DARLINGTON, S.C. – Sunday night at Darlington Raceway, Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson finished back-to-back just outside of the top 10.
Elliott claimed the 11th-place spot and Johnson followed him in 12th.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kasey Kahne also finished in close proximity.
Earnhardt took the checkered flag in 22nd and Kahne in 24th.
Denny Hamlin captured the win.
Below is a closer look at how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared at the track “Too Tough to Tame.”
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 24th
RECAP: Kahne took the green flag from 23rd and finished the first stage in 20th. In the second stage, Kahne felt his Chevy needed more rear grip. He finished Stage 2 in 21st. Shortly after the start of the final stage, a caution flag came out and Kahne made a pit stop for four tires and fuel. He noted that his car handled better on the short run. Kahne made a green-flag pit stop around Lap 250. Following a debris caution on Lap 262, he restarted in 23rd as the first car one lap down. The No. 5 team made a green-flag pit stop on Lap 303. The stop included a wedge adjustment for Kahne’s Chevy. With 50 laps to go, the No. 5 Great Clips Throwback Chevrolet SS was running 23rd. Kahne made his final stop of the race with less than 10 laps to go. He took the checkered flag in 24th.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
RECAP: Elliott rolled off the grid in 20th and picked up one position for a 19th-place Stage 1 finish. Elliott continued to make progress in the second stage and took the green-checkered flag in 11th. At the beginning of Stage 2, the caution flag waved and Elliott made a stop for four tires and fuel. Elliott continued to run just outside of the top 10 for the first part of the final segment. During a green-flag pit stop around Lap 250, Elliott found himself in 21st fighting to get back to the front. He returned to pit road after a caution on Lap 262 for four tires and fuel and restarted in 17th. Elliott continued to navigate the field and on Lap 292 he was knocking on the door of the top 10 while running in 12th. The No. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet SS made a scheduled green-flag pit stop around Lap 303. After the green-flag pit stop cycle, Elliot was running in eighth place on Lap 317. With less than 25 laps to go, the No. 24 made a stop for four tires and fuel to carry him to the checkered flag. Elliott battled to make his way toward the top 10 in the final laps of the race while running in 13th. Before the checkered flag waved, Elliott gained two more positions and finished in 11th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 12th
RECAP: Johnson started Saturday’s race in 18th place, finishing Stage 1 in 15th. In Stage 2 he battled the handling of his Chevy and took the green-checkered in 17th. Following the conclusion of Stage 2, Johnson made a pit stop for four tires and fuel. The first green-flag pit stop came on Lap 253 and the No. 48 Lowe’s Throwback Chevrolet SS took four tires and fuel. A caution for debris on Lap 262 allowed Johnson to make another stop, where he took four fresh tires and fuel. By Lap 292 Johnson had moved up to 11th as he worked to break into the top 10. Johnson made a green-flag stop for tires and fuel on Lap 303 and was scored 11th after he completed the stop. Following the cycle of green-flag stops, Johnson found himself in seventh on Lap 316. He continued to run in the top 10 until he made a pit stop with 23 laps to go for four tires and fuel. Johnson fought to maintain track position but ultimately finished in 12th behind teammate Elliott.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE THROWBACK CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 22nd
RECAP: Earnhardt took the green flag from the 22nd position and finished Stage 1 in 13th. He took the green flag for the second stage in 13th and finished Stage 2 in 14th. The first green-flag pit stop for the No. 88 team came around Lap 250. Earnhardt fell one lap down but quickly returned to the lead lap in 18th place. Debris brought out the eighth caution of the race on Lap 262 and Earnhardt returned to pit road for a stop, returning to the track in 20th. He had a solid restart and quickly jumped into the top 15 but then began to fall back in the field. The next green-flag pit stop for Earnhardt came on Lap 298. He was two laps down and scored 24th following the stop. Following the cycle of green-flag pit stops, Earnhardt ran in 19th on Lap 322. He made his final pit stop of the race on Lap 344 and was two laps down. Earnhardt and the No. 88 Nationwide Throwback Chevrolet SS finished in 22nd.