RIDGEWAY, Va. – Jimmie Johnson had three races to secure his spot in the Championship 4 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.
He needed just one.
Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, Johnson drove the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to Victory Lane and in the process earned the right to race for his seventh NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
"It's just the right time to start winning races," he said. "We're going to enjoy this and savor this and try to get our ducks in a row for Homestead. It's pretty cool."
Jeff Gordon joined him inside the top 10 with a sixth-place finish in his final race as a fill-in driver in the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS.
"I couldn't be more proud of my last run in this car," Gordon said. "I'm glad it was Martinsville. I had a lot of fun."
Kasey Kahne and Chase Elliott finished back-to-back just outside of the top 10 in 11th and 12th, respectively.
Below is a detailed look at how the Round of 8 opener played out for the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers. Check out a photo gallery of Johnson's celebration in Victory Lane here.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 UNIFIRST CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
STANDINGS: 17th
RECAP: Rolling off the grid 22nd, Kahne found 19th place for a restart following the first caution of the race. But for the majority of the first 130 laps, he found himself outside of the top 20. When a caution flag flew on Lap 133 for debris, quick work by the No. 5 team on pit road allowed Kahne to restart 20th, and he proceeded to push toward the top 15, which he found just before Lap 200. The driver of the No. 5 UniFirst Chevrolet SS held strong inside the top 15 until green-flag pit stops began on Lap 355, and Kahne headed to pit road. A caution flag flew shortly thereafter, however, trapping Kahne two laps behind the leaders. He was able to take a wave-around to regain one of the laps, and restarted just outside of the top 10 on Lap 387. He settled into 11th as the first car a lap down, and as the race went green the rest of the way, that is where he would stay, ultimately finishing 11th.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 12th
STANDINGS: 12th
RECAP: Elliott took the green flag already inside the top five in fifth, and when the first caution flag of the race waved, he stayed off of pit road to restart third. The driver of the No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS got caught on the outside during the restart, however, and fell to the back of the top 10 for a few laps before falling all the way outside of the top 20 just before a caution. Elliott restarted 25th on Lap 67 and began to work his way back through the field. He found the top 15 on Lap 150, and advanced to 13th by the midway point of the race. As green-flag pit stops began on Lap 355, Elliott headed to pit road, but a caution flag flew shortly thereafter, trapping him two laps down. He took a wave-around to regain one lap and on Lap 387 restarted just outside of the top 10 down one lap. As the second car a lap down in 12th, Elliott held his ground and as the race went green the rest of the way, he ultimately finished 12th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 1st
STANDINGS: 1st
RECAP: Starting the first race of the Round of 8 from third place, Johnson stayed off of pit road during the first caution of the event in order to restart as the runner-up on Lap 29. He held that position until he found himself trapped in the outside line and fell back outside of the top 10 on Lap 58. He got back to work, however, finding the top 10 once again on Lap 100 and racing toward the top five. On Lap 200 he made contact with a competitor battling for position and was able to head to pit road for repairs when a caution was called on the same lap. Johnson restarted 25th following the repairs, but remained on the lead lap and quickly picked back up some positions. Just past the midway point of the race, he was back inside the top 15, and he found the top 10 on Lap 295. When green-flag pit stops began on Lap 355, Johnson stayed on the track and was rewarded for the strategy when a caution flag flew shortly thereafter. While many cars found themselves trapped a lap down, Johnson was able to pit under caution and on Lap 387 restarted third on the lead lap. Three laps later he used an aggressive move to snag second place, and with 92 laps to go he took over the race lead. He never relinquished it, taking the checkered flag and earning a win that automatically advances him to the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 6th
STANDINGS: 30th
RECAP: Gordon began his final fill-in race of the 2016 season inside the top 10 in 10th place, and during the first caution of the race, he stayed off of pit road. That allowed him to restart fifth on Lap 29. He fell back outside of the top 10 when he was caught in the outside line, but by Lap 115 he was back up to 10th and continuing to push forward. He briefly lost his top-10 position once more before finding it again on Lap 175, and thanks to quick work by the No. 88 team during a caution on Lap 200, Gordon restarted seventh. He jumped up to fifth on Lap 214, and advanced to fourth just before the midway point of the race. He held that position until green-flag pit stops began on Lap 355. Gordon headed to pit road, but a caution flag flew shortly thereafter, trapping the driver of the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS a lap down. He was able to take a wave-around to move back onto the lead lap and ultimately restarted sixth on Lap 387. He held his ground the rest of the way and finished sixth.