FORT WORTH, Texas (August 31, 2020)
The NASCAR Cup Series regular season concluded Aug. 29 in spectacular overtime fashion, setting the 16-team, 10-race playoff schedule that includes the Oct. 25 Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The Texas 500 (2:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN, PRN) is the eighth race of the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs and the second of three races in the Round of 8. The race will be open to spectators as Texas Motor Speedway continues its extensive COVID-19 pandemic protocols.
Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin were the class of the field during the regular season and both have earned three victories at No Limits, Texas. Harvick, the 2014 series champion and 2020 regular season champion, will be aiming for his fourth straight fall TMS win. His seven regular-season victories in the No. 4 Stewart-Haas Ford is just one more than the six Hamlin, searching for his first season title, earned in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
The Texas 500 will be the final act in Jimmie Johnson’s record-setting full-time career in the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet at No Limits, Texas. The seven-time Cup Series champion and seven-time winner at TMS just missed making the playoffs after getting caught up in an 11-car wreck with just two laps to go in regulation Aug. 29 at Daytona International Speedway. He finished 17th while teammate William Byron earned his first victory and a spot in the playoffs.
The chart below shows the full playoff field and their NASCAR Cup Series history at Texas Motor Speedway:
2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Contenders at Texas Motor Speedway
| Name | Team | Playoff Points | Starts | Best Start | Best Finish |
| Kevin Harvick | No. 4 Stewart-Haas Ford | 2057 | 35 | 1st – Spring 2017, Fall 2019 | 1st – Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019 |
| Denny Hamlin | No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2047 | 29 | 2nd – Fall 2017 | 1st – Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2019 |
| Brad Keselowski | No. 2 Team Penske Ford | 2029 | 24 | 1st – Fall 2015 | 2nd – Fall 2012, Fall 2015 |
| Joey Logano | No. 22 Team Penske Ford | 2022 | 24 | 1st – Spring 2016, Fall 2016 | 1st – Spring 2014 |
| Chase Elliott | No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2022 | 9 | 3rd – Spring 2019 | 4th – Fall 2016 |
| Martin Truex Jr. | No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2014 | 30 | 1st – Fall 2007, Spring 2012 | 2nd – Spring 2013, Fall 2017 |
| Ryan Blaney | No. 12 Team Penske Ford | 2013 | 11 | 1st – Fall 2018 | 2nd – Fall 2018 |
| Alex Bowman | No. 88 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2009 | 10 | 5th – Fall 2019 | 5th – Fall 2019 |
| William Byron | No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet | 2007 | 5 | 2nd – Spring 2019 | 6th – Spring 2019 |
| Austin Dillon | No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet | 2005 | 15 | 1st – Fall 2016 | 1st – Summer 2020 |
| Cole Custer | No. 41 Stewart-Haas Ford | 2005 | 1 | 19th - Summer 2020 | 39th – Summer 2020 |
| Aric Almirola | No. 10 Stewart-Haas Ford | 2005 | 19 | 3rd – Spring 2013 | 2nd – Fall 2019 |
| Clint Bowyer | No. 14 Stewart-Haas Ford | 2004 | 29 | 2nd – Fall 2018 | 2nd – Spring 2011, Spring 2019 |
| Kyle Busch | No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota | 2003 | 29 | 1st – Spring 2013 | 1st – Spring 2013, Spring 2016, Spring 2018 |
| Kurt Busch | No. 1 Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet | 2001 | 35 | 1st – Spring 2015, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Summer 2020 | 1st – Fall 2009 |
| Matt DiBenedetto | No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford | 2000 | 10 | 10th – Fall 2019 | 14th – Fall 2019 |
2020 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Schedule
Round of 16
Sept. 6 Darlington Raceway Darlington, S.C.
Sept. 12 Richmond Raceway Richmond, Va.
Sept. 19 Bristol Motor Speedway Bristol, Tenn.
Round of 12
Sept. 27 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nev
Oct. 4 Talladega Superspeedway Talladega, Ala.
Oct. 11 Charlotte Motor Speedway Concord, N.C.
Round of 8
Oct. 18 Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kan.
Oct. 25 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas
Nov. 1 Martinsville Speedway Martinsville, Va.
Championship
Nov. 8 Phoenix Raceway Avondale, Ariz.
The Oct. 25 Texas Motor Speedway doubleheader Sunday begins at 11 a.m. CT with the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 400 (FS1 and the Performance Racing Network). The Oct. 24 NASCAR Xfinity Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 (3:30 p.m. CT on NBCSN and PRN) will be a non-spectator event.
Tickets for the Oct. 25 Texas 500/SpeedyCash.com 400 doubleheader races are available starting at $48 at https://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/events/texas-500-nascar-race-weekend/. One ticket will be good for both races and kids 12 and under are just $10. Further details can be found on the Texas Motor Speedway website.
Click https://www.texasmotorspeedway.com/events/2020-event-return-guide/ for a comprehensive list of answers to frequently asked questions about the Texas 500.
Keep track of all of Texas Motor Speedway’s events by following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Keep up with all the latest news and information on the speedway website and TMS mobile app.
