SONOMA, Calif. – Sunday afternoon at Sonoma Raceway, Chase Elliott and Alex Bowman earned Hendrick Motorsports a pair of top-10 finishes.
Elliott led the way for the organization at the 1.99-mile road course, taking the checkered flag in fourth. Bowman followed his teammate with another top-10 result, finishing ninth.
Johnson just missed joining Elliott and Bowman in the top 10, finishing 11th.
William Byron finished the day in 25th.
Martin Truex Jr. captured the victory.
Below is a closer look at how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared at Sonoma.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 4th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Leading his teammates to the green flag in third, Elliott continued to race inside the top five for most of the first segment, ultimately finishing in fourth. The segment finish earned him seven extra points.
- Elliott was shuffled to 15th after the caution between stages, but the driver of No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 steadily worked his way back through the field and was in seventh by Lap 45. He gained five more positions during a cycle of green-flag pit stops toward the end of the middle segment to finish second, earning nine more points.
- Starting the final segment 16th, Elliott quickly gained four positions and moved into 12th. The driver continued to gain ground and had worked his way back in the top 10 in seventh by Lap 63.
- Elliott continued to battle to gain positions throughout the final segment, and by Lap 74 he moved his way back into the top five. The driver continued near the top of the field for the rest of the race, and ran as high as second with under 15 laps to go during a cycle of green-flag pit stops. He stayed inside the top five to finish the day in fourth.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 25th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid eighth, Byron was shuffled outside the top 10 and was running 12th by Lap 7. Though he eventually fell back to 17th, Byron worked to gain three positions to finish Stage 1 inside the top 15 in 14th.
- Starting Stage 2 in 26th out of the caution between stages, Byron battled to gain back positions and the driver moved into 23rd by Lap 41. After green-flag pit stops toward the end of the middle segment, Byron was shuffled down a number of positions, ultimately finishing Stage 2 in 30th.
- In the final Stage, hard racing by Byron saw the driver steadily gain ground to move inside the top 15 in 14th by Lap 74. He was eventually shuffled back to 28th by Lap 88, and ultimately took home a 25th-place finish.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1:
FINISHED: 11th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Taking the green flag in seventh, Johnson steadily gained ground in the opening segment and broke into the top five in fourth by Lap 17. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 continued to work his way near the top of the field, earning a third-place finish in Stage 1 and eight additional points.
- In Stage 2, Johnson was moved down to 14th by Lap 30, but the driver gradually worked his way back through the field and was back in the top 10 by Lap 45. When a number of competitors made green-flag pit stops toward the end of the stage, Johnson gained more positions and finished the middle segment in third, earning eight more points.
- In the last segment, Johnson continued to race near the top 10 for a majority of the stage and was running in sixth by Lap 88. As the laps wound down, he fell just outside the top 10 and ultimately finished 11th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1:
FINISHED: 9th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting 17th, Bowman raced inside the top 20 for most of the first segment. After a cycle of green-flag pit stops toward the end of Stage 1, he was shuffled back several positions and finished the opening segment in 33rd.
- The No. 88 team elected to keep Bowman on the track between the first and second stages, allowing him to take the Stage 2 green flag in 10th. The strategy paid dividends, as the driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 continued near the top 10 for most of the middle segment, ultimately finishing in seventh and earning four extra points.
- Bowman continued to race near the top 10 for most of the final segment, and after being shuffled to 14th on Lap 63, the driver quickly moved up to eighth by Lap 74. He continued to battle to earn a top-10 result, taking home a ninth-place finish.