SPARTA, Ky. – Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway, Chase Elliott led his teammates to the checkered flag with a 13th-place finish.
Jimmie Johnson crossed the checkered flag right behind his teammate, joining Elliott inside the top 15 with a 14th-place finish.
William Byron rounded out the top 20 with a 20th-place result.
Alex Bowman experienced a right-side tire issue in Stage 2 that cut his day short and he was scored 39th.
Martin Truex Jr. won the race.
Below is a detailed look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates performed Saturday night.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 13th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting the day in 16th, Elliott moved into 13th by Lap 33. He was shuffled outside of the top 20 after a cycle of green-flag pit stops midway through Stage 1, running 24th by Lap 50.
- Elliott quickly worked his way back up into 18th by Lap 60, and 10 laps later he was running 11th. He gained another position in the closing laps of Stage 1 to finish the segment inside the top 10 in 10th, picking up an extra point in the process.
- In Stage 2, Elliott continued to race near the top 10 until later in the segment when he settled into 14th by Lap 122. He picked up another position toward the end of Stage 2 to finish the middle segment in 13th.
- Quick work by the No. 9 team helped Elliott gain three positions on pit road to start the final segment in 10th. He moved into ninth with under 60 laps to go in the race, but fell back to 12th by Lap 221. Elliott continued to race inside the top 15 as the laps wound down, taking home a 13th-place result.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 20th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid 21st, Byron got to work in the opening segment to pick up three positions and move into 18th by Lap 37. The driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 briefly moved outside of the top 20 after a cycle of green-flag pit stops, but the he recovered and moved into 17th by Lap 70. He stayed there for the final 10 laps of the opening segment to finish Stage 1 in that position.
- Byron started Stage 2 in 16th and kept battling to gain positions. He continued to run inside the top 20 to finish the middle segment in 17th.
- Byron picked up two positions at the beginning of the final segment to move into 15th by Lap 170. He lost his top-15 spot later in the segment and was in 18th by Lap 196. The driver battled to stay inside the top 20, crossing the finish line 20th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 14th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting 27th, Johnson gradually worked his way past competitors throughout the first segment of Saturday night’s race, gaining seven positions and running 20th by Lap 37. The driver elected to stay on track when a number of drivers made green-flag pit stops midway through the opening segment and was running fifth by Lap 50.
- With under 20 laps left in Stage 1, Johnson moved into the lead for three laps during another cycle of green-flag stops. When he eventually made a pit stop of his own, Johnson lost his lead and was shuffled down to 21st. He finished the opening segment in that position as the first car a lap down, moving back onto the lead lap with a free pass before Stage 2 began.
- In the middle segment, Johnson continued to make progress, gaining four positions and moving into 17th by Lap 107. The driver picked up five more spots to move into 12th by Lap 115, ultimately holding that position to finish the middle segment in 12th.
- Out of the restart into the final segment, Johnson briefly fell to 20th by Lap 170, but six laps later he was back in 17th. He gained another three positions to be in 14th by Lap 196, and he continued to race inside the top 15 to finish the day in 14th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 39th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Leading his teammates to the green-flag in 15th, Bowman continued to race inside the top 20 at the beginning of Stage 1. During a cycle of green-flag pit stops midway through the segment, Bowman stayed on track to move inside the top five to third by Lap 46.
- When Bowman eventually came to pit road with under 20 laps to go, he returned to the track in 22nd a lap down. But the driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 caught and passed the leader with two laps to go in Stage 1 to move back onto the lead lap. He finished Stage 1 in 20th.
- During the caution between stages, Bowman jumped up 16 positions after a two-tire change, starting Stage 2 in third. The driver began to fall back in traffic, however, as cars with four fresh tires passed the No. 88 Chevy.
- On Lap 109, Bowman made contact with the wall after experiencing a right-side tire issue. The damage to the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 ultimately ended Bowman’s day. He was scored 39th.