CONCORD, N.C. – After 600 miles Sunday evening, Hendrick Motorsports left Charlotte Motor Speedway with a pair of top-10 finishes.
Jimmie Johnson led the way for the organization with a top-five result, battling back from a spin in Stage 2 to finish fifth.
Alex Bowman joined Johnson inside the top 10, taking home a ninth-place result.
Chase Elliott narrowly missed out on a top-10 finishing of his own, closing Sunday’s race in 11th.
William Byron was involved in an incident on Lap 115, and though he was able to return to the track, damage ultimately ended his day prematurely. He was scored 39th.
“We just were really loose and just trying to make the top work,” Byron explained. “I just got loose, the car came around and hit the wall and then we had a bunch of damage. It started rubbing on the tire and then it wasn’t rubbing on the tire, it was cleared, but it just felt like something broke going into (Turn) 3 and we just hit the wall again and then we had an electrical issue. Unfortunate, but we will go to Pocono and figure it out there.”
Kyle Busch won the race.
Below is a closer look at how all four Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared for 600 miles at Charlotte.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 11th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Taking the green flag 22nd, Elliott fell back to 30th just six laps into the event before recovering to finish Stage 1 in 14th.
- In Stage 2, Elliott continued pushing forward while avoiding several early-stage incidents, breaking into the top 10 within 25 laps. He closed the second segment in seventh, picking up four extra points.
- Midway through Stage 3, Elliott was running fifth, though he began to fall back in the pack as the segment continued, restarting eighth with 15 laps to go and ultimately taking the green-checkered flag in 15th.
- In the final segment, Elliott rebounded back inside the top 10, running ninth with 75 laps remaining in the race. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he settled into 11th with 42 laps to go and continued knocking on the door of the top 10 as the markers wound down. He ultimately took the checkered flag in 11th.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 39th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting 21st, Byron raced inside of the top 25 for most of the first stage of Sunday’s race, moving up to 20th before the green-checkered flag.
- Thanks to quick work on pit road, Byron gained two positions to start Stage 2 in 18th.
- Fifteen laps into the second segment, the No. 24 Liberty Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 got loose and made contact with the wall. Byron was able to return to the track, but fell multiple laps down before making contact with the wall once again. The damage ended his day prematurely, and he was scored 39th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 5th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid 23rd, Johnson got to work quickly Sunday evening. By Lap 48, fittingly, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Patriotic Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had cracked the top 10. He continued moving forward and finished Stage 1 in fifth, picking up six extra points.
- Contact from a competitor caused Johnson to spin 21 laps into Stage 2, but he avoided contact with any competitors or the wall and was able to return to the track immediately. He restarted outside of the top 25, but moved all the way up to second on Lap 60 as competitors made green-flat pit stops.
- With 18 laps to go in Stage 2, Johnson had moved back inside the top 10 and he finished the segment eighth, picking up three additional points.
- In Stage 3, an issue with the jack on pit road caused Johnson to lose a handful of positions during a caution, but he recovered to once again climb inside the top 10 midway through the segment. At the green-checkered flag, he narrowly missed another top-10 stage finish, ending Stage 3 in 11th.
- The No. 48 team allowed Johnson to gain a spot back on pit road before the start of the final segment, which he began in 10th. With 75 laps to go, he had settled into sixth, and following a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he moved up to third with 42 laps remaining.
- Johnson maintained his fifth-place position down the stretch, crossing the finish line fifth.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 NATIONWIDE PATRIOTIC CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 9th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started Sunday evening’s race in 27th but found the top 20 within 20 laps. He kept pushing and even cracked the top 10 with just 10 laps remaining in the segment before finishing Stage 1 in 11th.
- Gaining two positions thanks to quick work on pit road, Bowman started Stage 2 in ninth and he battled near the top 10 for much of the segment. Following a cycle of green-flag pit stops late in the segment, Bowman finished Stage 2 in 15th.
- Following another strong pit stop, Bowman found himself running as high as sixth early in Stage 3. He began to fall back in the pack as the segment continued, however, lining up ninth for a restart with 15 laps to go and ultimately finishing Stage 3 in 14th.
- The No. 88 team continued its successful day on pit road following Stage 3, allowing Bowman to pick up five positions and jump back inside the top 10 as the final segment began. He settled into 10th with 75 laps remaining and after a cycle of green-flag pit stops was up to eighth with 42 laps remaining.
- Bowman continued to hold on to his top-10 position as the laps wound down and he crossed the finish line in ninth.