RICHMOND, Va. – Saturday night at Richmond Raceway, Chase Elliott led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the checkered flag with his ninth top-five finish of the season.
After starting the race in 18th, Elliott led 34 laps and picked up a pair of fourth-place stage finishes on the way to a fourth-place race result.
Jimmie Johnson was the next teammate to the checkered flag, joining Elliott inside the top 10 with an eighth-place finish.
Alex Bowman and William Byron were next to the finish line, finishing 12th and 20th, respectively.
Kyle Busch captured the win.
Below is a closer look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared Saturday night.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTERS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 4th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting in 18th, Elliott got to work early in Saturday night’s race and gained six positions within the first 25 laps of the opening segment. The driver of the No. 9 Hooters Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 continued to make progress throughout the beginning of Stage 1, racing his way into the top 10 in 10th by Lap 40.
- Elliott maintained his top-10 position throughout the duration of Stage 1 and by Lap 65, he had moved up another three positions into seventh. The driver eventually cracked the top five with fewer than 15 laps left in the segment and finished Stage 1 in fourth, picking up seven additional points with the result.
- After taking the Stage 2 green flag in third, Elliott initially lost his top-five position and moved into seventh by Lap 125. In the ensuing laps, the driver battled to return to the top five, moving into fifth by Lap 150. Consistent racing saw Elliott remain in the top five throughout the rest of Stage 2, and he gained another position to finish the middle segment in fourth. He earned seven extra points with the result.
- Elliott won the race off pit road in the caution between stages, gaining three positions and taking the final segment green flag as the leader. Staying in front for nine laps, the driver briefly settled into second, but on Lap 243, a successful move on the leader put Elliott back into the lead.
- Elliott paced the field for 25 laps, but the driver lost his lead on pit road while making a green-flag pit stop. Running fourth on lap 274, he continued to race inside or near the top five as the laps wound down, ultimately taking home a fourth-place finish.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 20th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid 19th, Byron was shuffled outside the top 20 in the opening laps Saturday evening and settled into 24th by Lap 15. He was able to hold his position inside the top 25 over the next several laps, and by lap 55, Byron had worked his way back into the top 20 in 20th. He ran as high as 19th in the opening segment and ultimately finished Stage 1 in 22nd.
- In the caution between stages, Byron gained two positions on pit road to start the middle segment in 20th. Consistent racing in Stage 2 saw Byron continue to race close to the top 20 for much of the segment, and after being shuffled down to 24th by Lap 166, he gained three spots down the stretch in Stage 2 to finish the middle segment in 21st.
- In the final segment, Byron continued to battle to maintain his position, staying inside the top 25 and pushing toward the top 20. Running 21st with fewer than 60 laps to go, Byron picked up a position in the closing laps to take the checkered flag inside the top 20 in 20th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 8th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting Saturday night’s race in 21st, Johnson steadily gained ground early on, jumping up six positions into 15th within the first 30 laps. Midway through Stage 1, Johnson moved up an additional four positions and was running near the top 10 in 11th by Lap 65. He stayed inside the top 15 for the rest of Stage 1, picking up a 12th-place result in the opening segment.
- Penalized for speeding on pit road following Stage 1, Johnson began Stage 2 outside the top 20. Running 22nd by Lap 125, Johnson battled to gain back positions, moving up to 14th by Lap 150.
- Laps later, Johnson had himself running inside the top 10 in 10th on Lap 166. He continued to press forward toward the end of Stage 2, finishing the middle segment in eighth and picking three extra points with the finish.
- In the final segment, Johnson continued to run inside the top 10 and was running ninth by Lap 250. In the ensuing laps, the driver began to charge near the top five, moving into seventh with fewer than 80 laps left and racing as high as sixth by Lap 343. He stayed in the top 10 in the final laps and took the checkered flag in eighth.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 12th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Taking the green flag inside the top 15 in 13th, Bowman made his way into the top 10 quickly, moving into 10th within the first 25 laps. He remained inside the top 10 for the majority of Stage 1, and the driver picked up two more positions to finish the opening stage in eighth. The finish earned him three extra points.
- In Stage 2, Bowman continued to charge forward, gaining two positions out of the caution between stages to take the green flag in sixth. He raced inside the top 10 for majority of Stage 2 to finish in sixth, earning five more points with the result.
- Taking the final segment green flag in sixth, Bowman was shuffled down five positions to 11th by Lap 233. He continued to race hard to stay inside the top 15, and by Lap 326, he made his way back into 10th after being in 14th on Lap 282. Bowman continued to battle in the closing laps to take home a 12th-place finish.