Dominant performance gives Gordon runner-up finish at Charlotte

CONCORD, N.C. – It wasn’t the night Jeff Gordon hoped for his No. 24 team – but it was pretty close.

After leading 74 laps, Gordon finished second in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The dominant performance gave Gordon the points he needed to gain two positions in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings.

“Nice job, guys,” Gordon said on the radio after the race. “Great recovery.”

Teammate Kasey Kahne joined Gordon in the top 10, while Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. weren’t as fortunate, finishing 17th and 20th at the North Carolina oval.

Below is a look of how each Hendrick Motorsports driver fared in the Bank of America 500:

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 PEPSI CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 10th
Chase Standings: Eighth
Recap: Kasey Kahne began the 500-mile event at Charlotte from the 19th position. Within the first 20 laps of the race, Kahne began experiencing looseness in and out of turns, which caused him to fall in the field. Crew chief Kenny Francis made necessary adjustments at a yellow-flag pit stop at Lap 27, which seemed to help for a while and Kahne began move toward the front. But despite his advancement in the field, Kahne told Francis he was still battling loose handling in his No. 5 Pepsi Chevrolet SS. Car problems continued to follow Kahne, as he began to report a lack of rear grip around Lap 135. But the four-time Charlotte winner was relentless -- he batted through the conditions and used a solid restart to gain several positions at Lap 143. As the race unfolded, Kahne said the series of adjustments made by Francis and the No. 5 team had improved the car’s handling. His performance seemed to reflect that, as Kahne moved into the 13th position by Lap 191. By Lap 261, Kahne had cracked the top 10. He continued to race in the top 10 and finished 10th at the North Carolina oval.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Finished: Second
Chase Standings: Sixth
Recap: Jeff Gordon began Saturday night’s race from the outside pole position – but he wasn’t there long. Gordon passed the pole sitter for the lead at Lap 15, pacing the field for 12 laps before making a four-tire pit stop under caution at Lap 27. He retook the lead at Lap 38 and his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS seemed unstoppable, developing a full second lead over the runner-up car within three laps. Gordon continued to dominate, seizing the lead again at Lap 79 after a cycle of green-flag pit stops. He raced consistently in the top five, but began to report a handling condition around the race’s halfway point. To combat the issue, crew chief Alan Gustafson made necessary adjustments at the next pit stop. The changes seemed to help, as Gordon reported around Lap 235 that this was “the best [they’ve] been in a while.” Gordon continued to climb through the field, making his way back into the top three with 39 laps to go and retaking the runner-up position 10 laps later. With two laps remaining, Gordon lined up second for the final restart of the night, but wasn't able to secure the win and recorded a runner-up finish at the North Carolina track.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 17th
Chase Standings: 11th
Recap: After qualifying 21st, Jimmie Johnson began his march to the front. He moved little-by-little through the field, battling both tight and loose handling conditions at different points in the first half of the race. An efficient green-flag pit stop at Lap 75 put Johnson 13th in the field. Johnson followed that up with a solid restart at Lap 99, allowing him to crack the top 10 for the first time that night at Lap 108. The seven-time Charlotte winner continued to run in the top 10 consistently, but reported laziness in the center of the car around Lap 215. As the race unfolded, quick pit stops allowed Johnson to gain several spots on the leaderboard, but he and crew chief Chad Knaus struggled to find a balance of tightness and looseness in Johnson’s Chevy SS. With 65 laps to go, Knaus called Johnson onto pit road for a two-tire stop and after another effective stop, Johnson lined up third for the restart at Lap 271. Johnson continued running in the top 10, but wasn’t able to hold onto his position by the end of the race. He finished 17th at the 1.5-mile track.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 20th
Chase Standings:12th
Recap: After rolling off the grid ninth, Dale Earnhardt Jr. began to climb through the field. His efforts prevailed and his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS led the field to green at Lap 29. However, he soon began to fall back, telling crew chief Steve Letarte that he was fighting a constant vibration. Nevertheless, he battled back toward the front, briefly pacing the field for a lap before coming onto pit road for a green-flag pit stop at Lap 78. Another two-tire pit stop under caution at Lap 97 allowed Earnhardt to restart first when the green flag waved at Lap 99. Unfortunately, the two-tire change proved to be costly for the No. 88 team, as Earnhardt began to fall back in the field. Earnhardt’s bad luck continued when his shifter broke at Lap 137, forcing him to pit illegally and take a penalty. Shortly after, he was hit with another penalty after speeding down pit road at his next pit stop. Earnhardt’s broken shifter continued to give him problems throughout the race and his run was halted again with a loose wheel around Lap 267. He held on to finish 20th at the North Carolina oval.