LONG POND, Pa. – On a day that saw teammates Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon lead at least one lap at Pocono Raceway, it was Jimmie Johnson that came away with his seventh top-three finish in the past eight races.
Johnson’s third-place result led a Hendrick Motorsports effort that saw all four drivers finish in the top 14.
“Thanks for the fight all day,” Johnson told the No. 48 team over the radio. “Awesome work!”
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the next teammate to cross the finish line in 11th, followed by Kahne in 13th and Gordon in 14th.
Martin Truex Jr. took the checkered flag as Sunday’s winner.
Below is a look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared at the Tricky Triangle.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 13th
STANDINGS: 8th
RECAP: Kahne began Sunday’s race just outside of the top 10 in 12th, and five laps in he gained a position to 11th, sandwiched by teammates Johnson in 10th and Earnhardt in 12th. Though he reported the No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS was loose, he found his way into the top 10 on Lap 23. As competitors began to head to pit road for green-flag stops, Kahne stayed out to take the lead on Lap 30 before becoming the final car to pit on Lap 32. With the field cycled through, Kahne returned to the track in 12th a lap later. By the first caution of the day on Lap 49, he had gained a position. A two-tire pit stop during the caution sent Kahne back to the track in second. He was in third when the next yellow flag waved on Lap 69, and he was one of the competitors to head to pit road for fresh tires and fuel. He restarted 17th but fought toward the top 10, and after another pit stop after caution on Lap 87, he lined up ninth for the restart thanks to another two-tire strategy. He restarted fifth after staying out on the track during the next caution shortly thereafter, but was caught up on the restart and fell back in the pack. He settled into 10th, however, and began working his way back through the field. At Lap 109 he found seventh place, which is where he would restart following a four-tire pit stop during a caution on Lap 121. He made slight contact on the restart with 35 laps remaining but remained in seventh when the next caution waved just a handful of laps later. He fell back to 11th when a competitor spun out and caused yet another caution, and found himself in 14th when another caution flag waved with 20 to go. On the restart with 16 laps remaining, Kahne moved into 12th. He would ultimately finish 13th.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA/PENN STATE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 14th
STANDINGS: 10th
RECAP: Gordon led the Hendrick Motorsports drivers to the green flag in fourth, and on the very first lap he moved all the way to second. After falling back to fourth, he moved up to third on Lap 23. After heading to pit road for a green-flag stop on Lap 29, Gordon was once again in third when the field cycled through. After the first caution of the day at Lap 49, the driver of the No. 24 Axalta/Penn State Chevrolet SS took four tires and returned to the track in fifth due to three competitors taking just two tires. He was shuffled back on the restart and fell as far back as 14th before fighting his way back into the top 10 on Lap 62. He headed to pit road during the next caution at Lap 69, but stayed out during the third caution of the day at Lap 87 and lined up second for the ensuing restart. When the green flag waved, he moved into the race lead with 68 laps remaining. A competitor spun out and caused a caution shortly thereafter, however, and Gordon headed to pit road for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment in order to set up a strategy that would only require one more pit stop for the remainder of the race. He restarted 25th, but it didn’t take long to move back into the top 20. Through multiple more cautions and a pit stop prior to a restart with 27 laps remaining, Gordon stayed at the tail end of the top 20. Cautions continued to breed cautions, and with 20 laps to go yet another yellow flag waved. At that point, Gordon was in 19th. With 14 laps remaining, Gordon found 16th place, but he gained two more positions before the checkered flag waved, taking home a 14th-place result.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/JIMMIE JOHNSON FOUNDATION CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 3rd
STANDINGS: 3rd
RECAP: Johnson started the race in the top 10, and after briefly falling out of it, he was back to 10th on Lap 5. Johnson passed two more competitors before heading to pit road for a green-flag stop on Lap 26, and after the field cycled through he was in 11th. He found his way back into the top 10 before the first caution of the day at Lap 49, and he returned to the track still in 10th. On the restart, however, Johnson moved all the way up to fifth, and made it fourth by Lap 55. He stayed on to the track during the next caution to move into second for the restart, and settled into third only to have the No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet SS suffer a cut tire to cause a caution on Lap 87. Johnson maintained control of the car and headed to pit road for fresh tires and a damage assessment, returning to the track to restart 26th. When a caution flag flew shortly thereafter, Johnson stayed on the track and had gained four positions for the next restart. He moved into the top 20 on the restart and kept working through the pack. At Lap 109 he was up to 12th, and he was back in the top 10 following a pit stop during a caution on Lap 121. Johnson kept pushing his way up through the field despite several cautions and slight contact with the wall with less than 27 laps remaining. He lined up for a restart with 21 to go in sixth. Cautions continued to breed cautions, and with 20 laps to go yet another yellow flag waved. At that point, Johnson had moved into fourth. On the restart with 16 laps remaining, Johnson found the runner-up position but fell back to third with 13 to go. He held on to the position and finished third.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
STANDINGS: 5th
RECAP: Earnhardt rolled off the grid 20th, but had gained five positions by the time the first lap elapsed. “Nice job on that start. Love it!” No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives told Earnhardt over the radio. By Lap 5, Earnhardt to 12th behind teammates Johnson and Kahne, and just 11 laps later he was inside the top 10. He was running sixth when he headed to pit road for a green-flag stop on Lap 25, and after the field cycled through, he was in eighth. He gained back two spots into sixth before the first caution flag of the day waved on Lap 49, and after taking four tires on pit road, he returned to the track still in the top 10 in ninth. When a caution flag flew on Lap 69, Earnhardt told Ives over the radio that “the track is coming to us.” He stayed off of pit road to restart fourth and very quickly moved into second when the green flag waved. He did head to pit road during the third caution of the day on Lap 87, returning to the track in 14th. On the restart, however, he moved all the way up to seventh before a competitor spun out and quickly caused another caution. The No. 88 team’s strategy kept Earnhardt off of pit road, and he lined up to restart fourth. He was quickly up to third on the restart, and he remained in the top five until a caution flag on Lap 121, when he returned from pit road in sixth. On a restart with 35 to go, Earnhardt made slight contact that caused damage to the No. 88 Chevy SS, so he headed to pit road to fix damage when the next caution flew. He returned to the track in 28th for a restart with 27 laps to go, and by the time a competitor spun out to cause yet another caution, he had gained 10 positions. Cautions continued to breed cautions, and with 20 laps to go yet another yellow flag waved. At that point, Earnhardt had moved all the way to 11th. On the restart with 16 laps remaining he fell back to 14th but moved up to 13th with 13 to go. He would ultimately gain two more positions to finish 11th.