Hendrick Motorsports drivers finish in top 10 at Kentucky

SPARTA, Ky. –All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers put on impressive performances to finish in the top 10 during Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway. This marks the third consecutive week that all of the organization’s drivers have recorded a top-10 result.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led the team, taking the fifth position with five laps to go in the 400-mile event. Jeff Gordon finished immediately behind him in sixth, while Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson finished eighth and 10th, respectively.

Here is a look at how the Hendrick Motorsports teams fared at the 1.5-mile tri-oval:

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: Eighth
STANDINGS: TBD
RECAP: Kasey Kahne began Saturday night’s 400-mile event from the 20th position and immediately showcased the speed of his No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS, jumping from the 20th position to seventh by Lap 35. An efficient pit stop at Lap 78 allowed Kahne to crack the top five, where he continued to race for the next 49 laps. As the race unfolded, Kahne repeatedly showed the strength of his Chevy SS and continued his run in the top 10. However, Kahne’s smooth ride was interrupted at Lap 153, when he was caught up in an incident during a green-flag run. The instance slowed Kahne down momentarily, but he remained on the track.  At Lap 175, Kahne told crew chief Kenny Francis that his Chevy SS had been feeling loose, which caused him to lose several positions. Francis addressed the issue at the team’s next yellow-flag pit stop at Lap 178 and by Lap 213, Kahne was back in the top seven. He finished eighth at the 1.5-mile tri-oval.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: Sixth
STANDINGS: TBD
RECAP: Jeff Gordon rolled off the grid third on Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway. In the first few laps, the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet SS began to battle a handling condition, which caused him to lose several positions. But the four-time Sprint Cup champion was undeterred and when the yellow flag waved at Lap 29, he was back in the top three. Gordon’s position varied as the race unfolded, but he remained in the top 10. He was running seventh when he came down pit road for tires, fuel and adjustments at Lap 127. Due to an air gun malfunction during the pit stop, Gordon was forced to restart 23rd at Lap 132. Unfazed, he began to climb back to the front, moving back into the seventh position by Lap 190. He spent a brief period in the third position prior to coming down pit road at Lap 216. Gordon continued to race in the top 10 and finished sixth at the Kentucky tri-oval.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 10th
STANDINGS: TBD
RECAP: After qualifying 25th at the Kentucky tri-oval, Johnson immediately began his forward march. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS maneuvered through the field with ease, moving into the 20th position in the first 11 laps of the race and cracking the top 10 by Lap 76. Johnson continued his run in the top 10 until he came down pit road for tires and fuel at Lap 127. Due to a tough pit stall location, Johnson lost several positions on the stop. With patience and strategy, Johnson climbed through the ranks and by Lap 181, he was running sixth. Unfortunately for the No. 48 team, Johnson’s Chevy SS became loose at Lap 183, causing him to loose several positions. Johnson rallied and made it back into the top 10 with 10 laps to go, where he finished the 400-mile event.

DALE EARNHARDT, JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: Fifth
STANDINGS: TBD
RECAP: After starting Saturday night’s race from the 29th position, Dale Earnhardt Jr. wasted no time in his march to the front. By Lap 34, the driver of the No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet SS had moved up 19 positions in the field, cracking the top 10. He continued to run well at the 1.5-mile track, moving into the sixth position by Lap 99. An efficient pit stop at Lap 127 put Earnhardt in the top five for the first time that night. Crew chief Steve Letarte elected for Earnhardt to remain on the track during a cycle of yellow-flag pit stops at Lap 180, which allowed Earnhardt to retake the fifth position.  As the end of the race neared, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet SS continued to run strong, briefly dipping into the top three for the restart at Lap 221. He stayed in the top 10 for the remainder of the race, passing a competitor for fifth with five laps to go, where he finished at the 1.5-mile tri-oval.