CONCORD, N.C. – After a spirited battled with the leader with less than 50 laps to go, Jimmie Johnson led the Hendrick Motorsports contingent to the checkered flag at Charlotte Motor Speedway in third.
"I thought we had a chance at [the leaders] a few times," Johnson said post-race. "A couple of times on the restarts we would get close but all-in-all a very strong performance for this Lowe's Chevrolet. Very proud of the teamwork and the support we have from all the employees at Lowe's. Just came up a little short today."
Chase Elliott joined Johnson inside the top 10 with an eighth-place effort.
“Definitely a long one, very difficult," said Elliott after exiting his No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS. "We fought hard and we are trying to get that next little bit."
The other two Hendrick Motorsports teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne crossed the finish line 14th and 22nd, respectively.
Martin Truex, Jr. earned the victory.
Below is a detailed look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared in the 600-mile event.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 LIFTMASTER CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 22nd
STANDINGS: 20th
RECAP: Starting 29th, Kahne embarked on his 13th career 600-mile showdown and quickly advanced two positions in the opening laps. However, a cut right-front tire forced him to visit pit road on Lap 13. The unfortunate issue put Kahne 40th on the leaderboard and two laps down to the leader. The No. 5 team carefully watched tire issues over the next couple of runs, with crew chief Keith Rodden noting the "tires looking good" after a Lap 77 pit stop. Just past the halfway point, Kahne cracked the top 30. Throughout the second half of the race, Kahne kept pushing forward one car at a time and ultimately notched eight positions to finish 22nd.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 8th
STANDINGS: 8th
RECAP: Rolling off the grid 12th, Elliott and his NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet made quick work of the field by advancing to eighth when the competition caution waved at Lap 25. After routine service by his pit crew on the next lap, Elliott was served a speeding penalty that sent him to the rear of the field for the Lap 131 restart. He took the green flag from the 31st position but found himself battling inside the top 20 when the second caution of the race came out at Lap 115. The Rookie-of-the-Year contender raced between the 15th and 16th positions for the next 80 laps before a caution slowed the field just past halfway. Needing to alleviate the tight-handling condition on his race car, Elliott pitted when pit road opened and returned to the racing surface in 13th. From there, Elliott steadily made up ground and found himself racing in 12th at Lap 212, 10th at Lap 224 and seventh with 100 laps remaining. The yellow flag was displayed for debris on Lap 339 and crew chief Alan Gustafson summoned Elliott to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments for his final run at the checkered flag. He restarted eighth and maintained that position for the final 60 laps.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 3rd
STANDINGS: 3rd
RECAP: After securing the seventh-place starting position for the 600-mile showdown, Johnson quietly flexed his muscle and drove his patriotic-themed Chevrolet SS to second just 61 laps in. Over the course of the ensuing 120 circuits, Johnson teetered between second and third in between two scheduled pit stops and two brief laps where he held the lead. With track conditions starting to change just before the halfway mark, Johnson began fighting a loose condition. A caution at Lap 213 provided an opportunity for Johnson to bring his No. 48 Chevrolet SS to pit road for fresh tires, fuel and adjustments. He restarted third, was shuffled back to fourth on the restart and ultimately found himself running second at Lap 230. Crew chief Chad Knaus consistently called for adjustments under green-flag pit stops at Laps 269 and 298 to assist Johnson with contending for the lead. With less than 90 laps to go, the four-time Charlotte 600 race winner began shaving time off the distance between himself and the leader. Lapped traffic helped him close the gap but a loose Lowe's Chevrolet SS prevailed that shuffled him to third with less than 65 laps to go. Debris forced NASCAR to display a caution with 61 laps to go that put Johnson on the outside of the front row for the race's final restart due to a speedy pit stop. Johnson engaged in a spirited battle for the lead with eventual winner Truex for several laps before settling into third -- the position in which he ultimately crossed the finish line in.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE STARS & STRIPES CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 14th
STANDINGS: 13th
RECAP: Taking the green flag from the 25th position, Earnhardt didn't waste any time driving his Nationwide Chevrolet SS through the field. He cracked the top 20 at Lap 8, was scored 14th at Lap 44, drove to 10th at Lap 55 and was seventh when a caution slowed the field at Lap 115. After pitting for tires, fuel and adjustments, Earnhardt restarted seventh but fell to 14th over the course of the next 88 laps. With just under 150 laps to go, Earnhardt visited pit road for scheduled green-flag pit stops at Laps 253 and 298 that led to a 12th-place running position. He continued to pace the 1.5-mile oval in that position before visiting pit road under green at Lap 339. While receiving service, a caution was displayed for debris and Earnhardt had to take the wave around to return to the lead lap. He restarted 17th and mustered three positions before crossing the finish line in 14th.