Gordon advances to next Chase round at Talladega

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Success was tantalizingly close Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.

All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers led laps in the event, and Jimmie Johnson clinched the extra bonus point for leading the most laps.

But in the end, only Jeff Gordon advanced to the eight-car Eliminator Round of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne were three of the four drivers eliminated.

Earnhardt was involved in an incident during the first green-white-checkered attempt, and Johnson was shuffled back during both green-white-checkered attempts.

Kahne had the best finish of the four teammates in 12th, but he finished just three points outside of the cutoff spot. Johnson finished 24th, Gordon took the checkered flag in 26th – leaving him in the final eighth position to advance to the next round – and Earnhardt took home a 31st-place finish.

“It’s very difficult,” Gordon said of seeing his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates eliminated. “Great teams, great drivers and friends of mine. I hate to see them not in there, but we’re going to try to make Hendrick proud and go out there and get ourselves to Homestead.”

Below is a look at how the four drivers fared at Talladega Superspeedway.

KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 12th
Chase Standings: 9th
Recap: Less than 10 laps in to Sunday’s race, Kahne found his way in to the top 10. By Lap 12, he was in the top 5, and by Lap 16 he was in second place sandwiched in between two Hendrick Motorsports teammates – leader Johnson and third-place Earnhardt. Kahne’s position ebbed and flowed with the draft, as at Lap 28 he fell back to 15th, but by Lap 34 he was back in fourth. On Lap 44, he moved up to third place, and he took the lead of the race for the first time at Lap 45, securing a bonus point. He was back in the lead at Lap 51, and he once again moved up and down the race standings over the next handful of laps. At Lap 75 he was back with teammate Gordon in 27th, but 30 laps later he was back up to 13th. After 30 more laps, Kahne was back inside the top 10, and he found a comfortable line low on the track to push back close to the top five with 42 laps to go. With 25 to go, he was still in the top 10, and with 18 to go he had moved up to eighth. With nine to go, he took a restart in ninth position, and even though he took the second and final green-white-checkered attempt in 16th place, he moved up four positions to finish 12th, narrowly missing the cutoff spot to advance in the Chase.

JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 26th
Chase Standings: 8th
Recap: Gordon chose to hang back in the pack for the majority of Sunday’s race at Talladega. At Lap 18, he was in 40th position, riding in a pack of five Chase contenders at the back of the pack. At Lap 34, he had moved up to 35th, and he remained in that range for the next chunk of the race, as he was in 33rd position at Lap 50. Gordon’s strategy helped him avoid several incidents that happened in front of him in the pack. At Lap 75, Gordon was in 28th with teammate Kahne just in front of him in 27th. He maintained that strategy throughout the race, as at Lap 108 he was in 23rd and Lap 117 he was in 29th. With 30 laps to go, he was in 28th. But during a green-flag pit stop cycle, Gordon moved all the way to the race lead. A caution flag flew before he headed to pit road, however, and he had to head to pit road from the lead. That meant that he restarted from 20 position with nine laps to go. After two green-white-checkered attempts, he ultimately finished 26th, making the Eliminator Round of the Chase as the eighth and final driver.

JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 24th
Chase Standings: 11th
Recap: Johnson noted that the only goal on his mind Sunday was a win, and he demonstrated that early on when he led a lap to gain a bonus point. At Lap 14, Johnson was the leader once again with teammate Kahne helping draft him to the front, and by Lap 16 Hendrick Motorsports held positions one through three – Johnson was the leader, followed by Kahne and Earnhardt. He maintained his position in the top five for most of the first half of the race, and took the lead on several occasions. On a restart following a caution at Lap 135, Johnson took the green flag as the leader after the No. 48 Lowe’s team helped him win the race off pit road. With less than 40 laps to go, as the race leader, Johnson clinched the bonus point for most laps led in the event. He switched between several lanes on the track to maintain the lead and fight off competitors, losing the lead on several occasions but battling back to retake it. With 21 laps to go, he was in second place working hard to pass the leader. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops and a caution, Johnson restarted in sixth position with nine laps to go. He made a move on the inside and couldn’t quite get to the lead. With seven to go, he led a lap, but then fell back and took the first green-white-checkered attempt in fourth place. He was shuffled back, however, and for the restart for the second green-white-checkered attempt he was in ninth, and ultimately fell back to 24th, missing the cut to advance in the Chase.

DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS
Finished: 31st
Chase Standings: 12th
Recap: Earnhardt began his aggressive campaign for the win early on Sunday, moving up 20 positions in just three laps to move in to the top 10. He tested various lines throughout the early portion of the race, at one point moving to the middle and falling outside the top 20. But he fought back up the rankings quickly, moving into second place behind teammate Johnson by Lap 18. He continued changing from the low to high line, aggressively seeking the lead, which he finally grabbed at Lap 75. That came after he restarted in third following a caution due to an incident that began right in front of Earnhardt’s No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS. He avoided any damage, and emerged unscathed from another big incident at Lap 103. He restarted eighth, but split the middle and raced for the lead three-wide, settling in to second place behind Johnson at Lap 115. But he fell back to 13th with 40 laps to go, which is where he ran 20 laps later. He was still in 13th for a restart with nine laps to go, but was involved in an incident during the first green-white-checkered attempt that caused him to finish 31st and miss the cut for the Eliminator Round.