FORT WORTH, Texas – Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway, Chase Elliott led his teammates to the checkered flag in the second race of the Round of 8 in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
Elliott earned his second top-10 finish of the round, crossing the finish line in sixth.
Alex Bowman was the next teammate to the checkered flag, taking home a 14th-place finish. Jimmie Johnson joined his teammate inside the top 15 with a 15th-place result and William Byron was right behind them in 16th.
Kevin Harvick won the race.
Below is a closer look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 KELLEY BLUE BOOK CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 6th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Leading his teammates to the green flag in 16th, Elliott steadily gained positions throughout Stage 1 and moved into the top 10 by Lap 15. Consistent racing saw the driver of the No. 9 Kelley Blue Book Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 continue inside the top 10 for the majority of the opening segment, gaining two additional positions in the remaining laps to finish Stage 1 in ninth. The result earned him two additional points.
- In Stage 2, Elliott continued to hold his top-10 position and was running ninth by Lap 130. During a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he was initially shuffled down to 20th by Lap 146, but he was back up 11th once the pit stops cycled through. He gained an additional position down the stretch in Stage 2 and finished the middle segment in 10th, gaining one extra point.
- After starting the final segment outside the top 10 in 12th, Elliott continued to race in that position in the ensuing laps. On a Lap 231 restart after a caution, he jumped back into the top 10, running ninth. He gained two additional positions over the next 30 laps, moving into seventh by Lap 261.
- In the closing laps, Elliott remained inside the top 10 and advanced up to sixth to finish in that position in overtime.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 16th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting in the rear, Byron moved up to 21st by Lap 10, and five laps later the driver had cracked the top 20 and was running 18th. The driver moved as high at 13th out of a Lap 37 restart after a caution, and he battled to remain inside the top 20 throughout the remainder of the segment to finish Stage 1 in 18th.
- Byron was involved in a multiple-car incident on Lap 97 and was forced to take the No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pit road for repairs. The No. 24 team repaired the damage and Byron returned to the track, running 24th on the Lap 101 restart.
- In the ensuing laps, Byron got to work quickly and gained three positions to move into 21st by Lap 122. Eight laps later, he was inside the top 20, and during a cycle of green-flag pit stops, he had moved as high as eighth. On Lap 153, Byron settled back into 21st, but hard racing saw the driver gain six positions in the closing laps of Stage 2, finishing inside the top 15 in 15th.
- Byron continued to race inside the top 15 for the majority of the final segment, running in 14th for the opening laps. By Lap 231, he had gained two more positions to move into 12th, and consistent racing saw Byron continue inside the top 15 down the stretch.
- In the closing laps, Byron worked his way into the top 10 with under 40 laps to go, but after a series of restarts down the stretch, he was eventually shuffled outside the top 10. He finished the race in 16th in overtime.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S FOR PROS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 15th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting Sunday’s race in the rear, Johnson quickly battled to pick up positions and by Lap 25 he was running 22nd. By Lap 37, Johnson gained three more positions and moved inside the top 20 in 19th. He raced near the top 20 the remainder of the segment to finish Stage 1 in 19th.
- Johnson took the Stage 2 green flag in 17th, but by Lap 166 he was shuffled outside the top 20 into 23rd. During green-flag pit stops, Johnson briefly jumped into the top five as he remained on the track, but once the pit stops cycled through he settled into 22nd. Johnson continued to battle in the closing Stage 2 laps to finish the segment in 24th.
- Johnson gained four positions during the caution between stages to move back into the top 20 to begin the final segment. He picked up three more positions to move into 17th by Lap 213, and by Lap 231 he settled into 16th.
- During green-flag pit stops, Johnson took the lead and paced the field for 11 laps midway through the segment as he remained on the track. Once he headed pit road, he settled into 14th by Lap 297. Johnson continued to race hard down the stretch, earning a top-15 result and finishing in 15th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 14th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Taking the green flag in 18th, Bowman gained three positions early in Sunday’s race to jump up to 15th by Lap 3. After the quick start, Bowman was shuffled down to 20th by Lap 10 and settled into 19th by Lap 15.
- Bowman was running 21st when a competition caution flag waved at Lap 30, but once the race returned to green, the driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 had gained four positions thanks to quick work by the No. 88 team to take the Lap 37 restart in 17th. Bowman cracked the top 15 and was running 15th by Lap 51, and he ultimately finished Stage 1 in 16th.
- Taking the Stage 2 restart in 15th, Bowman gained two positions early to move into 13th by Lap 101. He continued to make progress, and 15 laps later he was running 11th. By Lap 130, he was running inside the top 10 in 10th. During green-flag pit stops, Bowman moved inside the top five, and eventually took the lead for three laps as he remained on the track. Once he headed to pit road and the pit stops cycled through he settled into 15th by Lap 163. He finished Stage 2 in 13th.
- Fast work by the No. 88 team helped Bowman gain five positions in the caution between stages and take the final segment restart in eighth. He continued to race consistently in the final segment, holding his top-10 position and running ninth midway through the segment.
- Bowman was running ninth with under 10 laps to go, but the driver was shuffled outside the top 10 on a late race restart. He finished 14th in overtime.