KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Midway through Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway, Chase Elliott took the lead.
But back-to-back wins for Hendrick Motorsports eluded the organization, as tire issues took Elliott out of contention.
"We were trying as hard as we can," Elliott said. "We had such a good car today again. I don't know what to do but just keep after it and try to move on."
When the checkered flag flew, Jimmie Johnson led his teammates with a fourth-place finish to follow up his win last weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Joining him inside the top 10 was Alex Bowman, who finished seventh, and Kasey Kahne, who crossed the finish line 10th.
Elliott ultimately took home a 32nd-place result, and will have next week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway to race his way into the Round of 8 in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup along with his teammate, Johnson.
"Just go there and race our hearts out and try to win," Elliott said of his plan.
Kevin Harvick earned the victory Sunday at Kansas.
Below is a detailed look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 10th
STANDINGS: 17th
RECAP: Kahne began Sunday’s race in 20th, and after two cautions in rapid succession, he moved up to 16th on Lap 52. Following a cycle of green-flag pit stops, Kahne was still running 16th, but quickly began moving through the field. On Lap 115 he moved into 11th, and following another caution, Kahne drove his No. 5 Farmers Insurance Chevrolet SS into the top 10 on the restart. He pushed up to eighth by Lap 168, but after a green-flag pit stop, the No. 5 Chevy experienced tire rub and Kahne had to return to pit road. He returned to the track outside of the top 20 down a lap. He raced his way to the lucky dog position, and it paid off on Lap 222 when a caution flag flew, giving Kahne a free pass back to the lead lap. He used the fresh start to his advantage, weaving his way all the way to 10th with 16 laps remaining. He maintained that position to earn the top-10 result.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 SUNENERGY1 CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 31st
STANDINGS: 12th
RECAP: Rolling his No. 24 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet SS off the grid 13th, Elliott cracked the top 10 on Lap 10. Following a speedy stop during a caution for debris, he restarted seventh. Through two more cautions in quick succession, Elliott continued racing inside the top 10, finding sixth on Lap 83. On Lap 115, he moved into the top five, and thanks to a speedy stop when a caution flag flew on the same lap, he restarted fourth. On the restart, he jumped into third and at the halfway mark of the race, he was the runner-up. Continuing to chase down the leader, Elliott moved to the front of the pack on Lap 169. After heading to pit road for a green-flag stop from the lead, the No. 24 Chevy experienced tire rub and Elliott had to return to pit road. He made his way back to the track outside of the top 20 a lap down. He continued to push toward the lucky dog position, finding it just before the eighth caution flag of the race waved with 34 laps to go. Elliott received a free pass to put him back on the lead lap. As he began to work his way back through the field, a tire went down and sent Elliott back to pit road. He returned to the track once again off of the lead lap in the 32nd position. He gained one more position to finish 31st.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 4th
STANDINGS: 1st
RECAP: Starting 21st, Johnson cracked the top 15 within the first 10 laps Sunday at Kansas. Following two cautions in rapid succession, Johnson cracked the top five on Lap 58. After making a green flag pit stop, Johnson found fourth when the field cycled through on Lap 98. He jumped all the way to second on Lap 115 just before a caution flag flew. Johnson left pit road in fifth for the ensuing restart, and just past the halfway point of the race he was still battling inside the top five. After a speedy green-flag stop, Johnson jumped from fourth to second before a caution flag flew on Lap 176. With less than 70 laps remaining, Johnson was running third, and after briefly falling back to fourth, he found third again with 41 laps to go. When a caution flag flew shortly thereafter, Johnson stayed on the track while many competitors behind him took fresh tires. Still, he held on to his top-five position down the stretch, moving into fourth before the checkered flag waved.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 7th
STANDINGS: 29th
RECAP: Bowman led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the green flag Sunday in fifth, and he held on to his top-10 position until two caution flags flew in rapid succession. Bowman made a lengthy stop for damage repair during the second caution and restarted 34th. He continued to show speed, however, gaining 21 spots by Lap 83 to move into 13th before making a green-flag pit stop. Upon returning to the track, he made contact with the wall on Lap 92 and headed back to pit road for repairs. When the field cycled through, he was in 34th down two laps. On Lap 112 he got by the leader to regain one of those laps and continued to push toward the lucky dog position. On Lap 168, he found the 20th position once again, and as green-flag pit stops began, Bowman remained on the track. It paid off when a caution flag flew on Lap 176 with Bowman back on the lead lap. He headed to pit road during the caution and restarted 11th. He cracked the top 10 on the restart and continued to push forward through the field. With 38 laps remaining, he moved back into the top five. When a caution flag flew with 34 laps remaining, Bowman stayed on the track while many competitors behind him took fresh tires. Still, he settled into seventh after the ensuing restart and held on to cross the finish line seventh.