Let’s face it, 2020 sucked. But NASCAR gave us reasons to smile we’ll never forget

Alex Andrejev

There’s little reason to harp on the universal awfulness of 2020 with all the year-end lists. We know it was a tumultuous time. But the pandemic year hit NASCAR a little different, with perhaps as much good as strife. There was a Confederate flag ban and Ryan Newman’s return, an appearance by Michael Jordan and an on-time ending.

We don’t blame you for trying to forget 2020, but before you ring in the New Year, consider one last look at the top moments in NASCAR that gave us something to smile about this year:

Ryan Newman walks away after Daytona 500 crash

The season started with a devastating crash in the final lap of the Daytona 500. Ryan Newman’s Ford flipped and flew rounding the last turn of the race, and was hit by an oncoming car to put him in “serious condition” that night.

Newman was released from the hospital two days later with what he called “bruised brain,” a relatively minor injury compared to the impact his car sustained. The driver was photographed leaving Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach with his two daughters, Brooklyn and Ashlyn, and the shot captivated the Internet. Newman was the most-searched athlete on Google and the fifth most-searched person of 2020, according to Google’s search trend data.

He missed just three races with the pandemic delay.

“Big miracles and little miracles in my opinion that aligned for me to be able to walk out days later with my hands around my daughters and to be thankful,” Newman said.

NASCAR bans the Confederate flag

A symbol that was used in official positions in the sport’s early history was permanently banned from the racetrack over the summer. In response to social unrest over the murder of George Floyd and a call from Bubba Wallace, the only Black driver competing full-time in NASCAR’s top series, the sanctioning body banned the Confederate flag totally from its races, saying in a statement that the flag “runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry.”

“No one should feel uncomfortable when they come to a NASCAR race,” Wallace told CNN’s Don Lemon. “So it starts with Confederate flags. Get them out of here.”

NASCAR previously banned the Confederate flag from any official position and requested that fans not display it at the track, but the flags, which are seen by many as a symbol of slavery, still often flew around fan campgrounds. That changed in 2020.

Drivers get behind Bubba Wallace

A rope tied in the shape of a noose was found in Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega. Before the FBI launched an investigation that determined the rope was in place before the stall was assigned to Wallace, and therefore was not a hate crime, NASCAR believed the driver was targeted for his skin color.

Drivers, officials and team members responded by pushing Wallace’s car to the front of the grid before the start of the race in an act of solidarity, which transpired organically among the drivers. Wallace was in tears hugging his competitors. NASCAR Hall of Fame member and team owner Richard Petty made an appearance on the grid to support the No. 43 driver.

The moment was packed with emotion, maybe not smiles, but it’s one to remember.

Michael Jordan joins NASCAR

NBA legend Michael Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin teamed up for a surprise announcement that the pair was launching a Cup Series team, 23XI Racing. Bubba Wallace will debut as the team’s first driver at the 2021 Daytona 500.

Jordan said his interest in joining NASCAR stemmed from the sport championing social justice initiatives and its pledges to promote diversity. Hamlin said the pandemic kick-started his interest in forming a team as he considered careers post-racing, and that Wallace’s growing celebrity and advocacy for social change made it the right situation. The team announced in December that it was fully funded for the 2021 season.

“In addition to the recent commitment and donations I have made to combat systemic racism, I see this as a chance to educate a new audience and open more opportunities for Black people in racing,” Jordan said in the announcement.

Jordan is the first Black principal owner of a NASCAR team in nearly 50 years. NASCAR Hall of Fame member Wendell Scott owned and raced a car in the 1960s and early 70s. Brad Daugherty, another former NBA player, also co-owns a NASCAR team called JTG Daugherty Racing.

Jimmie Johnson passes the torch

The pandemic put a damper on the seven-time NASCAR champion’s final full-time season, but Jimmie Johnson still maintained a forward-thinking attitude throughout the season. He will run a part-time IndyCar schedule with Chip Ganassi Racing next year.

Despite Johnson’s positive coronavirus test that forced him to miss a race this year, he ended the season on a high-note with a championship win for his Hendrick teammate Chase Elliott. When asked what he would remember about that day and his final race as a full-time Cup driver, Johnson said it was that Elliott won his first championship.

“A big moment like this really cements you in everybody’s head as the real deal,” Johnson said in Phoenix. “It’s one thing to win races. It’s one thing to be fast. But to get it all done and win races and be fast and win a championship is the most difficult thing to do in our sport.”

NASCAR goes iRacing, then runs a full schedule

When the country went virtual in the early days of the pandemic, so did NASCAR with hardly a pause. The sport ran six virtual races with top drivers between March and May using at-home simulator rigs and webcams. The races were broadcast on FOX networks in place of NASCAR’s regularly scheduled programming with lineups that included retired drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon. The racing from home brought out some relatable, hilarious moments, including Denny Hamlin’s daughter, Taylor, ending his day early by switching off his monitor in a clip that went viral.

The turn to iRacing helped fill the gap in live programming during the spring until real racing returned in mid-May, and set iRacing up to launch other virtual racing series for IndyCar and World of Outlaws. The company is reportedly in discussion with NASCAR about broadcasting more races next season in place of practice and qualifying sessions, per Sports Business Journal. Earnhardt Jr. joined the company as an executive director in November.

Then, after running its virtual races, NASCAR closed out the rest of its full, 36-race schedule through mist, rain and heat. NASCAR was the only major sport to complete a full season in 2020.

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