HAMPTON, Ga. – A rain delay postponed the start of Sunday’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway by more than two hours, but inclement weather stayed away for the duration of the race once it went green.
When the checkered flag waved, Chase Elliott was the first Hendrick Motorsports teammate to cross the finish line, earning a 10th-place result.
It kept alive his streak of never finishing outside of the top 10 at Atlanta – his home track – in any NASCAR national series.
He becomes only the fifth driver in NASCAR Cup Series history to finish inside the top 10 in each of his first three Cup starts at Atlanta.
Elliott was one of just 13 cars still on the lead lap at the end of a race that featured many extended green-flag runs.
William Byron was next to take the checkered flag in 18th, followed by Alex Bowman in 20th and Jimmie Johnson in 27th.
Below is a closer look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared Sunday.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 10th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting outside of the top 25, it took until after the Lap 30 competition caution for Elliott to crack the top 20, and he finished Stage 1 in 17th.
- Elliott ran almost all of Stage 2 inside of the top 15, moving all the way up to sixth during a green-flag pit stop cycle before making a stop of his own. He finished Stage 2 in 14th.
- With 98 laps to go, he moved back inside the top 10, settling into ninth after a full cycle of green-flag pit stops.
- During the next cycle of green-flag pit stops, Elliott stayed on the track, moving up as high as third as competitors headed to pit road. The strategy by the No. 9 team saw Elliott come to pit road with 60 laps to go in position to perhaps not have to pit again for the remainder of the race.
- After a caution – and a four-tire pit stop – Elliott restarted sixth with 21 laps to go. He jumped into the top five shortly after the green flag, and held onto his top-10 position until the checkered flag, finishing 10th.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 18th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron began Sunday’s race 23rd, and he battled the No. 24 Liberty Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for much of Stage 1, falling a lap down during a long green-flag run and finishing the stage in 25th.
- After falling another lap down in Stage 2, Byron and the No. 24 team took a wave-around during a caution with 12 laps to go in the stage. That put him only one lap down, and he finished Stage 2 in 20th.
- During another extended run of green-flag racing, Byron fell another lap down as he continued battling on the verge of the top 20 for much of the final segment.
- He kept pushing forward as many positions as possible, taking the checkered flag 18th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 27th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After starting 22nd, Johnson moved all the way into the top 10 by Lap 11 before tire fall-off saw him drop back outside of the top 15 during a long green-flag run, finishing Stage 1 a lap down in 19th.
- The beneficiary of the free pass as the first car a lap down, Johnson started Stage 2 back on the lead lap, but the ensuing long green-flag run saw him fall a lap behind once again on Lap 143.
- With 12 laps to go in Stage 2, Johnson spun out, causing damage to the right front of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
- Quick work by the No. 48 team allowed Johnson to start the final segment 29th just one lap down, and he worked to gain as many positions as possible during another extended stretch of green-flag racing.
- He took the checkered flag 27th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 20th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman rolled off the grid 18th Sunday, and within three laps he was already inside of the top 10, moving up to eighth by Lap 7.
- Due to tire wear, Bowman fell back to finish Stage 1 in 15th, but a speeding penalty on pit road between stages had him start Stage 2 at the rear of the lead lap.
- Bowman was passed by the leader shortly before the end of Stage 2, which he finished in 18th. As the first car a lap down, he was the beneficiary of the free pass before the start of the final segment.
- With a right-side tire going down, Bowman was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop for fresh right-side tires, falling a lap down and returning to the track outside of the top 20 during the final segment.
- He continued battling down the stretch, taking the checkered flag 20th.