The race weekend included support events by the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, respectively called the BrakeBest Select 159 and Super Start Batteries 188.

In March 2020, NASCAR announced the Busch Clash exhibition race would begin using the road course instead of the oval in 2021.

[1] The COVID-19 pandemic impacted much of the 2020 NASCAR schedule, resulting in races being postponed or canceled.

In response, NASCAR elected to move the Watkins Glen event to the Daytona road course, two weeks before the speedway was to host the Coke Zero Sugar 400.

[7] The addition made the race the seventh road course date on the Cup schedule, the most in series history.