The 2020 NASCAR playoffs are set. On Thursday, the sanctioning body announced the final races for the Cup, Xfinity, and Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series that will serve as their postseasons. Although the ten-race Cup slate remains the same as originally planned, the Xfinity and Truck Series will feature new or postponed dates.
As the Cup playoffs begin at Darlington Raceway with the Southern 500 on 6 September, the Xfinity and Trucks will serve as support rounds in the home stretch of their regular seasons. For the Trucks, who replaces Canadian Tire Motorsports Park with the “Track Too Tough to Time”, it will be their first time racing at the South Carolina circuit since 2011.
The following fortnight sees a pair of short track weekends at Richmond Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway, the latter of which will be the Truck playoff opener. The Richmond Truck date, which will be the first there since 2005, is the regular season finale, while the Xfinity Series will run a doubleheader, one of which replaces the Michigan International Speedway event. The ARCA Menards Series will also join the national series at Bristol.
The Xfinity playoffs kick off on 26 September at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. As originally planned, the Cup Series’ Round of 12 also begins in Vegas.
Following Vegas will be a tripleheader at Talladega Superspeedway, which features a second Xfinity date on the Alabama track in lieu of the lost Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course race.
The Xfinity and Cup Series then goes to the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval as initially planned, the latter of whom will have their elimination date. American Flat Track and IMSA GT will serve as support races.
The Round of 8 commences at Kansas Speedway on 18 October, with races at Texas Motor Speedway and Martinsville Speedway to help set the Championship Four. The Xfinity and Trucks will also race at the three tracks, with the latter replacing the Eldora Speedway race. Kansas will also hold the ARCA finale.
Finally, NASCAR Championship Weekend at Phoenix Raceway will continue as planned. The Truck championship race is on Friday, 6 November, followed by the ARCA Menards Series West and Xfinity on Saturday, and Cup on Sunday.
As COVID-19 continues to plague the United States, fan attendance for the final races will vary. Texas intends to allow spectators for the Cup and Truck races, not unlike its strategy for the Cup July race.
Final race schedule
| Date | Day | Series | Track | Length (mi) | Network | Start Time (ET, all PM) |
| 5 September | Saturday | Xfinity | Darlington | 200 | NBC | 12:30 |
| 6 September | Sunday | Trucks | Darlington | 200 | FS1 | 2:00 |
| 6 September | Sunday | Cup | Darlington | 501 | NBCSN | 6:00 |
| 10 September | Thursday | Trucks | Richmond | 187 | FS1 | 8:00 |
| 11 September | Friday | Xfinity | Richmond | 187 | NBCSN | 7:00 |
| 12 September | Saturday | Xfinity | Richmond | 187 | NBCSN | 2:30 |
| 12 September | Saturday | Cup | Richmond | 300 | NBCSN | 7:30 |
| 17 September | Thursday | Trucks | Bristol | 107 | FS1 | 7:30 |
| 17 September | Thursday | ARCA | Bristol | 107 | FS1 | 9:30 |
| 18 September | Friday | Xfinity | Bristol | 160 | NBCSN | 7:00 |
| 19 September | Saturday | Cup | Bristol | 266 | NBCSN | 7:30 |
| 25 September | Friday | Trucks | Las Vegas | 201 | FS1 | 9:00 |
| 26 September | Saturday | Xfinity | Las Vegas | 300 | NBCSN | 7:30 |
| 27 September | Sunday | Cup | Las Vegas | 400 | NBCSN | 7:00 |
| 3 October | Saturday | Trucks | Talladega | 250 | FS1 | 1:00 |
| 3 October | Saturday | Xfinity | Talladega | 300 | NBCSN | 4:30 |
| 4 October | Sunday | Cup | Talladega | 500 | NBC | 2:00 |
| 10 October | Saturday | Xfinity | Charlotte Roval | 155 | NBC | 3:30 |
| 11 October | Sunday | Cup | Charlotte Roval | 253 | NBC | 2:30 |
| 16 October | Friday | Trucks | Kansas | 200 | FS1 | 7:00 |
| 16 October | Friday | ARCA | Kansas | 150 | FS2 | 10:00 |
| 17 October | Saturday | Xfinity | Kansas | 300 | NBCSN | 3:00 |
| 18 October | Sunday | Cup | Kansas | 400 | NBC | 2:30 |
| 24 October | Saturday | Xfinity | Texas | 300 | NBCSN | 4:30 |
| 25 October | Sunday | Trucks | Texas | 220 | FS1 | 12:00 |
| 25 October | Sunday | Cup | Texas | 501 | NBCSN | 3:30 |
| 30 October | Friday | Trucks | Martinsville | 105 | FS1 | 8:00 |
| 31 October | Saturday | Xfinity | Martinsville | 131 | BVC | 4:30 |
| 1 November | Sunday | Cup | Martinsville | 263 | NBC | 2:00 |
| 6 November | Friday | Trucks | Phoenix | 150 | FS1 | 8:00 |
| 7 November | Saturday | ARCA West | Phoenix | 100 | Trackpass | 2:00 |
| 7 November | Saturday | Xfinity | Phoenix | 200 | NBCSN | 5:00 |
| 8 November | Sunday | Cup | Phoenix | 312 | NBC | 3:00 |
