2020 Shady Rays 200

2020 Shady Rays 200

Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Race 14 of 33 in the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season
Layout of Kentucky Speedway
Date	July 9, 2020 (2020-07-09)
Location	Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky
Course	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Distance	134 laps, 201 mi (323.48 km)
Pole position
Driver	Noah Gragson	JR Motorsports
Grid positions set by ballot
Most laps led
Driver	Noah Gragson	JR Motorsports
Laps	87
Winner
No. 22	Austin Cindric	Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network	FS1
Announcers	Adam Alexander, Clint Bowyer, Chad Knaus
Nielsen Ratings	514,000[7]
Radio in the United States
Radio	PRN

The 2020 Shady Rays 200 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on July 9, 2020 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, Kentucky. Contested over 136 laps -- extended from 134 laps due to an overtime finish -- on the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) speedway, it was the 14th race of the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season. Team Penske's Austin Cindric won his first race of the season.^[8]

The Shady Rays 200 replaced New Hampshire Motor Speedway's date for the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first of two races for the Xfinity Series at Kentucky.^[9]

Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tri-oval speedway in Sparta, Kentucky, which has hosted ARCA, NASCAR and Indy Racing League racing annually since it opened in 2000. The track is currently owned and operated by Speedway Motorsports, Inc. and Jerry Carroll, who, along with four other investors, owned Kentucky Speedway until 2008. The speedway has a grandstand capacity of 117,000. Construction of the speedway began in 1998 and was completed in mid-2000. The speedway has hosted the Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series, Xfinity Series, IndyCar Series, Indy Lights, and most recently, the NASCAR Cup Series beginning in 2011.

The race was held without fans in attendance due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.^[10]

• (R) denotes rookie driver.
• (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.

Noah Gragson was awarded the pole for the race as determined by a random draw.^[11]

• The No. 74 and No. 99 had to start from the rear due to unapproved adjustments.
• The No. 78 had to start from the rear due to stopping in its pit box during the pit road speed check.

Stage One

Laps: 30

Stage Two

Laps: 30

Laps: 74

• Lead changes: 6 among 4 different drivers
• Cautions/Laps: 9 for 40
• Red flags: 0
• Time of race: 1 hour, 51 minutes, 31 seconds
• Average speed: 109.759 mph (176.640 km/h)

The Shady Rays 200 was carried by FS1 in the United States. Adam Alexander, Stewart-Haas Racing driver Clint Bowyer, and Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Chad Knaus called the race from the Fox Sports Studio in Charlotte, with Jamie Little covering pit road.

The Performance Racing Network (PRN) called the race for radio, which was simulcast on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Drivers' Championship standings

	Pos	Driver	Points
	1	Chase Briscoe	597
	2	Noah Gragson	581 (-16)
1	3	Austin Cindric	552 (-45)
1	4	Ross Chastain	549 (-48)
	5	Justin Haley	485 (-112)
	6	Justin Allgaier	459 (-138)
	7	Harrison Burton (R)	450 (-147)
1	8	Michael Annett	414 (-183)
1	9	Brandon Jones	384 (-213)
	10	Ryan Sieg	362 (-235)
	11	Riley Herbst (R)	339 (-258)
1	12	Myatt Snider (R)	301 (-296)
Official driver's standings

• Note: Only the first 12 positions are included for the driver standings.
• . – Driver has clinched a position in the NASCAR playoffs.