FORT WORTH, Texas – Alex Bowman led the way for Hendrick Motorsports Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, crossing the finish line with a top-five result.
Bowman took the checkered flag in fifth, securing his seventh top-five finish of the season.
William Byron was the next teammate to the finish line, earning a 17th-place result.
Chase Elliott made contact with the wall early in Sunday’s race, which left him multiple laps behind the leader for the remainder of the event. He was able to finish the race, however, taking home a 32nd-place result.
Contact with the wall by Jimmie Johnson caused damage to the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 that ultimately ended the driver’s day, and he was scored with a 34th-place finish.
Kevin Harvick captured the win.
Below is a closer look at how Sunday played out for the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 32nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting Sunday’s race in 14th, Elliott was climbing toward the top 10 when the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 got loose and made contact with the wall on Lap 10. After repairs on pit road, the driver returned to the track in 40th down six laps. Though he lost additional laps, he gained several spots before the end of Stage 1, finishing the opening segment in 37th.
- Elliott held his position throughout Stage 2, taking the green-checkered flag in 37th. In the final segment, he began picking up spots once again, starting the segment in 36th and advancing to 34th by Lap 209. With 100 laps to go, he had made his way to 32nd, and that is where he would remain when the checkered flag waved.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 17th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid 18th, Byron found the top 15 within five laps and he advanced into the top 10 before a caution on Lap 44. On pit road under caution, the No. 24 team elected for a no-tire stop, allowing Byron to be the fifth car to leave pit road. However, several competitors remained on the track and he restarted 11th. He continued to work his way forward, however, finding the top five on Lap 65 and advancing to fourth a lap later. Heading to pit road during a late-stage caution, once again varying pit strategies saw some drivers stay on the track, putting Byron in 18th when the green-checkered flag waved to end Stage 1.
- The No. 24 team elected not to pit between stages, allowing Byron to start Stage 2 in ninth. On Lap 133 he moved back inside the top five, settling into fifth. As competitors began to make green-flag pit stops, Byron staged on the track to move into the race lead on Lap 149 before making his own stop four laps later. When the field cycled through stops, he was just outside the top 10 but moved into 10th once again with five laps to go in the segment. He held that spot, finishing Stage 2 in 10th to gain an extra point.
- Once again, Byron did not pit between stages and took the green flag for the final segment in the lead. Though he did not maintain the top spot, he settled into second and maintained a top-five spot until making a green-flag pit stop on Lap 225. When a caution flag flew before the full field had cycled through stops, Byron was forced to take a wave-around to return to the lead lap, restarting just outside of the top 20 on Lap 249. He worked to make his way through traffic as the laps wound down, finding 16th with 17 laps to go after another cycle of green-flag pit stops.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 34th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson began Sunday’s race in 23rd, but it didn’t take long for the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to work its way through traffic. As multiple cautions broke up the first stage, Johnson advanced inside the top 10 within 25 laps, settling into sixth. Varying pit strategies saw Johnson drop back outside the top 20 following a trip to pit road midway through the stage, but once again he recovered to knock on the door of the top 10 as the laps wound down. He finished Stage 1 in 11th.
- Remaining off of pit road between segments, Johnson began Stage 2 on the front row in second, and on Lap 100 he took the lead from teammate Bowman to pace the field. He held the lead for 40 laps before losing it and heading to pit road for a green-flag stop. As the field cycled through stops, he was running sixth. Down the stretch in Stage 2, he gained three more positions to finish the segment in third. The result gained him eight extra points.
- Taking the green flag for the final segment in fourth, Johnson advanced to third on the restart. He was running inside the top five on Lap 186 when the No. 48 Ally Chevy got loose and made contact with the wall, causing a caution. Johnson headed to pit road for repairs, but his car was unable to make the minimum speed when it returned to the track, putting an early end to the No. 48 team’s day. Johnson was scored with a 34th-place finish.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 VALVOLINE CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 5th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the green flag in fifth on Sunday, and other than briefly falling to 12th on an early-race restart, he maintained a top-10 position through multiple cautions in the first half of Stage 1. Varying pit strategies took over shortly thereafter, putting Bowman back in 18th after a trip to pit road under caution when several competitors stayed on the track. On Lap 65, he had fallen to 21st, but he quickly began advancing back through the field and remained on the track through two more cautions to move to seventh on Lap 80. In the final five laps of Stage 1, he gained three additional positions to finish the opening segment in fourth. The result earned him seven extra points.
- The No. 88 team elected not to pit between segments, allowing Bowman to begin Stage 2 in the race lead. He maintained the lead until Lap 100, when teammate Johnson moved into the top spot. Bowman maintained a top-five position until making a green-flag stop on Lap 135. When the field cycled through stops, Bowman was running ninth on Lap 156. He picked up two more positions before the end of Stage 2, finishing seventh to gain four additional points.
- Starting the final segment in 10th, Bowman battled on the edge of the top 10 for much of the early portion of the stage. With 100 laps to go, he was running ninth, and he climbed toward the top five as competitors headed to pit road for green-flag stops. When a caution flag flew, Bowman was able to head to pit road under caution for fresh tires and fuel, returning to the track in eighth for the ensuing restart on Lap 249. Following one more cycle of green-flag stops, Bowman was running fifth with 17 laps remaining in the race.