FORT WORTH, Texas – After 334 laps at Texas Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott led the Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the checkered flag with a eighth-place finish.
Elliott started near the rear of the field, but quickly worked his way up to earn his 19th top-10 result of the season.
Kasey Kahne and the "Justice League" themed No. 5 Great Clips team had a quick two-tire pit stop, allowing them to earn multiple spots off of pit road late in the race. The strategy helped him finish 11th.
Jimmie Johnson experienced a vibration and some tire rub in Stage 1, putting him multiple laps behind the leaders early on. He finished Sunday's race in 27th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. headed to the garage during the final stage of the race after encountering an issue with the No. 88 Nationwide Chevy's left-front hub. He returned to the track with 60 laps to go and finished 35th.
Kevin Harvick won the race and became the second driver to clinch one of the four playoff spots at Homestead-Miami Speedway via win.
Below is a closer look at how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared at Texas Motor Speedway.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
RECAP: Kahne began Sunday’s race in 19th,
and by the end of Stage 1 he found himself in 12th. Shortly after the green
flag waved for the second stage, Kahne was involved in an incident with a
competitor. He returned to the track and fought through the field to take
the green-checkered flag in 18th. Kahne and the No. 5 Great Clips team pitted for two right-side tires before the final segment and took it back to the
track. He was quiet on the radio and running in 23rd, the first car a lead lap down
at Lap 200. Kahne received the free pass with a caution at Lap 242 and made it
back on the lead lap. He pitted for four tires and fuel and hit the track once
more. The No. 5 Great Clips racing team had a quick, two-tire pit stop during a caution at Lap 270, pushing Kahne up to third with 61 laps to go. After a caution that led to a red flag with 50 laps to go, he slipped to fourth. Kahne tried to maintain track position to stay inside the top 10, but ultimately finished the race in 11th.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 HOOTERS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 8th
RECAP: After failing to make a run in
Friday’s qualifying session, Elliott started Sunday’s race near the rear of the
field. He moved through the pack in no time, finishing Stage 1 in 11th. He quickly broke into the top 10 after the Stage 2 restart. He
continued to maintain his track position enough to finish the stage in fifth
and earn six bonus points. A caution flew shortly after the restart for the
final stage of the race, but Elliott and the No. 24 Hooters Chevrolet SS team
made the most of it and restarted in 6th. By Lap 194, the driver slid down to 10th
and even 11th with reports of a loose car. Elliott pitted with the green-flag
pit stops cycle at Lap 229 for some adjustments to help with grip, four tires
and fuel. He restarted after a caution in 13th and at Lap 232 was able
to take the wave around to get back on the lead lap by electing not to pit. At Lap 265, Elliott was up to eighth and restarted in the same position after a caution with approximately 60 laps to go. He was running in 10th during the race's only red flag and did not pit after it turned back to yellow. During the restart, Elliott pushed himself up to ninth with 43 laps to go, but reported a loose car. The No. 24 Hooters Chevy gripped the track enough to jump up one more spot, finishing the race in eighth.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 27th
RECAP: Johnson rolled off the grid in
9th, but tire rub and vibrations caused him to head to pit road for an unscheduled stop.
He finished Stage 1 two laps down in 28th. The trouble continued in Stage 2 as
Johnson fell another lap down while battling the handling of his car. He finished
Stage 2 in 31st, multiple laps down. Johnson was able to jump a few positions
in the final stage. When a caution flag flew at Lap 232, the driver was
knocking on the door of the top 25. Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s racing team
took an opportunity to pit at Lap 236 for fresh tires and fuel. With 81 laps to
go, the driver picked up a few more spots and was running 27th. Johnson and the No. 48 team elected not to pit duringa caution with 63 laps to go. After a caution that turned into a red flag, Johnson made his way down pit road for four tires and fuel. Unfortunately, the driver was sent to the rear of the field after an uncontrolled tire during the pit stop. He returned to the track to fight through the field once again, taking the checkered flag in 27th.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 35th
RECAP: Starting Sunday’s race in 17th,
Earnhardt was able to move up three spots to take the green-checkered flag at the end of Stage 1 in
14th. He restarted Stage 2 in the same position and even led some laps during
a green-flag pit stop cycle. Earnhardt then pitted for four tires and fuel
and returned to the track in 16th. He finished Stage 2 in 15th. Earnhardt got
to work in the final segment at Texas, restarting 14th after a caution near the
start of the stage. He maintained his position inside the top 15 and pitted
with the green-flag pit stop cycle around Lap 226. When the race’s sixth caution
flew, Earnhardt was headed to the garage to replace his left-front hub. The No.
88 Nationwide Chevy team worked hard to fix the issue and had the driver back
on the track during a restart with 60 laps to go, several laps down. Earnhardt tried to push back through field, but ultimately finished the race in 35th.