LOUDON, N.H. - In the second race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, three Hendrick Motorsports teammates finished inside the top nine with Jimmie Johnson leading his teammates to the checkered flag.
The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices Chevrolet finished sixth.
“I am really happy with this Lowe’s ProServices Chevrolet,” Johnson said. “We had to go through a lot adversity today and overcame it and got a great finish.”
Just behind him was teammate Jeff Gordon in seventh with Kasey Kahne taking home the ninth spot.
After running out of gas in the final laps, Dale Earnhardt Jr. crossed the finish line 25th.
Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag at New Hampshire.
Below is a look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared during Sunday’s race.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: ninth
STANDINGS: 17th
RECAP: Kasey Kahne rolled off the grid at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 12th. After the first caution came out on Lap 37, Kahne brought his No. 5 Farmers Chevrolet SS down pit road for four tires and fuel allowing him to race his way into the top 10. On Lap 60, the third caution flag flew and the No. 5 Chevrolet was one of few cars to make a trip down pit road for two tires, resulting in a 26th-place restart. Four laps later, Kahne raced his way around seven cars, moving to the 19th position on Lap 68. He continued his momentum and passed a few more cars to enter the top 15 on Lap 87. The No. 5 team put four tires on the Chevrolet during the fourth caution on Lap 120 and Kahne restarted 13th. He eventually re-entered the top 10 just thirty laps later.After trouble during a pit stop during the sixth caution, Kahne restarted the race 26th. When the eighth caution came out on Lap 212, Kahne was already up to 15th. He continued to move his way to the front and on Lap 265 he was leading his teammates in the eighth position. Kahne eventually found a top-10 finish in the form a ninth-place result.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 DRIVE TO END HUNGER/AARP CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: seventh
STANDINGS: 10th
RECAP: In his record-breaking Ironman start, Jeff Gordon began his last race at New Hampshire in 10th. Gordon stayed in that position until Lap 25 when he was shuffled back to 13th. When the first caution flag flew on Lap 37, Gordon brought his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger/ AARP Chevrolet SS down pit road for four tires and fuel and restarted 14th. A few laps later, Gordon took advantage of the third caution and made a second trip down pit road for two tires. After restarting 25th on Lap 64, he continued to make his way through the field and was running 18th on Lap 83. When the fourth caution came out on Lap 120, Gordon took four tires and by the halfway point on Lap 150 he was running 14th. When a red flag came out on Lap 204, the No. 24 Chevy was up to 12th. The ninth caution came out on Lap 237 and after a trip down pit road Gordon restarted 20th. He eventually found his way behind teammate Johnson in the 12th position on Lap 255. As competitors ran out of fuel in the closing laps, Gordon moved up the leaderboard and was scored seventh when the checkered flag waved.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PROSERVICES/HITACHI CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: sixth
STANDINGS: fifth
RECAP: Leading his teammates to the green, Jimmie Johnson started the race Sunday afternoon from the fifth position. The first caution of the race came out on Lap 43 and after a trip down pit road he restarted from the sixth position. He continued to slowly race his way past cars and his No. 48 Lowe’s ProServices/Hitachi Chevrolet SS entered the top three on Lap 73. Johnson stayed in the top five until he was shuffled back to eighth during the restart after the fourth caution on Lap 124. The driver of the No. 48 Chevy made his way back into the top five by Lap 180. On Lap 200, Johnson had to make an unscheduled pit stop for a flat tire, causing him to fall to the 29th position and a lap down. That did not set Johnson back as he retrieved his lap back in the form of being the “lucky dog” and moved through the field, running 11th on Lap 254. After a battling his way inside the top 10, Johnson ultimately finished sixth.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 25th
STANDINGS: 12th
RECAP: When the green flag dropped, Dale Earnhardt Jr. started 11th, but quickly moved his way up to seventh by Lap 15. When the first caution of the day came out on Lap 37, Earnhardt brought his No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS down pit road for four tires and fuel. After restarting on Lap 43, he quickly raced his way up to the top five. A restart on Lap 70 shuffled Earnhardt back a few spots, but he didn’t stay there long as he found himself in the the fourth position behind teammate Johnson on Lap 70. He maintained his top-four position until Lap 124 when he took over the third spot, leading all four of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates. At the halfway mark, Earnhardt dropped a few spots to fifth. During the sixth caution on Lap 194, the No. 88 team gave Earnhardt two tires, allowing him to quickly take over the second position. Earnhardt started to lose positions after the eighth caution flag flew on Lap 212, but moved his way back inside the top 10 on Lap 241. With a few laps remaining in the race, Earnhardt found himself running out of gas. After visiting pit road for a splash of fuel, he returned to the racing surface and eventually finished 25th.