CONCORD, N.C. – Sunday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, three Hendrick Motorsports teammates finished the Bank of America 500 inside the top 10.
The organization was led by Chase Elliott, who crossed the finish line in overtime as the runner-up after finishing both Stage 1 and Stage 2 in second.
He was joined inside the top 10 by both Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, who finished seventh and ninth, respectively.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. was just outside the top 10 when the checkered flag waved, taking home a 12th-place result.
Martin Truex Jr. won the race.
Below is a closer look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared in the opening race of the second round of the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 GO90 CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 9th
RECAP: Kahne rolled off the grid ninth and narrowly missed the top 10 at the end of Stage 1, finishing 11th. He fell back in Stage 2, finishing the segment 19th, but got back to work early in the final segment. He found the top 15 within the first 15 laps and continued racing forward from 14th. When the field began making green-flag pit stops, Kahne and the No. 5 elected to stay on the track, and the driver moved all the way up to the race lead for two laps before heading to pit road himself on Lap 235. He returned to the track in 20th and got back to work with less than 100 laps to go, quickly moving back inside the top 15. During a caution, quick work by the No. 5 team allowed Kahne to move all the way up to seventh for a restart on Lap 282. He fell back just a bit, and following a pit stop during a late-race caution, Kahne restarted 15th with four laps to go. He jumped to 12th before a caution sent the race to overtime. In the extra frame, he raced up to ninth before the checkered flag waved.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 SUNENERGY1 CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 2nd
RECAP: Elliott began Sunday’s race in seventh, but it didn’t take long for him to find the front of the field. He led 11 laps before finishing Stage 1 in second, and he was the runner-up once again at the end of Stage 2. On Lap 200, Elliott was running fourth, and when green-flag pit stops started a handful of laps later, he moved back into the race lead for a lap before heading to pit road himself. He returned to the track back in fourth with less than 100 laps remaining. He continued racing inside the top five until a restart following a caution on Lap 282, but he jumped back into fifth place before Lap 300. With 24 laps to go, Elliott had piloted the No. 24 SunEnergy1 Chevrolet SS up to third place. Following a late-race caution, he maintained that position thanks to a quick pit stop, restarting third with four laps to go. That is where he remained when a caution sent the race to overtime. In the extra frame, he gained a position on the restart to finish second.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 7th
RECAP: Johnson began Sunday’s race all the way back in 25th, but by the end of Stage 1 he had already worked his way inside the top 10. He continued pressing forward in Stage 2, finishing eighth. The final segment saw more of the same from the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS, who found the top five within the first 10 laps. He moved all the way up to second as green-flag pit stops began before heading to pit road himself. When the field cycled through, he was back on the track in fifth with less than 100 laps to go. During a caution, issues during a pit stop saw Johnson drop to 15th when he returned to the track for the restart on Lap 282, but he began racing back toward the top 10 once again. He found it with less than 20 laps remaining, moving into 10th. He gained two positions on pit road during a late-race caution and restarted eighth with four laps to go. He jumped to seventh before a caution sent the race to overtime. That is where he would remain when the checkered flag waved.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 12th
RECAP: Earnhardt began his final Bank of America 500 in 23rd, but he found the top 20 before the end of Stage 1, finishing 19th. He took the green-checkered flag at the end of Stage 2 in 21st, and continued to battle in the final segment. He found the top 20 by Lap 200, and continued gaining positions until a cycle of green-flag pit stops. He returned to the track in 16th as the field cycled through with less than 100 laps remaining. He fell a lap down but was able to take a wave-around during a caution, restarting back on the lead lap in 18th on Lap 282. Thanks to quick work by the No. 88 team during a late-race caution, Earnhardt restarted 13th with four laps to go. He was running 14th when a caution sent the race to overtime. In the extra frame, he raced his way to 12th before the checkered flag waved.