LONG POND, Pa. – Sunday at Pocono Raceway, three Hendrick Motorsports teammates took the checkered flag with top-10 finishes.
Alex Bowman led the way with a third-place finish, and William Byron was the next teammate to cross the finish line in sixth. It marked a career-best finish for both drivers.
Chase Elliott, who picked up a stage win for the second consecutive race, took the checkered flag in seventh.
Making his 600th carer NASCAR Cup Series start, Jimmie Johnson brought home a 17th-place result.
Kyle Busch captured the victory.
Below is a closer look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared Sunday at Pocono.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 7th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting Sunday’s race in sixth, Elliott quickly jumped into the top five, finding fourth by Lap 3. He moved up to the runner-up position as green-flag pit stops began before heading to pit road himself. As the field cycled through, Elliott moved back inside the top five, climbing to the runner-up spot once again as the laps wound down.
- With 11 laps remaining in Stage 1, Elliott took the lead and held it for the remainder of the segment, winning Stage 1. He picked up 10 extra points and another crucial playoff point – his second consecutive race with a stage win.
- Elliott restarted Stage 2 in fourth after two cars ahead of him did not pit and one took just two tires. He jumped to second shortly after the green flag waved, and though he lost that position for a portion of the segment, he recovered to take the green-checkered flag as the Stage 2 runner-up, capturing nine more points.
- Starting the final segment in eighth, Elliott once again raced his way into the top five with 50 laps remaining in the race. He restarted third with 28 laps to go following a caution and maintained that position until a caution flag -- and ultimately a red flag -- flew with six laps remaining.
- He restarted third with just three laps remaining, attempting to take the two leaders three-wide to take the lead. Ultimately he fell back to fifth before another caution sent the race to overtime. Battling for position in overtime, Elliott got loose and lost a few positions to ultimately finish the race seventh.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA/IMRON CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 6th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron began Sunday’s race in the 38th position, but it took just five laps for him to enter the top 25. Following a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he was running inside the top 20 with fewer than 20 laps remaining in Stage 1. He continued climbing to finish Stage 1 in 15th.
- Byron began Stage 2 in 16th, though he found himself outside of the top 20 when a caution flag waved midway through the segment. He battled back, however, and as a handful of competitors elected to head to pit road late in the stage, Byron continued to climb, finishing Stage 2 in 10th. The result earned him an extra point.
- The No. 24 team elected to keep Byron on the track prior to the start of the final segment, allowing him to take the restart as the race leader. He held the lead on a nerve-wracking restart before cars on newer tires caught him with just fewer than 50 laps remaining. He held on to a top-10 position when a caution flag flew with 40 laps remaining, allowing him to head to pit road for fresh tires.
- With 28 laps remaining, the race resumed with Byron restarting 10th. He jumped all the way up to sixth when the green flag waved, settling into seventh with fewer than 15 laps to go. He held that position when a caution flag -- and ultimately a red flag -- waved with six laps remaining.
- Byron restarted seventh with three laps remaining, and he held that spot through another caution that sent the race to overtime. The driver of the No. 24 Axalta/Imron Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 picked up one more spot in overtime, finishing the race sixth.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 17th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson started Sunday’s race in 35th, but within 20 laps he had already gained 20 positions. As competitors made green-flag pit stops, Johnson stayed on the track to move as high as second before heading to pit road himself. As the field cycled through, Johnson raced up to 14th before the end of Stage 1.
- Johnson started Stage 2 in 19th following a pit stop, but he continued to climb throughout the second segment. He was running 11th when a caution flag waved midway through the stage, and he kept passing competitors as the laps wound down. As a handful of drivers headed to pit road late in the stage, Johnson moved up to sixth as the green-checkered flag waved. He earned five extra points for the result.
- Starting the final segment just outside of the top 10 in 11th, Johnson jumped back inside the top 10 with fewer than 50 laps remaining. Following a caution, the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s for Pros Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 restarted seventh with 28 laps to go. He fell back to 10th in traffic shortly after the green flag waved, but jumped back into ninth as the laps wound down. He was running 10th when a caution flag -- and ultimately a red flag -- waved with six laps remaining.
- With three laps remaining, Johnson restarted 10th but was shuffled back to 13th before another caution sent the race to overtime. He headed to pit road before the extra frame, restarting 23rd and taking the checkered flag 17th in his 600th career NASCAR Cup Series start.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA ALL-PRO TEACHERS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 3rd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Rolling off the grid 10th, Bowman remained inside the top 10 until making a green-flag pit stop with approximately 30 laps remaining in Stage 1. He climbed back inside the top 10 with 10 laps to go in Stage 1, taking the green-checkered flag in ninth. The result earned him two extra points.
- Bowman picked up a spot on pit road between stages, beginning the second segment in eighth. He had climbed to seventh when a caution flag waved midway through the stage and continued to push ahead as the laps wound down, finishing Stage 2 in fourth. He picked up seven extra points for the result.
- Taking the green flag for the final segment in 12th, Bowman had moved up to seventh when a caution flag waved with 40 laps remaining. For a restart with 28 laps to go, Bowman was in eighth, climbing to seventh shortly after the green flag waved. He moved into sixth and held that spot with fewer than 15 laps to go. That is where he remained when a caution flag -- and ultimately a red flag -- waved with six laps remaining.
- With three laps remaining, Bowman jumped from sixth to fourth on a restart before another caution sent the race to overtime. In overtime, he gained one more position to finish the race third.