LAS VEGAS – Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Jimmie Johnson led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the checkered flag, finishing 12th.
After failing pre-race inspection, Johnson had to forfeit his original starting position of 14th and start at the rear of the field in 36th. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 steadily moved through the field, gaining a total of 16 spots in Stages 1 and 2 to break into the top 20. Johnson’s progress continued in the final segment en route to his 12th-place result.
Teammate Alex Bowman joined him inside the top 20, finishing 16th, with William Byron finishing 27th.
Chase Elliott was in the top 10 for much of the day and moved as high as third, but he was involved in an incident with 83 laps to go that ended his day early. He was scored 34th.
“We were just trying to be solid today and make the most of what our NAPA Camaro had, and I thought we were doing a pretty good job of that," Elliott said. "Just kind of there at the wrong spot in the wrong situation and headed home early."
Kevin Harvick took the checkered flag as the winner.
Below is a closer look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared Sunday.
CHASE
ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 34th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Leading his teammates at the green flag in sixth, Elliott remained near the top of the field throughout Stage 1. The driver of the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 was in the top 10 for almost all of Stage 1 and moved as high as third on Lap 38 as competitors made green-flag pit stops.
- He finished Stage 1 in eighth, earning three extra points for the top-10 result.
- Elliott continued to battle and maintain his top-10 position in Stage 2, finishing the second stage in ninth. The result earned him two extra points.
- Thanks to quick work on pit road by the No. 9 team, Elliott gained four positions to restart fifth to begin the final segment.
- With 83 laps to go, Elliott was involved in an incident when a competitor got loose and made contact with the No. 9 car. The resulting damage ended Elliott’s day. He was scored 34th.
WILLIAM
BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 27th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid in the top 20, Byron fell back in the pack early in Sunday’s race, moving to 29th on Lap 34.
- When a number of competitors made green-flag pit stops between Laps 36 and 38, Byron briefly moved all the way up to fifth, but lost his position when he headed to pit road later in the stage.
- After the pit stop, Byron reported a vibration and headed back to pit road for another stop, putting him two laps behind the leaders.
- Byron finished Stage 1 in 32nd, two laps behind the leaders.
- Continuing to battle in Stage 2, by Lap 117 Byron was back up to 29th before finishing the segment 30th.
- Byron continued to make progress in the final segment and took the checkered flag in 27th.
JIMMIE
JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 12th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After failing pre-race inspection, Johnson was forced to start at the rear of the field in 36th. He began gaining ground and moved up nine positions into 27th by Lap 20.
- For a moment, Johnson climbed up to fourth after a majority of the pack made green-flag pit stops midway through Stage 1, but he lost his position and moved back in the pack after heading to pit road later in the stage. Ultimately, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 finished Stage 1 a lap behind the leaders in 27th.
- Johnson continued to work his way through the field in Stage 2. By Lap 106, he was in 23rd, and climbed up to 19th by the end of the stage.
- He continued to make his way toward the top 10 in the final segment. With 75 laps remaining, Johnson had worked his way into position to gain a free pass back onto the lead lap, moving into 13th.
- Johnson gained one more position down the stretch and took home a 12th-place finish.
ALEX
BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 16th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting inside the top 20, Bowman got to work gaining positions early in the race, moving to 16th by Lap 5.
- After briefly falling outside the top 20, Bowman finished Stage 1 in 19th, one lap behind the leaders.
- Bowman battled to keep his position inside the top 20 throughout Stage 2 and finished the segment in 18th.
- With 65 laps remaining, Bowman moved into the free pass position as the first car a lap down, but the caution to put him back on the lead lap never materialized.
- Bowman ultimately took home a top-20 result, finishing 16th.