Oliver Askew |
24.7092 | 24.4657 | 49.1749 | 210.839 mph (339.312 km/h) |
| 21 | 60 | Jack Harvey |
25.2665 | 25.1499 | 50.4164 | 205.647 mph (330.957 km/h) |
| 22 | 30 | Takuma Sato |
Wrecked during attempt | No Time | No Speed | |
| 23 | 21 | Rinus VeeKay |
Did not attempt | No Time | No Speed | |
| 24 | 18 | Santino Ferrucci |
Did not attempt | No Time | No Speed | |
| Source:[9] | ||||||
Race
Notes: 1 Points include 1 point for leading at least 1 lap during a race, an additional 2 points for leading the most race laps, and 1 point for Pole Position.
Race statistics
Average speed: 175.201 mph (281.959 km/h)
Lead changes: 5
| Lap leader breakdown | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From lap |
To lap |
Total laps |
Driver |
| 1 | 31 | 31 | Josef Newgarden |
| 32 | 34 | 3 | Scott Dixon |
| 35 | 36 | 2 | Zach Veach |
| 37 | 80 | 44 | Scott Dixon |
| 81 | 90 | 10 | Josef Newgarden |
| 91 | 200 | 110 | Scott Dixon |
| Source:[11] | |||
| Cautions: 4 for 24 laps | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| From lap |
To lap |
Total laps |
Reason |
| 38 | 45 | 8 | #21 (VeeKay), & #55 (Palou) accident backstretch |
| 77 | 85 | 9 | Debris |
| 191 | 196 | 6 | #10 (Rosenqvist) accident turn 2 |
| 200 | 200 | 1 | #4 (Kimball) accident backstretch |
| Source:[12] | |||
Championship standings after the race
|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
- Note: Only the top five positions are included.
Broadcasting
Television
Originally scheduled for NBCSN, it was announced on May 24 that the race would move to NBC, marking the first IndyCar Series event to air in primetime on network television in seven years.[14] With 1.285 million viewers, it was the most-watched IndyCar Series event outside of the Indianapolis 500 since 2016.[15]
The race was called at the track with Leigh Diffey doing play-by-play. Paul Tracy and Townsend Bell as analysts, with Marty Snider and Kelli Stavast reporting on pit lane.[16]
| NBC | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters | |
|
Announcer: Leigh Diffey |
Marty Snider Kelli Stavast | |
Radio
The race was carried by the IndyCar Radio Network. Mark Jaynes served as the chief announcer from WIBC Radio studios along with Davey Hamilton as Driver Expert. Jake Query called the field down the backstretch from WIBC studios. Nick Yeoman was the sole pit reporter at the track.[17]
| IndyCar Radio Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth Announcers | Turn Reporters | Pit/garage reporters |
|
Chief Announcer: Mark Jaynes |
Backstretch: Jake Query |
Nick Yeoman |
References
- Ryan, Nate (May 7, 2020). "IndyCar will open 2020 season at Texas without fans in one-day event". Motorsports on NBC. NBC Sports. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- "NTT IndyCar Series Season Kicks Off June 6 at Texas Motor Speedway". IndyCar Series. May 7, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
- Barnes, Joey (2020-06-03). "Firestone-Mandated Tire Restrictions Add Wrinkle to NTT IndyCar Series Opener at Texas". Autoweek. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Tire stint limit implemented for IndyCar's Texas return". RACER. 2020-05-27. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "DragonSpeed reveals revised plans for IndyCar, IMSA, ELMS". us.motorsport.com. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Carlin's No. 31 Chevy parked for Texas opener". RACER. 2020-06-02. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- https://twitter.com/TXMotorSpeedway/status/1268209754859593729?s=19
- https://www.indycar.com/stats/indycar-series/2020/genesys-300
- https://www.indycar.com/stats/indycar-series/2020/genesys-300
- https://www.indycar.com/stats/indycar-series/2020/genesys-300
- https://www.racing-reference.info/race/2020_Genesys_300/O
- https://www.racing-reference.info/race/2020_Genesys_300/O
- https://www.indycar.com
- Ramos, Dino-Ray (2020-05-24). "NTT Indycar Series Genesys 300 Races To NBC Primetime". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-05-25.
- Brown, Nathan. "NBC delivers IndyCar's most-watched non-Indy 500 race since 2016 in Saturday's season-opener". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- "Texas IndyCar opener shifts to NBC". RACER. 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2020-06-13.
- Source: IndyCar Radio Broadcast
| Previous race: None, season premiere |
IndyCar Series 2020 season |
Next race: 2020 IndyCar Grand Prix |
| Previous race: 2019 DXC Technology 600 |
Genesys 300 | Next race: 2021 Genesys 600 |