DOVER, Del. – In one of the wildest races at Dover International Speedway in recent memory, Chase Elliott and Kasey Kahne found themselves racing hard inside the top five in the closing moments.
When the checkered flag waved, Elliott took home third place -- the best finish of the rookie's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career -- with Kahne just behind him in fourth for his second top-five result of the season.
"That was a heck of a race in my opinion," Elliott said. "Obviously, wish we could have come out on top."
Their teammates weren’t quite as lucky, as both were involved in a multiple-car incident with less than 50 laps remaining.
Jimmie Johnson had just taken the race lead thanks to a two-tire pit stop, becoming just the seventh driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history to lead 3,000 laps at a single track in the process.
But on the ensuing restart, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS couldn’t get going and kicked off a domino effect.
"It wouldn't go in gear," Johnson explained. "Lost a shot at winning and I hate to see all those cars torn up."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was also involved in the late-race incident that included more than a dozen competitors.
"I thought I had it all cleared on the outside, but the (No.) 13 got hooked and came up into us,” Earnhardt recalled.
Johnson ultimately finished 25th, while Earnhardt was scored 32nd.
Matt Kenseth took home the victory.
Below is a detailed look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates at the “Monster Mile” Sunday afternoon.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 4th
STANDINGS: 16th
RECAP: Kahne began Sunday’s race just outside of the top 10 in 11th, but fell back outside of the top 15 on Lap 25. He moved back inside the top 15 thanks to a speedy stop by the No. 5 pit crew during a caution at Lap 119, though when some competitors either took two tires or remained on the track during the next caution, the No. 5 team opted for four tires and Kahne restarted in 21st on Lap 152. He continued to battle, and after a caution flag flew on Lap 213, Kahne headed to pit road and returned to the track in 17th, quickly finding the top 15 within one lap. From there, he continued to race inside the top 15, pushing forward to 13th on Lap 271. Following the eighth caution flag of the race with 112 laps to go, Kahne found the top 10 for the first time all race on the ensuing restart. He settled into 12th until the 10th caution of the race, when another quick pit stop by the No. 5 team allowed him to restart ninth. He also avoided the multiple-car incident that occurred on the restart, allowing him to line up sixth once the race returned to green-flag conditions. He jumped up to fourth on the restart, then after another caution, jumped to third on the following restart before falling back to fifth. He continued battling hard in the closing laps, finding fourth before the checkered flag waved.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 3rd
STANDINGS: 7th
RECAP: Elliott started Sunday’s race in 13th, and after briefly falling out of the top 15 on Lap 25 he began to work his way back toward the top 10, finding 11th after a competition caution on Lap 40. After a four-tire stop during a caution in which several other competitors opted for two tires or to remain on the track, Elliott restarted 17th on Lap 152. He pushed his way back into the top 15 shortly thereafter, moving up to 12th just before a caution flag flew on Lap 213. Less than 20 laps later, he found the top 10 for the first time, and by Lap 264 he had moved up to ninth. That became eighth with 92 laps remaining, and he maintained that position thanks to a quick, four-tire stop by the No. 24 pit crew during the 10th caution of the race. He also avoided the multiple-car incident that occurred on the restart, allowing him to line up fifth once the race returned to green-flag conditions. With 30 laps to go, he found fourth place, and six laps later he moved to third and began chasing down the top two cars. With 20 laps remaining, he found the runner-up spot briefly before falling back to third, but continued battling hard for the position. Ultimately, he took the checkered flag in third.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 25th
STANDINGS: 5th
RECAP: Rolling off the grid 21st, Johnson found the top 15 before a competition caution was called at Lap 40. He raced his way into the top 10 for the first time on Lap 115 and found seventh place just before a caution flag flew on Lap 144. The No. 48 team elected for four tires while the teams ahead of him either stayed out on the track or took just two tires. Restarting 11th on Lap 152, he battled to seventh once again within 13 laps. He continued racing inside of the top 10 past the midway point of the race, but on Lap 213, a competitor began to spin in front of Johnson, causing the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to spin as well. Johnson saved the car from making contact with the wall, which No. 48 team crew chief Chad Knaus relayed as “impressive” over the radio. After a pit stop, he returned to the track in 16th, and when he made a stop during the next caution six laps later as well for four fresh tires, he found himself back in 24th. But it took just 40 laps for him to find the top 10 once again, pushing back toward the top five. When a caution was called for debris with 102 laps remaining, Johnson was in sixth. Just before the 10th caution flag of the race, he piloted his Chevy inside the top five with 59 laps remaining, and during the caution the No. 48 team elected for two tires, allowing Johnson to win the race off pit road and take the lead for the ensuing restart. During the caution laps, he became just the seventh driver in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history with 3,000 laps led at a single track. But when the green flag dropped, Johnson could not get going, which began a chain-reaction incident that involved him and more than a dozen competitors, causing a red flag and sending the No. 48 Chevy to the garage. He was able to return to the track and ultimately finished 25th.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 32nd
STANDINGS: 11th
RECAP: Starting on the outside pole, Earnhardt settled into third place before a competition caution was called at Lap 40. From there, he fell farther back in the pack but remained inside the top 10 all the way until a caution at Lap 184. He got hung up on the outside during the ensuing restart, falling back to 13th. But by Lap 210 he was back inside the top 10. After a caution three laps later and a speedy pit stop, he restarted third, settling into fifth position at Lap 225. Twenty laps later, however, Earnhardt reported that he was “having a hard time” piloting the No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS as he fell to 15th. During both of the next two cautions, Earnhardt headed to pit road for four fresh tires and fuel, putting him in 23rd for a restart with 99 laps remaining. Within five laps, however, he had already gained five positions. While attempting to save fuel down the stretch, however, Earnhardt fell back to 21st just before the 10th caution of the race. During the ensuing restart, Earnhardt nearly avoided a multiple-car incident but was hit by a competitor, which forced the No. 88 Chevy to the garage. He was ultimately scored 32nd.