Toyota 500

Darlington Raceway, May 20, 2020

Denny Hamlin
Winner
208
Laps
39
Entries
13
Leaders

Denny Hamlin won the 2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 20, 2020, leading 12 of 208 laps. Kyle Busch finished second; Kevin Harvick rounded out the podium. The race featured 13 different leaders.

Race Details
Date
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Season
2020
Winner
Leaders
13 drivers
Pos Start +/- Driver
1 16 +15 Denny Hamlin
2 26 +24 Kyle Busch
3 20 +17 Kevin Harvick
4 8 +4 Brad Keselowski
5 13 +8 Erik Jones
6 3 -3 Joey Logano
7 9 +2 Aric Almirola
8 37 +29 Jimmie Johnson
9 7 -2 Matt DiBenedetto
10 15 +5 Martin Truex, Jr.
11 24 +13 Christopher Bell
12 34 +22 William Byron
13 14 +1 Tyler Reddick
14 6 -8 Ryan Newman
15 18 +3 Kurt Busch
16 21 +5 Bubba Wallace
17 23 +6 Michael McDowell
18 19 +1 Alex Bowman
19 2 -17 Ty Dillon
20 10 -10 Austin Dillon
21 5 -16 Ryan Blaney
22 4 -18 Clint Bowyer
23 32 +9 Chris Buescher
24 31 +7 Corey LaJoie
25 39 +14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
26 35 +9 Quin Houff
27 25 -2 Daniel Suarez
28 29 +1 J.J. Yeley
29 30 +1 Joey Gase
30 11 -19 Matt Kenseth
31 22 -9 Cole Custer
32 28 -4 Gray Gaulding
33 33 Timmy Hill
34 36 +2 Garrett Smithley
35 12 -23 John Hunter Nemechek
36 38 +2 B.J. McLeod
37 27 -10 Brennan Poole
38 17 -21 Chase Elliott
39 1 -38 Ryan Preece
Stage Results
Driver Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage Pts
Clint Bowyer 1 1 20
Martin Truex, Jr. 2 3 17
Chase Elliott 7 2 13
Alex Bowman 4 8 10
Joey Logano 5 9 8
Ryan Blaney 3 8
Denny Hamlin 8 7 7
Erik Jones 4 7
Kevin Harvick 5 6
Aric Almirola 6 5
William Byron 6 5
Matt Kenseth 9 2
Matt DiBenedetto 10 1
Ryan Preece 10 1
Kyle Busch
Brad Keselowski
Jimmie Johnson
Christopher Bell
Tyler Reddick
Ryan Newman
Kurt Busch
Bubba Wallace
Michael McDowell
Ty Dillon
Austin Dillon
Chris Buescher
Corey LaJoie
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Quin Houff
Daniel Suarez
J.J. Yeley
Joey Gase
Cole Custer
Gray Gaulding
Timmy Hill
Garrett Smithley
John Hunter Nemechek
B.J. McLeod
Brennan Poole
Model Performance

How well did the NR-Rating model predict this race? Across 28 matched drivers, the model averaged 8.3 positions off — close to the season average of 8.5. Average

Pos Driver Predicted Actual Delta
1 Denny Hamlin 6.2 1 +5.2
4 Brad Keselowski 15.4 4 +11.4
5 Erik Jones 14.7 5 +9.7
6 Joey Logano 11.9 6 +5.9
8 Jimmie Johnson 19.9 8 +11.9
10 Martin Truex, Jr. 15.4 10 +5.4
11 Christopher Bell 9.2 11 -1.8
12 William Byron 10.7 12 -1.3
13 Tyler Reddick 11.2 13 -1.8
16 Bubba Wallace 12.7 16 -3.3
17 Michael McDowell 16.9 17 -0.1
18 Alex Bowman 16.2 18 -1.8
19 Ty Dillon 22.9 19 +3.9
20 Austin Dillon 19.9 20 -0.1
21 Ryan Blaney 8.2 21 -12.8
23 Chris Buescher 9.2 23 -13.8
24 Corey LaJoie 22.2 24 -1.8
25 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 19.9 25 -5.1
27 Daniel Suarez 12.7 27 -14.3
28 J.J. Yeley 28.6 28 +0.6

(showing top 20 finishers)

Predicted finish from NR-Rating model. Delta = predicted − actual (positive = driver beat prediction). Confidence: High Confidence = low variance (stdDev ≤ 9), Moderate = medium variance, Coinflip = high variance.

Historical Context

  • Denny Hamlin: has 41 career starts at Darlington Raceway with a 7.5 avg finish (10 wins) — the model correctly identified this strength.
  • Jimmie Johnson: was the biggest surprise, finishing P8 vs predicted P20. Track history: 29 starts, 16.0 avg finish.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the 2020 Toyota 500?
Denny Hamlin won the 2020 Toyota 500 at Darlington Raceway driving for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Where was the 2020 Toyota 500 held?
The 2020 Toyota 500 was held at Darlington Raceway on May 20, 2020.