SONOMA, Calif. – Sunday brought the challenge of taking on the first road course of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season -- Sonoma Raceway.
Kasey Kahne led the way for Hendrick Motorsports with a top-10 result, taking the checkered flag in ninth. Teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson followed him to the finish in 11th and 13th, respectively.
Chase Elliott followed up his NASCAR West Series win Saturday with a 21st-place result Sunday.
Tony Stewart earned the win.
Below is an in-depth look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared Sunday at Sonoma.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS/SHARK WEEK CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 9th
STANDINGS: 16th
RECAP: Kahne started Sunday in the 19th position, and early in the race notified the No. 5 team that his Great Clips/Shark Week Chevrolet SS was “a little bit tight, but I think it will work itself out.” Within 20 laps, he had gained seven positions up to 12th, making a green-flag pit stop two laps later. As the field cycled through, he worked his way back inside the top 15 and by Lap 33 was all the way up to eighth. He once again reported that he was battling tight handling and fell just outside of the top 10 before a caution was called with 65 laps remaining for debris. He headed to pit road and once again worked his way back to 13th at the midway point of the race. As competitors headed to pit road for more green-flag stops, Kahne stayed out to move all the way to third before making his own stop with 39 laps to go. As the field cycled through, he was knocking on the door of the top 10 in 11th with 33 to go. He found it just before a caution for debris with 23 laps remaining, and when another caution flew with 18 laps left, he was in ninth. Down the stretch, Kahne held on to lead his teammates to the checkered flag in ninth.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 3M CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 21st
STANDINGS: 6th
RECAP: A day after winning at Sonoma in the NASCAR West Series, Elliott took the green flag in 16th. He fell back to 20th before settling into the 17th position. As competitors began to make green-flag pit stops, he moved up to 10th on Lap 25 – and fifth just a lap later – before making his own pit stop. He worked his way back inside the top 20 and was inside the top 15 when a caution flag waved with 65 laps remaining for debris. Elliott headed to pit road, but several competitors remained on the track, and he was back outside of the top 20 at the midway point of the race. He held steady in the 22nd position for much of the second half of the race through multiple cautions, but on a restart with 14 laps to go Elliott jumped inside of the top 20. He ultimately finished 21st.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 13th
STANDINGS: 7th
RECAP: Johnson rolled off the grid 15th Sunday at Sonoma, and when an early caution flag waved on Lap 6, the No. 48 team called the driver to pit road when most competitors remained on the track. With fresher tires, Johnson got to work, finding 15th by Lap 20, and moving all the way to the runner-up position as competitors made green-flag pit stops. He made his own green-flag pit stop from second on Lap 29, and found the top 10 once again by Lap 40. He charged to the doorstep of the top five before a caution flag flew for debris with 65 laps to go, and at the halfway point of the race he was working back toward the top 10 following a trip to pit road when some competitors remained on the track. With 45 laps remaining, Johnson made a scheduled green-flag stop ahead of many competitors, and with 33 laps to go found himself in sixth racing toward the top five. After a caution for debris, Johnson restarted outside of the top 10 in 11th with 20 laps remaining. He ultimately took the checkered flag in 13th.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
STANDINGS: 12th
RECAP: Earnhardt led the Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the green flag in 13th, and the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS that proved to be the fastest during Friday’s practices quickly showed its speed on Sunday. Earnhardt found the top 10 within nine laps, and made his first green-flag pit stop from fourth place on Lap 25. By Lap 33, he was in the top five once again. When some competitors remained on the track and Earnhardt joined the pack heading to pit road during a caution with 65 laps remaining, he still found ninth place by the halfway point of the race. Earnhardt made a green-flag pit stop on Lap 69, and as the field cycled through he had raced all the way up to fourth with 33 laps remaining. After a caution for debris, Earnhardt restarted ninth with 20 laps remaining. On a restart with 14 laps to go, a competitor made contact with the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS, which knocked Earnhardt back to 12th. He recovered, however, to gain one more spot, finishing 11th.