WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. – Saturday night, Chase Elliott led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in qualifying at Watkins Glen International, finishing the session inside the top three.
In the two-round qualifying session, Elliott recorded the fastest time in the first 25-minute round, posting a lap time of 70.489 seconds at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course.
That first lap time helped Elliott advance to the second and final round of the session, where he ultimately finished the qualifying session in third.
"I felt like I had a good lap going and then I got a little loose out of (Turn) 11," Elliott said. "I wish we could have gotten one."
Jimmie Johnson narrowly missed joining his teammate in the final round. The driver finished Round 1 in 13th, one spot away from advancing.
"There's a lot of places you can give up time or make up time if things are going your way," Johnson said. "Hate to be that close and not advance to Round 2. Our car has been very comfortable to drive."
William Byron and Alex Bowman qualified in 17th and 24th, respectively.
Denny Hamlin won the pole.
The starting lineup will become official following post-qualifying inspection, which will take place Sunday morning.
Tune in to Sunday's race at Watkins Glen International at 3 p.m. ET on NBC, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.