HOMESTEAD, FL – In his final race, Jeff Gordon drove his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS to a sixth-place effort.
"It has been the most amazing experience," Jeff Gordon said. "I am a little disappointed, I'll be honest. I thought going into today's race we had something for them. But I love the effort and we showed them what we are made of right there at the end by climbing our way back up to sixth. I am proud of everything. It is a happy, good day."
Behind him, Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS finished the last race of the season in ninth.
Kasey Kahne drove the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet to a 19th-place finish.
After being involved in an incident early in the race, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS crossed the finish line 40th.
Kyle Busch won the race and took home the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship.
Below is a detailed look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared in the season finale at Homestead.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 19th
STANDINGS: 18th
RECAP: When the green flag dropped for the season finale, Kasey Kahne rolled off 18th, but was quickly shuffled back to 21st. When the first caution came out, Kahne made a trip down pit road for a four-tire stop and continued to work his way through the field. When the competition caution came out on Lap 31, he was running in 14th. The No. 5 Chevrolet SS entered the top 10 for first time on Lap 38. Just a few laps later the third caution flag flew when a right-rear tire went down for Kahne. After making a total of three trips down pit road to work on his car, Kahne restarted the race 42nd on Lap 45. The No. 5 Chevrolet SS continued to battle through the pack, picking up a few spots to 38th on Lap 75.After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Kahne was up to 31st on Lap 106. By the halfway point, Kahne had raced his way to the 26th position. After the fifth caution of the night came out on Lap 149, he restarted 26th, but quickly picked up spots to 22nd. Kahne and the No. 5 Chevrolet SS found their way back inside the top 20 on Lap 172. When the raced ended, Kahne finished 19th.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: Sixth
STANDINGS:Third
RECAP: Jeff Gordon started his final race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in the fifth position. When the green flag dropped, Gordon gained one spot to the fourth position, where he held on until the competition caution came out on Lap 31. After making a trip down pit road, Gordon took advantage of the restart and claimed the lead on Lap 36 where he led nine laps. After the third caution flag flew, the No. 24 team stayed on the track and during the restart Gordon slid back to the second position. After the fourth caution, Gordon was shuffled back in the pack during the restart on Lap 53 to the eighth position. On Lap 92, Gordon made a green-flag pit stop for four tires and when the stops cycled through, he was running 13th on Lap 106. On lap 138, he made his second green-flag stop of the race, and when those stops cycled, Gordon was running 12th. After the fifth caution of the night came out, Gordon picked up three spots to ninth during the restart on Lap 159. By Lap 200, the No. 24 Chevrolet SS was still inside the top 10. When the checkered flag waved for the final time for Jeff Gordon, he brought home a sixth-place finish. Third
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED:Ninth
STANDINGS:10th
RECAP: Jimmie Johnson rolled off of the grid at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 12th. When the first caution came out on Lap 13, Johnson was already inside the top 10 in the ninth position. And by Lap 23, the No, 48 Chevrolet SS was running fifth. After a four-tire stop during the competition caution, Johnson eventually took over the second position on Lap 39, behind teammate Jeff Gordon. During the fourth caution on Lap 47, Johnson had to make a trip pit road to make adjustments to his car, and when the race restarted he had to make a pass-through on pit road for a penalty. Johnson, running 38th, quickly began his advancement and moved up to 23 by Lap 90. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, the No. 48 Chevrolet SS re-entered the top 20 on Lap 100. During the next round of green-flag stops, Johnson kept his car on the track and caught a break when the fifth caution came out on Lap 149. After a four-tire stop, Johnson restarted in the tenth position on Lap 155 and continued to work his way through the field. Johnson eventually crossed the finish line ninth.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 40th
STANDINGS: 12th
RECAP: Dale Earnhardt Jr. began the last race of the season ninth. Earnhardt continued to maintain his top-10 position until the competition caution came out on Lap 31 when he was running sixth. On lap 39, the third caution flag flew, and the No. 88 team decided to make a trip down pit road with only a few other cars, resulting Earnhardt to restart 29th on Lap 45. Only a few laps later, Earnhardt was involved in an incident that brought out the fourth caution of the night. After making a trip on pit road to assess the damage, Earnhardt eventually reentered the track running in 40th and 10 laps down. After making a few stops throughout the race to pit road to fix damage on the No. 88 Chevrolet SS, Earnhardt was still running in the 40th position, 24 laps down on Lap 200. When the checkered flag waved, Earnhardt earned a 40th-place finish.