CONCORD, N.C. -- Jimmie Johnson took home his second top-five finish of the season after he finished in third place Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.
In an event that saw 17 cautions, Johnson was riding in fifth place when teammate Chase Elliott made contract with another driver and both cars went into the wall. Johnson moved up a couple of spots to secure his best result of the year so far.
Elliott was knocked down toward the back of the field and finished 22nd. Teammate William Byron notched his second top-10 finish of the year by crossing the finish line in eighth.
Alex Bowman was caught up in the biggest incident of the race and placed 37th.
Brad Keselowski won the race.
Below is a closer look at how Sunday's race at Bristol unfolded for the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 22nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started in sixth and was up to fourth by the third lap. After the first caution was cleared, Elliott was in fifth place. By the 15th lap Elliott slipped four spots to ninth and was in eighth when the first competition caution was issued.
- By the time the green flag was waved again Elliott moved down a position to ninth. When the second competition caution flew, Elliott was in eighth. At the restart Elliott was in fourth and quickly was in third by lap 70.
- Fifteen laps later he was riding in second place. With 21 laps left in the first stage, Elliott took over at first. He stayed at the head of the pack and won the first stage.
- At the start of Stage 2, Elliott was in second after he came off pit row in that position. He was in third by lap 138 and won the race off pit road during the fourth caution to reclaim the top position.
- He had a close call with 25 laps left after he was tapped but Elliott kept control of his car and stayed in first. He earned his fifth stage win of the season after he took Stage 2.
- After falling in and out of the top 10, Elliott was in seventh when the 12th caution came out on lap 328. He opted to pit and was in fifth place coming out. With less than 200 to go, Elliott was in third.
- He was passed by teammate Jimmie Johnson and rode in fourth for the majority of the third stage. He moved ahead of Johnson for second place with 59 laps left.
- Elliott was in a battle for first but had to settle for second with less than 50 to go. Thirty laps later he was in third and surged past the two leaders after lap traffic caused a shuffle.
- Elliott restarted first but lost the lead with four laps to go. He then got loose and pushed another car into the wall. Elliott fell to 22nd, which is how he finished the race.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 8th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron rolled off the grid in 13th but had dropped seven spots by the seventh lap. However, he started to push back and was in 15th place 20 laps in.
- Byron was in 13th when the field went green again and had fallen to 15th when the second competition caution was waved. After some pit road issues, Byron started in 28th. He rallied and placed 16th when the first stage ended.
- He started in 22nd for Stage 2 and thundered up to 12th by lap 178. Byron was in eighth when the fourth yellow flag dropped, allowing him to eventually move up to fifth by lap 210. At the end of the second stage he was in seventh.
- At the start of Stage 3, Byron tapped the wall and he fell to 20th. He was in 16th by lap 319 and pushed up to 12th after pitting during the 12th caution. He pitted again during the 13th caution and came out in 18th. The fresh tires allowed him to move up to 14th.
- Byron was up to 12th by lap 425 and was in 11th five laps later. He soon broke into the top 10 in eighth by lap 445 and was in seventh with 10 laps to go. After the 17th and final caution, the field restarted with Byron in eighth, which is how he finished.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 3rd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson started in 24th and jumped up to eight spots to 16th within seven laps. After the first competition caution, Johnson was riding in the 11th. He broke in to the top 10 by lap 42.
- He was in ninth place behind Chase Elliott by lap 61 and was up to eighth by lap 75. At the end of Stage 1 he was in 10th.
- When the field was green again, Johnson was up to eighth place and shuffled to sixth a lap later. He was in seventh at the fourth competition caution.
- He decided to pit and was in 13th when the fifth caution came out on lap 212. Several cautions later, the second stage ended with Johnson in 13th.
- Johnson opted not to pit after the stage ended and restarted in third. He got a little loose and fell to sixth. After the 11th caution was cleared he was in fifth place and was in fourth by lap 287.
- By lap 324 Johnson was in second place but was slow coming off pit road and settled in fifth. After the 13th caution he surpassed Elliott for third place and by lap 425 he was in second. Elliott then passed Johnson with 59 laps to go.
- Johnson fell a couple of spots and was riding in sixth when the 17th caution came out. After Elliott was caught up in an incident, Johnson was able to move up and finish in third.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ADAM'S POLISHES CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 37th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman was in 11th at the start of the race and was in 22nd when the first caution of the race came out by lap seven. Trailing teammate William Byron, he was in 16th place by the 20th lap.
- When the field went green after the first competition caution, Bowman was in 10th. He dropped as spot to 11th when the second competition caution was called on lap 60. Bowman stayed in that position when the first stage ended.
- He had to head back to pit road due to a lug nut issue and was in 30th when the field went green again. By the fourth caution he was in 27th.
- Bowman remained in the back of the pack throughout the next several cautions. He was caught up in the biggest accident of the day and first red flag on lap 230. The incident knocked Bowman out of the event and he finished 37th.