KANSAS CITY, Kan. – For three straight races, two things have remained constant.
Alex Bowman has taken the checkered flag as the runner-up, and Chase Elliott has finished inside the top five.
Bowman and Elliott are currently tied for the longest active streak of top-five finishes in the NASCAR Cup Series with three apiece, and Bowman became the first driver in Cup Series history to finish second in three consecutive races prior to earning his first win.
“Wish we were standing here with three wins in a row,” Bowman said. “Things could've gone differently and that could be the case.”
Saturday night at Kansas Speedway, the teammates combined to lead 108 laps and were battling for the lead down the stretch before the race went to overtime.
Ultimately, Bowman finished second and Elliott finished fourth. While both drivers certainly wanted the win, they recognized the positives.
“It's great to be racing a teammate for the lead, I think that's signs of progress, so hopefully we can keep going in that direction,” Elliott said. “Hate to give it away to somebody else, he and I were pacing it there at the end. But, it happens. We'll just work harder."
They were joined in the top 10 at Kansas by teammate Jimmie Johnson, who crossed the finish line sixth. Though William Byron took home a 20th-place result on Saturday, he earned a top-10 last weekend at Dover International Speedway and has led laps in each of the past two races.
The string of success following the off-weekend has provided plenty of momentum with the All-Star Race next on the schedule.
Elliott and Johnson are already locked into the event. Bowman and Byron can still race their way in via the Open next Saturday, and both are currently among the top 10 in the fan vote to earn a spot in the All-Star Race that way.
"Really proud of everybody at Hendrick Motorsports – our race cars are so much better than what we started the year with,” Bowman said. “We'll keep digging next week and try to go get into the All-Star, go win the All-Star then go try to win the 600."