HAMPTON, Ga. – For the second consecutive race, Hendrick Motorsports left the track with two top-five finishers.
But on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson made sure that resume included a win.
Johnson led 92 laps en route to his first victory of the year – and second top-five result of the young season.
"This thing was just bad fast," Johnson said of his No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet SS.
Teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. took home his second third-place finish in as many races, and Kasey Kahne took the checkered flag in 14th. Jeff Gordon, while running in the top 10, was caught up in a late-race, multi-car incident that ended his day. He was scored 41st.
"Congratulations to Jimmie," Earnhardt said. "The whole 48-88 shop ought to be proud of how these cars ran."
Below is an in-depth look at how all four drivers fared in Sunday's race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 14th
STANDINGS: 7th
RECAP: Kahne used a top-10 start to his advantage and didn't let a slight rain delay deter him. He quickly moved into the top five just five laps into the race. He fell only as low as seventh when teammate Earnhardt passed him on Lap 19, but was back to sixth when a competition caution flag waved. Kahne returned to the track in ninth position after taking four tires and fuel on pit road, and proceeded to continue to run in the top 10 through the next caution. Kahne found himself in seventh for a restart at Lap 52, and within a lap he had already made his way to third place. "Nice and smooth," crew chief Keith Rodden told Kahne over the radio. "You're catching them." That's where he remained until the next caution flag, and after another four-tire pit stop he restarted in fifth at Lap 100. Kahne remained consistent, maintaining his top-10 status through two more caution flags and two cycles of green-flag pit stops. Following the second green-flag pit stop cycle, Kahne found himself in fifth place – one of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top five with less than 100 laps remaining in the race. During another round of green-flag pit stops with less than 35 laps remaining, however, the No. 5 team was penalized for a tire violation and Kahne was forced to make a pass-through, which put him a lap down. He finished with a 14th-place result.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 3M CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 41st
STANDINGS: 36th
RECAP: Gordon started Sunday's race 35th after not posting a qualifying time on Friday, but he didn't stay toward the back of the pack for long. By Lap 5, he had moved up to 27th, and after a competition caution at Lap 25, he continued his drive toward the front. Gordon cracked the top 20 and moved all the way up to 14th on Lap 36, and after a caution flag waved for debris 10 laps later, Gordon returned to the track in 12th. He reported over the radio that he made contact with some of the debris, and it created a small hole in the grille of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS. Still, he cracked the top 10 just before Lap 93. He pushed as high as sixth at Lap 111, but his tires quickly lost grip and he began to fall back, finding himself in 10th. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Gordon was in 13th, and he remained just outside of the top 10 until a restart at Lap 181, when he fell back to 17th before another quick caution flag waved for debris. From there, he found it difficult to make up ground, but thanks to a quick pit stop during a green-flag cycle, Gordon returned to the track in 13th with less than 100 laps remaining in the race. After a caution flag waved for debris with 73 laps to go, the No. 24 crew got Gordon back on the track in 10th, but on the restart, Gordon was caught up in a four-car incident that sent his car to the garage and ended his day. He was scored 41st.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE'S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 1st
STANDINGS: 2nd
RECAP: Like Gordon, Johnson did not post a qualifying time, so he rolled off the grid 37th Sunday. But he quickly became one of the biggest movers of the day. In five laps, he moved up 10 spots. At Lap 11, he moved into the top 20, and crew chief Chad Knaus continued to be impressed. "Good looking, my man!" he said. "You've already passed 20 cars!" By the time the competition caution flag waved at Lap 25, Johnson was inside the top 15. "Jimmie, I have to say that had to be the most fun 25 laps I've seen you race in years," Knaus said. And Johnson was far from finished. At Lap 43, Johnson had picked up exactly 30 spots, passing teammate Kahne for seventh position. His progress was stalled, however, when he was blocked in his pit box during a trip to pit road on Lap 67 and lost 13 positions to restart in 23rd. But he kept battling, moving back into the top 10 at Lap 105. Less than 50 laps later, he was in the top five, and at Lap 192, he made his way to the runner-up position. Six laps later, he took the lead, completing his path from 37th to the front of the pack. He narrowly lost the lead during a cycle of green-flag pit stops, returning to the track in second. He continued to battle with the leader, briefly retaking the lead with 87 laps to go, but quickly falling back to the runner-up spot. However, when a caution flag waved for debris with 73 laps remaining, the No. 48 crew helped Johnson win the race off of pit road. On the ensuing restart, he held the position with teammate Earnhardt right behind him to take over second place, and though an incident meant another caution and another restart, Johnson held on to the lead once again with less than 65 laps remaining. He held it through another round of green-flag pit stops, and even though he won the race off pit road when the caution flag waved shortly thereafter, three competitors stayed on the track so Johnson restarted in fourth. He quickly retook the lead, however, on the restart with 21 laps to go just before a multi-car incident caused a red flag with 20 laps remaining. He maintained his lead during the restart with 14 laps remaining and held it to grab the victory to follow up on his top-five finish in Daytona.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 3rd
STANDINGS: 4th
RECAP: Rolling off the grid in ninth place, just ahead of teammate Kahne, Earnhardt was moving up the pack when his car got loose and he fell back to 12th place. But he got back to eighth at Lap 11, and over the radio, crew chief Greg Ives said, "Way to recover." At Lap 20, he moved into the top five, and after the competition caution at Lap 25, Earnhardt returned to the track in third. That's where he remained until Lap 41, when he moved into second place. He held that position up to a restart at Lap 52, when he spun his tires and fell back a handful of spots. He stayed in the top 10, however, and quickly moved back into the top five for a restart at Lap 71 following another caution. He continued to run in the top five, even through several caution flags and two cycles of green-flag pit stops. Following the second green-flag pit stop cycle, Earnhardt found himself in third just behind teammate Johnson with less than 100 laps remaining in the race. He remained in third after a caution flag waved for debris with 73 laps remaining, but quickly pushed into second during the ensuing restart. An incident during that restart meant Earnhardt had to try to hold on to that position in another restart, and he even briefly got his nose ahead of Johnson for the lead but maintained his runner-up spot with less than 65 laps remaining. After returning to the track after another cycle of green-flag pit stops, Earnhardt found himself in third, and that's where he remained after a caution flag waved shortly thereafter. However, three competitors stayed off of pit road so Earnhardt restarted in sixth with 21 laps remaining. He quickly moved to third place and was nearly back to second when a multi-car incident forced a red flag with 20 laps remaining. He grabbed second place when the race went back to green with 14 laps remaining, but picked up some debris on his grille and fell to third place with six laps remaining. He took home his second consecutive third-place result.