| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 12 of 23 of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series | |||
| Date | August 16, 2020 | ||
| Official name | Sunoco 159 | ||
| Location | Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona International Speedway road course | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 3.57 mi (5.75 km) | ||
| Distance | 46 laps, 166.06 mi (267.47 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 44 laps, 158.840 mi (255.628201 km) | ||
| Average speed | 81.435 miles per hour (131.057 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | GMS Racing | ||
| Grid positions set by competition-based formula | |||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | |
| Laps | 19 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | Fox Sports 1 | ||
| Announcers | Vince Welch, Michael Waltrip, Jamie McMurray | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
The 2020 Sunoco 159 was the 12th stock car race of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season and the inaugural running of the event, after the scheduled race, the M&M's 200 at Iowa Speedway, had to be replaced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [1] The race was held on Sunday, August 16, 2020 in Daytona Beach, Florida at the Daytona International Speedway road course, a 3.57 miles (5.75 km) permanent road course. The race was extended from the scheduled 44 laps to 46 laps due to a NASCAR overtime finish. At race's end, Sheldon Creed of GMS Racing would pull away on the final restart to win the race, the 2nd NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series win of his career and the 2nd of the season. [2] To fill the podium, Brett Moffitt of GMS Racing and Austin Hill of Hattori Racing Enterprises would finish 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
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.
A new metric qualifying system was placed starting for the Daytona Road Course weekend. To determine the spots, new performance metrics would be weighted and averaged to determine a score. The metrics would be 50% on the finishing position from last race, 35% on team owner's points, and 15% on the fastest lap. [3] As a result, Zane Smith of GMS Racing would win the pole. [4]
Stage 1 Laps: 12
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 23 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 9 |
| 3 | 18 | Christian Eckes | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 8 |
| 4 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 7 |
| 5 | 38 | Todd Gilliland | Front Row Motorsports | Ford | 6 |
| 6 | 99 | Ben Rhodes | ThorSport Racing | Ford | 5 |
| 7 | 26 | Tyler Ankrum | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 4 |
| 8 | 15 | Tanner Gray | DGR-Crosley | Ford | 3 |
| 9 | 22 | Austin Wayne Self | AM Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 19 | Derek Kraus | McAnally-Hilgemann Racing | Toyota | 1 |
Stage 2 Laps: 13
| Fin | # | Driver | Team | Make | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Sheldon Creed | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 10 |
| 2 | 16 | Austin Hill | Hattori Racing Enterprises | Toyota | 9 |
| 3 | 26 | Tyler Ankrum | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 8 |
| 4 | 21 | Zane Smith | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 7 |
| 5 | 24 | Kris Wright | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 6 |
| 6 | 11 | Spencer Davis | Spencer Davis Motorsports | Toyota | 5 |
| 7 | 4 | Raphaël Lessard | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 4 |
| 8 | 51 | Alex Tagliani | Kyle Busch Motorsports | Toyota | 3 |
| 9 | 23 | Brett Moffitt | GMS Racing | Chevrolet | 2 |
| 10 | 45 | Ty Majeski | Niece Motorsports | Chevrolet | 1 |
Stage 3 Laps: 21