KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Make it two in a row for Hendrick Motorsports.
A week after Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson earned a one-two finish at Talladega Superspeedway, it was Johnson’s turn to head to Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway.
“These guys just worked so hard and I’m so proud of everybody at Lowe’s, Kobalt, Chevrolet, Valvoline, Gatorade, the fans, Sprint for this great series,” Johnson said. “Just a long and hard night of racing and fighting for track position. Once we got up front we were able to hold on for the final eight laps.”
It was Johnson’s third win of the season, which leads the Sprint Cup Series, and his third win at Kansas, which ties teammate Jeff Gordon for the most all-time at the track. With a rain delay that lasted for two hours and 16 minutes under a red flag, it was Mother’s Day when Johnson ultimately earned his 73rd career win, 200th career top-five finish and 300th career top-10 in the Sprint Cup Series.
“I just want to wish happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there, my mother and especially my wife Chani,” he said.
Johnson was joined in the top five by Earnhardt, who took home a third-place finish, and Gordon, who left with a fourth-place result.
All three drivers elected to stay off of pit road when a caution flag waved with 12 laps remaining, and it paid off.
“Congratulations to him, the 48-88 shop, all the guys, they did a great job,” Earnhardt said of Johnson’s win. “We thought we had a good car and we about screwed it up but we finally figured it out. All the guys back home gave us the tools to get it done.”
Kasey Kahne finished the race 17th.
Below is a detailed look at how all four drivers fared Saturday night at Kansas Speedway.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 17th
STANDINGS: 10th
RECAP: Starting his second consecutive race on the front row in second, Kahne settled in to third place before the first caution flag of the day waved at Lap 7. He reported that his car was loose, and when the race went back to green he fell back to 12th place before quickly moving back into the top 10. That’s where he ran when a competition caution was called on Lap 25, but by Lap 60 he had battled all the way back into the top five. When a red flag was shown for rain after 98 laps, Kahne was in fourth. As the race restarted more than two hours later, Kahne fell back in the pack but remained inside the top-10 until Lap 140. On Lap 166, however, the driver of the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS had moved back up to eighth as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers were inside the top 10. Through a cycle of green-flag pit stops and multiple more cautions, Kahne teetered on the edge of the top 10. After the eighth caution flag of the race, Kahne lined up 15th for a restart with 55 laps to go. He continued to battle, making his way to the edge of the top 10 in 11th with 26 laps remaining even as he reported that he was battling a vibration. When a caution flag waved with 12 laps left in the race, Kahne headed to pit road – unlike his three Hendrick Motorsports teammates – and took two fresh tires. He lined up ninth for the restart with six laps to go. But Kahne fell back during the restart and finished 17th.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AMERICAN RED CROSS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 4th
STANDINGS: 9th
RECAP: The defending May Kansas race-winner began Saturday night’s event in 11th, and early in the race reported that he was battling the handling of the No. 24 American Red Cross Chevrolet SS. Gordon continued to run just outside of the top 10 until Lap 44, when he reported to crew chief Alan Gustafson that the car was “a lot better” as he moved into ninth place. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Gordon found himself back in 17th, but hard racing and a speedy pit stop saw the driver back up to ninth when a red flag was waved for rain after 98 laps. He stayed just inside the top-10 when the race restarted more than two hours later, falling out briefly at Lap 128 before jumping right back inside the top-10.On Lap 166, Gordon was up to seventh as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers were in the top 10. He kept pushing and on a restart with 77 laps remaining, Gordon found himself in fourth, quickly moving into third. That’s where he remained until a two-tire pit stop following a caution with 60 laps to go. He returned to the rack for the restart in 11th, and fell back to 14th with 46 laps remaining. After the tough pit stop, Gordon reported that the car had no rear grip, and nothing seemed to help. Still he picked up two positions to move into 12th, and a decision to stay off of pit road after a caution flag flew with just 12 laps remaining allowed Gordon to move as high as fourth for the restart with six laps to go. He held that position and took home the fourth-place result.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 1st
STANDINGS: 3rd
RECAP: Starting from the 19th position, Johnson battled a loose No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS early in the race, nearly spinning out before saving it on Lap 6. Still, the incident caused him to fall off the pace back to 30th. When a caution flag waved on the next lap, Johnson headed to pit road, noting that the car continued to get “looser and looser.” He returned to the track in 39th for the restart on Lap 13, but by the competition caution on Lap 25 he had already gained 14 positions. He was back in 38th for the ensuing restart, but once again continued battling through the field. By Lap 60 he was inside the top-20, and after a cycle of green-flag pit stops he was up to 15th on Lap 90. He had gained one position when a red flag waved for rain after 98 laps. When the race restarted more than two hours later, it didn’t take Johnson long to jump into the top 10. By Lap 116 he was already in ninth. Though he fell just outside of the top 10 for a restart on Lap 128, he kept moving up through the pack. On Lap 166, Johnson found himself in the top-five as all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers were in the top 10. His position fluctuated inside the top 10 but outside of the top five until 60 laps to go, when he once again made his way to fifth. When a caution flag waved shortly thereafter, a speedy, two-tire pit stop by the No. 48 team allowed Johnson to return to the track in third position. Though he fell back to seventh on the ensuing restart, he was back in the top five with 46 laps to go. Ten laps later, he moved into fourth, and with 19 laps remaining Johnson raced his way into third. When a caution flag waved with just 12 laps left in the race, Johnson stayed off of pit road to take the lead for the restart with six laps to go. “Deep breath, you’re ready,” crew chief Chad Knaus told Johnson over the radio. He was. Johnson held off competitors – including teammate Earnhardt – to take home his third win of the season.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 3rd
STANDINGS: 5th
RECAP: A week after earning his first victory of the season, Earnhardt rolled off the grid 17th on Saturday. On multiple occasions, however, he reported over the radio that the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS had “no rear grip” as he battled the handling. On Lap 32, however, he had found the top-10. As he continued to fight the car’s handling, Earnhardt fell back a little in the pack, and after a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he was back in 16th. On Lap 92, the leader passed Earnhardt to put him a lap down, but he was in the lucky dog position when a caution flag was thrown just two laps later, putting him back on the lead lap. When a red flag was shown for rain after 98 laps, Earnhardt was in 15th. That is approximately where he continued to run for the next stretch after the race restarted more than two hours later – until a restart on Lap 128. Earnhardt lined up 16th and before another caution flag waved just a few laps later, he was all the way up to seventh place. Earnhardt used that position to continue to run in the top 10 until there were 65 laps remaining, when he was back in 14th. With 55 laps remaining, Earnhardt was all the way back tin 20th after a trip to pit road, but within 10 laps he had gained back nine of those positions. With 36 laps remaining he was back inside the top 10 in eighth, and after a caution flag waved with just 12 laps remaining, the No. 88 team’s decision to keep Earnhardt off of pit road allowed the driver to line up second for the restart with six laps to go. He battled his teammate Johnson for the lead before ultimately taking home a third-place finish.