DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A wild Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway went all the way to double overtime after several multiple-car incidents.
In the end, Alex Bowman led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the checkered flag with 10th-place finish, his third consecutive top-10 result.
Jimmie Johnson was leading in the final segment when a pit road penalty forced him back to pit road and cost him a lap. He was later involved in a multiple-car incident in the first overtime segment that ended his day. He was scored 23rd.
William Byron and Chase Elliott were also involved in multiple-car incidents that ended their race days early. They were scored 32nd and 34th, respectively.
“Unfortunate for us, but we had a good race going,” Byron said. “We needed to have a really good day with the points position we’re in. (It’s) just all a part of speedway racing, but it stinks to be on that side of it. At least we led some laps so that was good.”
Erik Jones captured the victory.
Below is a closer look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers performed Saturday night.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 HOOTER’S CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 34th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started the day on the pole, and the driver of the No. 9 Hooter’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 continued to pace the field for the first 11 laps. Elliott eventually fell out of the lead when competitors in the outside lane caught up and moved in front.
- After being shuffled outside of the top 10 midway through the segment, Elliott worked in the final laps of Stage 1 to regain positions and finish the segment in fifth, earning six extra points.
- Elliott was running inside the top 10 when he was involved in a multiple-car incident on Lap 54. The damage to the No. 9 Hooter’s Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was enough to end Elliott’s day early. He was scored 34th.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 32nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Taking the green flag in 18th, Byron quickly got to work gaining positions and moved into 14th by Lap 20. The driver continued to gain ground and six laps later he was running inside the top 10.
- In the closing laps of Stage 1, a successful move to the inside line saw Byron jump inside the top five to finish the opening stage in fourth. The segment finish earned him seven extra points.
- Quick work by the No. 24 team helped Byron gain two more positions to start Stage 2 in second. By lap 53, Byron took the lead and stayed in front for 12 laps before being involved in a multiple-car incident while leading the field on Lap 65. The damage to the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 cut Byron’s day short and he was scored 32nd.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET ZL1
FINISHED: 23rd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid in fourth, Johnson continued to race inside the top 10 before being shuffled down to 15th by Lap 20. The driver eventually fell back to 23rd by Lap 32, but he recovered to gain seven positions and finish Stage 1 in 16th.
- Johnson continued to work his way back up through the field in Stage 2, and by Lap 66 the driver was running in the top five again in fifth. He remained inside the top 10 for the remainder of Stage 2 to finish sixth, gaining five extra points.
- In the final segment, Johnson continued to gain ground, moving into fourth by Lap 96. He kept working his way near the top of the field, and on Lap 109, Johnson jumped into the lead, pacing the field for the next 10 laps.
- With 40 laps to go, Johnson made a green-flag pit stop from the lead for two tires and fuel and returned to the track back in the lead. He was penalized for pitting outside the box, however, and was forced to head back to pit road to lose a lap. A caution flag flew just prior to Johnson serving the penalty, so he was able to return to the track at the rear of the pack in 23rd for a restart with 32 laps to go.
- Following two cautions, Johnson was the beneficiary of the free pass to return to the lead lap. As the laps wound down, Johnson battled to gain back positions and was running 21st with fewer than 10 laps to go. After avoiding several multiple-car incidents throughout the race, he was ultimately caught up in one final incident during the first overtime that ended his day. He was scored 23rd.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 10th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started the race on the outside pole and continued to race inside the top five for the race’s opening laps. He fell outside the top 10 toward the middle of the first segment as traffic shuffled around, but the driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 battled back to finish Stage 1 in 10th, earning one extra point in the process.
- In Stage 2, Bowman continued to maintain his top-10 position until midway through the segment when he settled into 13th on Lap 62. He battled back, steadily gaining positions to ultimately finish Stage 2 in third, picking up eight extra points.
- In the final segment, Bowman continued to race inside the top 10. He was running eighth by Lap 128, and with under 20 laps to go, the driver made a push toward the front and moved into third on Lap 142.
- Through a number of cautions towards the end of the race, Bowman fought through multiple-car incidents and some damage to the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, still maintaining his top-10 position to finish the day in 10th.