'Survival day' at Kansas Speedway

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – The first race of the Contender Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup was a challenging one for Hendrick Motorsports.

All four drivers faced adversity at one point during Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, costing them positions on the track. For Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr., contact with the wall cost them trips to the garage for repairs to their respective Chevrolet SS vehicles, though both were able to return to the track.

In the end, Jeff Gordon led the teammates to the checkered flag in 14th, and Kasey Kahne was behind him in 22nd. Earnhardt was scored 39th and Johnson was just behind in 40th.

"A lot of people had trouble today," Gordon said. "So today was a real survival day."

Below is a detailed look at how all four drivers fared at Kansas Speedway.

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 22nd
Chase Standings: 9th
Recap: Kahne rolled off the grid 10th, and two laps in had already picked up two spots. At Lap 14, still in eighth, he reported that his car felt loose, but by the time green-flag pit stops began to cycle through, Kahne said the car was fine once again. He found himself in ninth after the green-flag pit stops, and moved back to eighth four laps later. A Lap-75 restart following a caution for debris saw Kahne in seventh, and by the next caution he had made his way in to the top five. At Lap 98 he was in fourth, and though by Lap 110 he fell back to fifth, he found his way to fourth once again at Lap 145. During a pit stop after a caution flag flew at Lap 160, Kahne took just two tires, which allowed him to restart as the leader. He fell back to eighth, however, before working his way all the way back to third with 46 laps to go. With 39 to go, however, he made a green-flag pit stop but a caution flag flew as he was making his way off pit road. A lap down, Kahne took a wave-around but restarted 20th. He quickly moved up two positions to 18th but scraped the wall and caused a caution. He headed to pit road but was able to stay on the lead lap, restarting 23rd. He was able to gain one position before the end of the race, finishing 22nd.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 14th
Chase Standings: 8th
Recap: Gordon’s up-and-down day began with a strong, fifth-place start. On Lap 19, he found himself in eighth place, but made his way back to sixth by Lap 37. At Lap 41 he was back in the top five, telling crew chief Alan Gustafson over the radio, “It’s coming to me now here, guys.” During green-flag pit stops, Gordon found his way to the lead before he headed to pit road as well. He cycled through in fifth, and after the first caution of the day at Lap 70, he restarted in fourth. But shortly thereafter, a competitor ushered Gordon toward the wall and he got loose, falling back to 22nd. "We're 22nd. We're in good shape here. We'll be fine,” Gustafson told Gordon over the radio. By Lap 110, Gordon was inside the top 20 in 18th, and though he made his way up to 14th for a restart following a caution, he was penalized for an uncontrolled tire on pit road and had to go back to 22nd for the Lap-127 restart. But by a caution at Lap 160, Gordon was all the way back in to the top 15. At Lap 180, Gordon was all the way back in to the top 10. With 46 to go, he was in seventh, and took a restart with 33 to go in eighth. But he got caught up in traffic and fell all the way back to 15th when another caution flag flew shortly thereafter. He was able to pick up one more spot down the stretch, finishing 14th.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 40th
Chase Standings: 12th
Recap: Johnson faced an uphill battle all day after starting 32nd due to spinning out during qualifying. But he methodically began working his way through the pack, moving into 30th position just two laps in. By Lap 30, he had picked up four more spots to 26th, and after the first set of green-flag pit stops cycled through, Johnson found himself in 24th at Lap 50. He made his way all the way in to the top 20 in 19th position at Lap 76, and restarted 22nd on Lap 83 after a caution. However, on Lap 84 Johnson was involved in an incident that caused him to hit the wall hard. His car headed to the garage, and Johnson was evaluated and released from the infield care center. The No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS was able to return to the track in 40th position, and that is where he would be scored.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 39th
Chase Standings: 11th
Recap: Starting in eighth position, Earnhardt was racing side-by-side with teammate Gordon for sixth place just two laps in to Sunday’s event. By Lap 11, he found sixth place, and he moved in to the top five eight laps later as he settled in to fourth place. He cracked the top three on Lap 22, and made his way to the runner-up spot on Lap 35. Other than during a cycle of green-flag pit stops – which saw him return to the track racing for second – Earnhardt didn’t fall farther back than fourth during the next 35 laps leading up to the first caution of the day on Lap 70. On the restart at Lap 75, Earnhardt made his way below two competitors to take the lead for the first time in the race. He went on to lead the next 45 laps of the race before he made hard contact with the wall and had to head to the garage from the lead. The No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS remained in the garage for an extended period of time, but was able to return to the track with Earnhardt running 39th. That is where he would be scored.