LAS VEGAS – Chase Elliott led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the checkered flag with a third-place finish Sunday afternoon in the Kobalt 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Elliott jumped nine track positions from his starting spot to come up with his second consecutive top-five finish.
Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne took the checkered flag just outside of the top 10, finishing 11th and 12th, respectively.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the Hendrick Motorsports teammates in 16th.
Martin Truex Jr. earned the win.
Below is a recap of how the teammates fared in Sunday’s race at Las Vegas. Additionally, here are closer looks at Stage 1 and Stage 2.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 LIFTMASTER CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 12th
RECAP: Rolling off the grid seventh, Kahne finished Stage 1 in 20th when the No. 5 team elected to make an extended pit stop to work on the car. He got to work in Stage 2, moving into the top 15 and finishing the stage 15th. Kahne and the No. 5 LiftMaster Chevrolet SS team executed pit road strategy in the final stage to come up with a 12th-place finish.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 3rd
RECAP: Elliott led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in the first stage, finishing fifth and gaining five points. The No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS team decided not to pit after the first stage. He started and ended Stage 2 in fourth, picking up seven more points. Elliott started the final stage in fourth and stayed steady in that position for the majority of the segment. After running in sixth position for the final two laps, Elliott managed to avoid an incident on the final lap to jump three positions. He took the checkered flag third, earning his second top-five of the season.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 KOBALT TOOLS/LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
RECAP: After starting the race in 16th, Johnson was able to gain nine positions in Stage 1, finishing seventh and receiving three points. At the conclusion of the first stage he pitted, taking four tires to begin Stage 2 in 18th. After the second caution of Stage 2 at Lap 152, Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet SS team chose not to pit. He led his first few laps of the race but fell to 10th at the end of Stage 2, earning one point. Pit road strategy played a big part in the final stage for Johnson and his team. After pitting at Lap 228, he received four tires, some fuel and an adjustment. He left the pits only to head back to pit road for his crew to tighten some loose lug nuts. He restarted 16th and managed to climb five spots before the checkered flag, finishing 11th.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 16th
RECAP: Starting the race in 18th, Earnhardt climbed eight spots to finish Stage 1 in 10th. The No. 88 Nationwide Chevrolet SS team made the decision not to pit after the first stage, resulting in a fifth-place starting point for the beginning of Stage 2. With a steady run in the second stage, Earnhardt managed to stay within the top 10, ending the stage 10th and earning one more point. With only two cautions in the final stage, Earnhardt was forced to manage his pit stops. He took four tires on each of his pit stops and decided to pit during the last caution with nine to go. He restarted 13th and took the checkered flag 16th.