LONG POND, Pa. – After a caution-riddled race that came down to saving fuel in the final laps, Hendrick Motorsports left Pocono Raceway with three top-six finishes.
At the halfway point of the 160-lap race, all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers were competing inside the top 10.
An incident following the halfway point in the race ended Jimmie Johnson’s day early and left him with a 35th-place result. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Chase Elliott landed top-five finishes – second and fourth, respectively. Kasey Kahne finished the race just outside the top five in sixth.
Kurt Busch took home the victory.
“I felt like I made a big mistake there at the tunnel and it gave Kurt a big run,” Elliott said following his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono. “Basically you just learn and just be really proud that we had a super-fast car, a car that could lead all day and a group of guys that are willing to fight to try to get in Victory Lane.”
Below, take a look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared in Monday’s race.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 6th
STANDINGS: 18th
RECAP: Kahne took the green flag just outside the top 10 in 11th. Following an early-race caution on Lap 4, he restarted in 10th and held position through the Lap 16 competition caution. However, a speeding penalty on pit road sent him to the rear of the field for the restart. After once again taking the green flag in 36th, Kahne began his ascent through the field, breaking into the top 15 on Lap 39. Kahne reported that his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS was running a little tight in all three corners of the track, but through two cycles of pit stops was able to race his Chevy back inside the top 10 on Lap 73. Kahne held steady through the halfway mark, returning to the track from the fifth caution of the race in 12th. He remained just outside the top 10 until a Lap 127 restart, where he took the green in eighth and gained two positions for sixth, where he ran until taking the checkered flag.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 4th
STANDINGS: 7th
RECAP: Elliott began the 400-mile race in 13th but made quick work of climbing his way toward the front. He drove his No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS by teammate Kahne and inside the top 10 on Lap 10. Elliott pitted under the competition caution and restarted in eighth but jumped to fourth on the restart. Following a Lap 27 caution, Elliott restarted in third and after the leader pitted, assumed the runner-up position. Running a tad snug throughout another cycle of green-flag pit stops, Elliott restarted in second on Lap 66 and grabbed the lead at the green. He held the first position through four additional cautions before losing the lead on pit road. A solid restart with 38 laps to go got Elliott up to third, and he found his way back to the runner-up position during an ensuing caution. In the process of saving fuel, however, he would ultimately take home a fourth-place finish.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 35th
STANDINGS: 6th
RECAP: Leading his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the green, Johnson rolled off the grid in seventh. He maintained position through the first two cautions of the event and restarted sixth with two fresh tires following the Lap 16 competition caution. He passed up to third on the restart, however a caution on Lap 22 would move him back to fourth with teammate Elliott ahead of him in third. Johnson maintained a consistent hold on a top-five position through the early stages of the 160-lap race. Johnson continued to race behind Elliott throughout the majority of the event, never dropping outside of the top five until he was involved in a Lap 122 incident which forced his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS to the garage, landing him 24 laps down when he returned to the track with less than 15 laps remaining. However, smoke from a tire rub once again retired his Chevy to the garage for the remainder of the day. He was scored with a 35th-place finish.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 2nd
STANDINGS: 11th
RECAP: Earnhardt took the green flag alongside teammate Johnson in eighth but fell back a few positions at the start. The driver battled a tight Chevy the first 50-or-so laps of the race, running in 15th. He dropped outside the top 20 following the Lap 20 restart but was back up to 12th on Lap 27. Prior to Lap 40, he was back inside the top 10 and after a speedy pit stop by the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS team on Lap 53, found himself restarting following a Lap 60 caution in eighth. Earnhardt held steady inside the top 10 through the halfway point of the race and four more cautions. He earned the lead under caution following a Lap 122 incident but lost it on the restart and continued to run a half-second behind the leader with less than 30 laps remaining. He trailed the leader for the remaining laps but took home the runner-up position.