DOVER, Del. – Sunday at Dover International Speedway, Jimmie Johnson raced his way to Victory Lane in overtime.
The win was Johnson's 83rd in his NASCAR Cup Series career, tying Cale Yarborough for sixth-most all-time.
“I never thought I would end up here in NASCAR as a kid racing in the dirt out in Southern California,” Johnson said. “I was such a big Cale Yarborough fan. Cale, you’re the man -- thank you for everything you’ve done for the sport.”
The victory marked Johnson's 11th at Dover, extending his track record.
Chase Elliott was the next Hendrick Motorsports teammate to take the checkered flag in fifth.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished just outside of the top 10 in 11th.
After a strong run all day, Kasey Kahne was caught in a multiple-car incident during overtime and he finished in 17th.
Take a closer look at how the Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared at the Monster Mile below. Additionally, here are recaps from Stage 1 and Stage 2.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 17th
RECAP: Kahne rolled off the grid in 20th and swiftly moved through the field to finish Stage 1 in sixth place. At the conclusion of Stage 1 Kahne elected not the make a pit stop, allowing him to restart in third. He continued to run with the front of the pack and secured another points-paying Stage 2 finish in 10th. Following a pit stop during the caution before the final segment, Kahne restarted in eighth. On Lap 288 he moved up to sixth. He was running in sixth when he made a green-flag pit stop for fresh tires around 80 laps to go. Consequently, Kahne did not pit during the caution that flew shortly thereafter and restarted in 12th on Lap 338. The No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS picked up three positions during the green-flag run before another caution flag came out on Lap 343. Green-flag racing returned on Lap 345 and Kahne restarted from eighth ahead of his teammate in the No. 24 Chevrolet SS. With 30 laps left at the Monster Mile, Kahne found himself just outside of the top 10 in 13th. After making a stop for four tires and fuel, he restarted in 13th for overtime. Shortly after the restart, Kahne was caught in a multiple-car incident that left him with a 17th-place finish.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 5th
RECAP: Elliott started the race from 16th and completed the first stage in 15th after bouncing back from a pit road speed penalty. After restarting in 11th, Elliott continued to gain position on the track and took the Stage 2 green-checkered in seventh. He began the 160-lap final segment in seventh and quickly moved up to the fourth position. The No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS made a pit stop under green right before a caution flag came out. He restarted in 13th and picked up one position before another caution was called on Lap 343. Elliott restarted on Lap 345 in 10th. With 30 laps to go in the race, Elliott maintained his position in the top 10. The 14th caution of the race allowed Elliott to make a trip down pit road for right-side tires; he restarted in seventh for overtime. Elliott picked up two positions after the restart to score a top-five finish in fifth.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 1st
RECAP: Johnson qualified in 14th but started from the rear of the field due to a gear change. However, Johnson made quick work of gaining track position and took the Stage 1 green-checkered flag in fifth. Johnson continued to make progress during the second segment, picking up two positions and finishing Stage 2 in third. Following a pit stop, Johnson restarted in third for the final segment and quickly took over the second position. Johnson was running in third when he radioed to his team that something was off with his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS. He then swapped positions with his teammate, Elliott, and worked to maintain his spot in the top 10. While the leaders started a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Johnson stayed out and took over the lead. Shortly after he gained the top spot, a caution flag came out. Pit strategy paid off for Johnson and he made his stop during the caution for four fresh tires before restarting in third. With 35 laps to go, Johnson had taken over second, trailing the leader by half-a-second. The 14th caution of the race came out with four laps to go, pushing the race into overtime for a green-white-checkered finish. Johnson restarted in second and took over the lead just before an incident occurred, bringing out the caution once again. However, Johnson had reached the overtime line prior to the incident, concluding the race under caution. The win marks his 11th at the track.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
RECAP: Earnhardt took the green flag from 11th and finished Stage 1 just outside of the top 10 in 12th. At the conclusion of Stage 1, Earnhardt did not make a pit stop and restarted in ninth. He spent the majority of the stage running near the top 15 and finished the second stage in 16th. Earnhardt made a trip down pit road, gaining a few positions to restart in 13th for the final segment. Earnhardt dropped to 19th about 30 laps into the final segment and maintained his position for the next 40 laps. After a caution flag came out, Earnhardt made a pit stop and restarted in seventh on Lap 338. Another caution flag flew on Lap 343, and Earnhardt picked up one position on pit road, restarting this time from sixth place. Earnhardt continued his strong run with the front of the pack and ran in fifth place with 30 laps to go until the checkered flag. The No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS made a pit stop during the 14th caution of the race, however, he was too quick on pit road and was forced to restart from the rear of the field for overtime. Despite starting from the back, Earnhardt dodged a multiple-car incident during overtime for an 11th-place finish.