2020 Go Bowling 235
The 2020 Go Bowling 235 was a NASCAR Cup Series raced on August 16, 2020, at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Contested over 65 laps on the 3.61-mile (5.81 km) road course, it was the 23rd race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, which was a replacement race for the Watkins Glen round because of government restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
| Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 23 of 36 in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series | |||
 2020 Go Bowling 235 program cover | |||
| Date | August 16, 2020 | ||
| Location | Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 3.61 mi (5.81 km) | ||
| Distance | 65 laps, 234.65 mi (377.633 km) | ||
| Average speed | 89.39 miles per hour (143.86 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Stewart-Haas Racing | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Laps | 34 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | NBC | ||
| Announcers | Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and Dale Earnhardt Jr. | ||
| Nielsen Ratings | 3.237 million[7] | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | MRN | ||
| Booth Announcers | Alex Hayden, Jeff Striegle and Rusty Wallace | ||
| Turn Announcers |
| ||
The race had three stages: the first two stages at 15 laps each, and 35 for the final.
On July 30, it was revealed after simulation testing revealed concerns of high speeds entering turn 1 (a turn already considered to be difficult among road racers), a temporary chicane was added in between the 4th turn of the oval and the entrance to pit road (similar to the Charlotte ROVAL). NASCAR further announced that it would use the high-downforce aero package used for the road course races in 2019 (in 2020, road courses were scheduled to use a low-downforce package similar to what was used in 2018 and what is used on ovals 1-mile or shorter in 2020). The addition of the chicane increased the length of the course from 3.56 to 3.61 miles and added a 13th and 14th turn to the original 12-turn layout.
Entry list
- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who are ineligible for series driver points.
Qualifying
Kevin Harvick was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a new formula that NASCAR officials announced on August 6.[8] The formula will use three performance metrics, which will be weighted and averaged to determine the lineup and pit selection order. The metrics are Finishing position from the previous race (weighted 50%), Ranking in team owner points standings (35%), and Fastest lap from the previous race (15%). The success of this system led to NASCAR replacing the traditional rules for determining starting positions of owner points, then race winners, and then most qualifying attempts (with owner points as the tiebreaker) in the 2021 season if qualifying cannot be held because of inclement weather in the eight races where practice and qualifying cannot be conducted, and expanded in the 2022 season to determining practice and qualifying groups for all races.
Kaz Grala replaced Austin Dillon, who was medically disqualified by NASCAR after a positive virus test.[9] NASCAR further restricted drivers from participation in more than one race during the weekend, which meant typical Xfinity drivers who would substitute would not be permitted to participate in the Cup race. NASCAR did allow an Xfinity Series driver who was still on premises to relieve for a Cup driver in Sunday's event who fell ill.
Starting Lineup
Race
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Stage Results
Stage One Laps: 15
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 7 |
| 5 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 2 |
| 10 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 1 |
| Official stage one results | |||||
Stage Two Laps: 15
| Pos | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 10 |
| 2 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 9 |
| 3 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 8 |
| 4 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 5 |
| 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 1 |
| Official stage two results | |||||
Final Stage Results
Stage Three Laps: 35
| Pos | Grid | No | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Laps | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 9 | Chase Elliott | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 54 |
| 2 | 2 | 11 | Denny Hamlin | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 45 |
| 3 | 3 | 19 | Martin Truex Jr. | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 37 |
| 4 | 11 | 48 | Jimmie Johnson | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 41 |
| 5 | 21 | 17 | Chris Buescher | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 65 | 32 |
| 6 | 12 | 14 | Clint Bowyer | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 65 | 47 |
| 7 | 10 | 3 | Kaz Grala (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 0 |
| 8 | 13 | 24 | William Byron | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 40 |
| 9 | 5 | 22 | Joey Logano | Team Penske | Ford | 65 | 37 |
| 10 | 30 | 34 | Michael McDowell | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 65 | 27 |
| 11 | 20 | 20 | Erik Jones | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 65 | 31 |
| 12 | 27 | 88 | Alex Bowman | Hendrick Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 25 |
| 13 | 17 | 2 | Brad Keselowski | Team Penske | Ford | 65 | 24 |
| 14 | 8 | 1 | Kurt Busch | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 25 |
| 15 | 9 | 21 | Matt DiBenedetto | Wood Brothers Racing | Ford | 65 | 28 |
| 16 | 25 | 47 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 27 |
| 17 | 1 | 4 | Kevin Harvick | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 65 | 23 |
| 18 | 18 | 8 | Tyler Reddick (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 19 |
| 19 | 14 | 6 | Ryan Newman | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 65 | 18 |
| 20 | 23 | 13 | Ty Dillon | Germain Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 17 |
| 21 | 15 | 95 | Christopher Bell (R) | Leavine Family Racing | Toyota | 65 | 16 |
| 22 | 26 | 41 | Cole Custer (R) | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 65 | 17 |
| 23 | 22 | 37 | Ryan Preece | JTG Daugherty Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 20 |
| 24 | 6 | 10 | Aric Almirola | Stewart-Haas Racing | Ford | 65 | 13 |
| 25 | 19 | 43 | Bubba Wallace | Richard Petty Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 12 |
| 26 | 16 | 42 | Matt Kenseth | Chip Ganassi Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 11 |
| 27 | 31 | 96 | Daniel Suárez | Gaunt Brothers Racing | Toyota | 65 | 10 |
| 28 | 33 | 15 | Brennan Poole (R) | Premium Motorsports | Chevrolet | 65 | 9 |
| 29 | 37 | 66 | Timmy Hill (i) | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 65 | 0 |
| 30 | 38 | 51 | James Davison | Petty Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 65 | 7 |
| 31 | 24 | 12 | Ryan Blaney | Team Penske | Ford | 65 | 14 |
| 32 | 29 | 32 | Corey LaJoie | Go Fas Racing | Ford | 65 | 6 |
| 33 | 35 | 00 | Quin Houff (R) | StarCom Racing | Chevrolet | 64 | 4 |
| 34 | 32 | 27 | J. J. Yeley (i)[N 1] | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 64 | 0 |
| 35 | 28 | 38 | John Hunter Nemechek (R) | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 62 | 2 |
| 36 | 36 | 53 | Garrett Smithley (i) | Rick Ware Racing | Ford | 60 | 0 |
| 37 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 53 | 1 |
| 38 | 34 | 77 | Stanton Barrett | Spire Motorsports | Chevrolet | 49 | 1 |
| 39 | 39 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Beard Motorsports | Chevrolet | 46 | 1 |
| Official race results | |||||||
Notes
- Bayley Currey took over the car before the end of the second stage after Yeley suffered from heat exhaustion when the car's cooling system failed.
Race statistics
- Lead changes: 13 among 6 different drivers
- Cautions/Laps: 4 for 7
- Red flags: 1 for 31 minutes and 14 seconds
- Time of race: 2 hours, 37 minutes and 30 seconds
- Average speed: 89.39 miles per hour (143.86 km/h)
Media
Television
NBC Sports covered the race on the television side. Rick Allen, Jeff Burton, Steve Letarte and four-time Daytona winner Dale Earnhardt Jr. covered the race from the booth at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Dave Burns, Parker Kligerman and Dillon Welch handled the pit road duties on site, and Rutledge Wood handled the features from his home during the race.
| NBC | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Pit reporters | Features reporter |
| Lap-by-lap: Rick Allen Color-commentator: Jeff Burton Color-commentator: Steve Letarte Color-commentator: Dale Earnhardt Jr. | Dave Burns Parker Kligerman Dillon Welch | Rutledge Wood |
Radio
MRN had the radio call for the race, which was also simulcast on Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
| MRN Radio | ||
|---|---|---|
| Booth announcers | Turn announcers | Pit reporters |
| Lead announcer: Alex Hayden Announcer: Jeff Striegle Announcer: Rusty Wallace | Road Course Infield: Dave Moody NASCAR 1/2: Mike Bagley LM Chicane-NASCAR 3/4: Kurt Becker | Winston Kelley Steve Post |
| Source:[10] | ||
Standings after the race
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References
- "2020 schedule". Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. January 17, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Daytona International Speedway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Archived from the original on July 4, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- "Entry List" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
- "Starting Lineup". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- "Go Bowling 235 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- "Points standings" (PDF). Jayski.com. Jayski's Silly Season Site. August 16, 2020. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- "Go Bowling 235 ratings". ShowBuzzDaily. Mitch Metcalf. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- NASCAR announces new lineup formula to take effect with Daytona Road Course
- "RCR: Austin Dillon tests positive for COVID-19, will miss Daytona Road Course". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. August 15, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- MRN Official Schedule