Earnhardt earns 'emotional win' at Martinsville; Gordon runner-up

RIDGEWAY, Va. – On an emotional weekend for Hendrick Motorsports, 10 years after a tragedy, the organization honored those that were lost the best way they could – on the track.

At Martinsville Speedway Sunday, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home his first-ever victory at the track, and right behind him was teammate Jeff Gordon, who now leads the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.

“That means so much to Hendrick Motorsports,” Gordon said. “That’s the best way we can possibly pay tribute to those that we lost here 10 years ago. To have a one-two finish, it’s pretty awesome.”

When the second red flag of the race waved with 11 laps to go, both Earnhardt and Gordon had a decision to make, and both made the choice to head to pit road, giving up their track position in the process. But Earnhardt restarted fifth and Gordon was right behind him in the inside lane in seventh.

The two worked together to weave through the rest of the field until Earnhardt was back in the lead and Gordon was chasing him in second.

Earnhardt held on for the meaningful victory.

“Real emotional win,” Earnhardt said. “This means so much to all of us.”

“I’ve wanted that grandfather clock ever since I was a little boy, and I got it today.”

Both Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne took damage that forced them to the garage, and while Johnson was able to finish the race 32nd, one final incident ended Kahne’s day and he was scored 40th.

Below is a detailed look at how all four drivers fared on Sunday.

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 40th
Chase Standings: 14th
Recap: Kahne began the race in 24th, just behind teammate Earnhardt. For the next 75 laps, Kahne drove in a range from 26th to 19th. He maintained that range until Lap 175, when he moved as high as 16th. At Lap 221, however, a competitor caused Kahne to spin out and make contact with the wall, sending him to the garage. The No. 5 Great Clips crew worked hard to get the Chevrolet SS back onto the track, and just past the midway point of the event, Kahne was back to racing. When he returned to the track, he was running 39th. Despite being involved in another incident, he continued gaining back laps to move up to 38th. At Lap 330, he moved into the 37th position. He was involved in a big incident that ended his day with 64 laps to go. At that point he was in 36th. After he walked away from his vehicle, he spoke about the incident. “I’m all right,” he said. “I just didn’t even really see them slowing down. I think my spotter spotting me saw it last second, and as soon as he said it I hit the brakes, but it was way too late. … It was a pretty good hit.” He was ultimately scored 40th. “I think we had a much better car than where we were running, for sure.”

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 2nd
Chase Standings: 1st
Recap: Starting 13th, Gordon quickly moved up a spot before an early caution flag waved. He reported that a competitor had checked up in front of him and he had minor damage to the nose of the car. “Shouldn’t be too bad,” he said. That proved to be the case, as by Lap 37 he was already running in the top five. At Lap 85, Gordon took the lead for the first time, earning a bonus point in the Chase standings. After a caution flag waved at Lap 169, Gordon won the race off pit road and praised his pit crew over the radio. "Another good one, guys,” he said. “Great job.” However, when another caution was thrown at Lap 188, Gordon was penalized for speeding entering pit road. "Big mistake on my part,” he said on the radio. “I apologize." That caused him to fall from first to 30th for the ensuing restart. But a quick caution flag meant Gordon got to pass the lapped cars, and then restarted 24th. It didn’t take him long to jump back into the top 10 – he did so by a Lap-238 restart. When a caution flag waved at Lap 294, Gordon – along with teammate Earnhardt -- elected to stay on the track. That allowed him to restart second, and he stayed in the top five until Lap 335, when he retook the lead. Even after conceding the lead, Gordon stayed in the top five. At Lap 400, Gordon was in third position, and two laps later passed a competitor to move into second. He lost a position to Earnhardt on pit road when a yellow flag waved at Lap 418. But after a red flag with 64 laps to go, Gordon began moving his way up the field from fifth place. With 50 to go he found fourth. With 45 to go he moved in to third, and with 33 to go he was in second place, chasing his teammate, Earnhardt, who was the leader. After another red flag, both drivers had decisions to make and both headed to pit road for two tires. Gordon restarted seventh, just behind Earnhardt on the inside, who restarted fifth. The two quickly raced into first and second, and Gordon held on to finish second.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 32nd
Chase Standings: 12th
Recap: Johnson had the highest starting position of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers, rolling off the grid seventh. He moved into the top five on Lap 22, and 27 laps later he found himself in third place. That is where he continued to run until Lap 101, when he was forced to make an unscheduled, green-flag pit stop due to concern about a potentially loose wheel. After the stop, he was two laps back in 38th place. By the time a caution flag waved at Lap 159, Johnson had jumped up to 30th. But at Lap 175, Johnson reported damage to the front of the car. He continued running as long as he could, moving up to 28th by Lap 188. But eventually Johnson drove the car to the garage so that the No. 48 Lowe’s crew could repair the damage. He returned to the track just past the midway point of the event, racing in 39th. He was able to regain enough laps to move into 38th at Lap 330. He continued gaining track position as he ran laps, and even after heading to pit road under green with 20 laps to go for tires and to fix a loose hood pin, he moved up another spot to finish 32nd.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 1st
Chase Standings: 11th
Recap: Earnhardt’s 23rd-place start was just ahead of teammate Kahne, but he didn’t stay there for long. By the time the second caution flag of the day waved within the first 20 laps, Earnhardt was inside the top 20. At Lap 40, he moved into the top 15, and at Lap 90 he was inside the top 10. His strong racing continued as he broke into the top five on Lap 118. At Lap 172, he was all the way up to second behind his teammate Gordon, and when Gordon was penalized for speeding on pit road, Earnhardt took the restart at Lap 205 as the race leader. He remained in the top five for the next 50 laps, But on a restart at Lap 260, Earnhardt lined up eighth due to some cars staying off pit road. By Lap 293, Earnhardt was all the way back up to second, and when a caution flag waved at Lap 294, Earnhardt stayed on the track to retake the lead. Once again, even after losing the lead he continued to run in the top five. At Lap 400, Earnhardt was in fourth just behind Gordon, and two laps later both drivers passed a competitor to move into second and third place, respectively. During a caution at Lap 418, Earnhardt’s crew helped him gain a position on pit road, moving up to second place. After a red flag with 64 laps to go, Earnhardt settled in to second place, and with 47 laps to go he retook the lead once again. When a second red flag waved with 11 laps to go, Earnhardt had a decision to make, and headed to pit road from the lead for four tires. He restarted fifth with five laps to go but quickly retook the lead and held on to grab his first ever win at Martinsville.