CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott dominated the DAYTONA Road Course Sunday and brought home the checkered flag from the first-ever Cup Series race at the course.
The driver of the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE won the first stage and used pit strategy to stay ahead of the field for the majority of the final stage.
Despite a late-race restart that dwindled the 10-second lead Elliott had, he maintained his positioning to earn his third consecutive road-course win.
Jimmie Johnson finished close behind in fourth place, William Byron placed eighth and Alex Bowman rounded out the group in 12th.
Take a look below to see how the race played out at the DAYTONA Road Course for the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 1st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started the race in seventh and was in fifth within the first two laps. He charged into the top three by the fifth lap.
- After a competitor ahead of Elliott got a flat tire, Elliott slipped into second. The first-place driver pitted with two laps left in Stage 1, allowing Elliott to move into the top position. He finished Stage 1 in first, marking his sixth stage win of the season.
- Elliott kicked off Stage 2 in 19th after he went to pit road between segments. He surged to 11th four laps in and was back in the top 10 in eighth two laps later.
- Elliott was riding in sixth by the 23rd lap and jumped to third one lap later. He opted to pit with three laps left in the stage and came out in eighth place, ending Stage 2 in that position.
- Elliott was back in first two laps into the final stage. A red flag dropped due to lightning, delaying the race for 45 minutes. He kept the lead for the first 18 laps of Stage 3 until he headed to pit road for fresh rubber.
- Coming out, Elliott was in seventh place. He jumped to third with 13 to go and moved into the top position after the first two cars pitted.
- Elliott kept that position until a yellow flag dropped with five to go. With his 10-second lead erased, Elliott restarted in first. He executed the final few laps perfectly and kept the lead to win the inaugural DAYTONA Road Course race.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 8th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron began in the race in 13th and moved up a position to 12th within the first lap. He edged up to 11th by the fifth sixth lap.
- Byron moved into the top 10 after the 10th lap. Two circuits later, he shuffled to eighth place. By the 14th lap, Byron was riding in seventh, which is how he finished the first stage.
- Byron was in 23rd for the start of Stage 2 after he pitted. He made quick work to get into 11th by lap 20 and was in 10th one lap later.
- The driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was in ninth halfway through the second stage. Byron moved into fourth with three to go after some drivers ahead of him pitted, which is how he ended the stage.
- He pitted between stages and restarted in 24th. Byron jumped up five spots less than a lap later and was cruising in 16th when the first caution came out due to weather. He decided to pit when the caution flag turned yellow and restarted in 32nd.
- Within three laps, Byron was up 13 positions to 19th. He continued to pick off the field and was in ninth with 19 laps left. He opted to pit and restarted in 16th.
- Byron was riding in sixth with 10 laps left. He slipped to eighth, which is how he finished the event.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 4th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson rolled off the grid in 11th and broke into the top 10 quickly after the start of the race. He was riding in ninth by the second lap. By the sixth lap, Johnson had moved up to sixth place.
- Johnson moved into fourth by the 10th lap. With two laps left in Stage 1, Johnson broke into the top three. He finished Stage 1 in third, earning valuable stage points.
- The Cup Series seven-time champion restarted in 20th after he pitted for fresh tires. He was in 15th by lap 21 and pushed to 13th two laps later.
- However, Johnson slipped back to 17th after he headed to pit road to fix a hole on one of his tires with three to go in the stage. In the final lap of Stage 2, Johnson moved up three spots to finish the stage in 14th.
- The driver of the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE restarted Stage 3 in seventh place. He moved into sixth by lap 33 and weaved his way to fourth with 30 left in the race.
- After inclement weather passed, Johnson restarted in fourth and moved into third by the 40th lap. He relinquished his position with 18 laps to go and headed to pit road.
- Johnson came back out in 14th and worked his way back into the top 10 with 16 to go. Two laps later, he was in fourth behind teammate Chase Elliott.
- Johnson moved into third with 11 laps left in the race. A late caution allowed Johnson to restart and keep his third-place position. He was down a spot to fourth in the final lap and finished in that position.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 12th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started in 27th and was in 21st six laps into the race. He moved into the top 20 by the 10th lap and was riding in 18th.
- The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE jumped up to 16th by the 12th lap. However, during the final lap he had a flat rear tire and had to head to pit road early. Bowman finished the stage in 38th.
- Bowman began the second stage in the same position. He remained a lap down for the entirety of Stage 2 and finished it in 38th.
- For the start of the final stage, Bowman moved up to 36th. He started working his way through the field and was in 28th three laps into Stage 3.
- When the race restarted after lightning passed, Bowman moved up to 22nd. With 19 laps to go, Bowman edged into 16th place.
- Cars heading to pit road allowed Bowman to shoot into third place. With 15 laps left, he edged into second. Bowman pitted three laps later for fresh tires.
- He restarted in 17th weaved through the field to settle in 11th with six laps left in the race. After the yellow flag dropped with a few laps left, Bowman shifted into 10th but fell back to 12th in the final two laps.