Gordon opens Chase as runner-up; all four drivers in top 13

JOLIET, Ill. – Hendrick Motorsports started the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a bang.

At Chicagoland Speedway, all four drivers finished Sunday’s race in the top 15 – the top 13, to be exact.

And Jeff Gordon led the way, taking the checkered flag in second place.

"Nice job there, guys,” Gordon told the No. 24 team over the radio at the end of the race. “Nice job."

The other three Hendrick Motorsports drivers finished back-to-back-to-back, starting with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 11th. Jimmie Johnson was next in 12th, and Kasey Kahne rounded out the string of teammates in 13th.

“Really proud of the car,” Earnhardt said over his radio.

Below is a recap of all four drivers’ performances Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 13th
Chase Standings: 11th
Recap: After starting 19th, Kahne quickly moved up to 16th position five laps in. He remained just outside the top 15 for the first quarter of the race, falling back to 20th after he was assessed a speeding penalty on pit road during a caution for debris that waved at Lap 66. When the next caution flag waved, Kahne was in 21st, but a quick performance by the No. 5 team on pit road allowed him to move up to 18th for the restart. At the halfway point of the race, Kahne was once again in 20th position, but once again jumped up two spots to 18th after a cycle of green-flag pit stops. He fell a lap down with less than 100 laps to go, but a caution flag allowed Kahne a free pass back to the lead lap. He restarted 17th at Lap 186. At Lap 220, he was in 16th, and that’s where he was for the final restart of the race with six laps to go. He quickly moved up two spots in one lap, and finished the race in 13th.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Finished:  2nd
Chase Standings: 2nd
Recap: An eighth-place start for Gordon set him up to move into the top five by Lap 11. Five laps later, he was up to second place. By Lap 30, Gordon was in the lead, and that’s where he stayed until Lap 40. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he remained in second position on Lap 50. Following a caution at Lap 66, Gordon restarted in eighth position after taking four tires on pit road. Six of the cars ahead of him took just two tires, so Gordon quickly moved all the way to the lead by Lap 88. When the next caution flag waved, Gordon was in the lead and said he didn’t want any changes to the car when he headed to pit road for four tires and fuel. He restarted third, but the two cars ahead of him took just two tires. He quickly moved into second place, which is where he ran midway through the race. With 60 laps to go in the race, Gordon was in third, one of three Hendrick Motorsports cars in the top five. He remained in third for a restart with 17 laps to go, but on the next restart with six to go he was in fourth. He moved to third in one lap, and raced a competitor hard for second place with less than five laps to go and took the position to finish the race as the runner-up.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
Finished:  12th
Chase Standings: 8th
Recap: Johnson had the best starting position of the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, rolling off the grid seventh. He quickly jumped two places into the top five by Lap 5. At Lap 11, teammate Gordon passed Johnson and the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS fell back to seventh position. At Lap 20, he moved into sixth, which is where he stayed until the first cycle of green-flag pit stops. Johnson then ran in seventh, and after a caution flag waved for debris in Turn 2, Johnson restarted ninth on Lap 72. He moved up to eighth by the time the next caution flag waved, and he restarted in 12th position. He once again quickly moved up two spots to get back into the top 10, and at the halfway point he was running in ninth. At Lap 164, crew chief Chad Knaus told Johnson he had the fastest car on the track, and by the next caution flag, he gained a spot thanks to a quick performance by the No. 48 pit crew and restarted sixth. With 60 laps to go, he was in fourth -- one of three Hendrick Motorsports in the top five. At a restart with 30 laps to go, Johnson was in seventh – the same position he held for the next restart with 17 to go. He moved up to sixth with five laps to go, but lost some positions late to finish the race 12th.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONAL GUARD CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 11th
Chase Standings: 5th
Recap: Earnhardt began the race in 13th, and after falling back to 15th early, made it back to 13th by Lap 13. That’s where he stayed until Lap 35, when he jumped up two spots to 11th. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, however, Earnhardt broke into the top 10. At Lap 50, he was in eighth position. Following a caution flag that flew at Lap 66, Earnhardt restarted seventh. Four laps later, he was up to sixth. At Lap 85, he found the top five for the first time in the race, and when the next caution flag waved, he was in fourth position. After restarting seventh, he immediately jumped to fifth, and by Lap 112 he was in third position behind teammate Gordon. At the halfway mark in the race, he was running fourth, a position he maintained after the next cycle of green-flag pit stops. With 60 laps to go, Earnhardt was running in fifth – one of three Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top five. With 17 laps to go, Earnhardt restarted in fifth, but when a caution flag waved with 10 laps to go, Earnhardt was in ninth. The final restart came with six laps to go, and Earnhardt took the checkered flag in 11th.