CONCORD, N.C. – Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Alex Bowman – joining the field thanks to winning the fan vote – led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in the NASCAR All-Star Race.
The driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 took the checkered flag in eighth.
He was joined in the top 10 by William Byron, who raced his way into the main event by winning the first stage of the Open earlier in the evening. The driver of the No. 24 Hendrick Autoguard Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 crossed the finish line in ninth in his first All-Star appearance.
Chase Elliott and Jimmie Johnson also finished back-to-back in 14th and 15th, respectively.
Kyle Larson took home the $1 million prize by winning the All-Star Race.
Below is a closer look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates fared Saturday night at Charlotte.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA BRAKES CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 14th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott began Saturday night’s main event in 11th, but within three laps he was knocking on the door of the top five in sixth. He held that position until a caution flag waved with four laps to go in the opening segment of the race. He brought the No. 9 NAPA Brakes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to pit road, and quick work by the No. 9 crew allowed him to gain three positions before the overtime restart. In three-wide racing, Elliott got caught in the middle shortly after the green flag waved, getting shuffled back in traffic to finish Stage 1 in eighth.
- In Stage 2, Elliott remained inside the top 10, settling into the ninth position early in the segment. He maintained that position as the laps wound down and finished the second stage in ninth.
- The No. 9 pit crew remained on top of its game during a stop prior to the start of the third stage as Elliott gained four spots on pit road. Shortly after the green flag waved, he jumped inside the top five to fourth. With nine laps to go in the segment, he moved into third, and three laps later he climbed into the runner-up position. He maintained that spot to finish Stage 3 in second.
- Three cars stayed on the track prior to the start of the final, 15-lap stage, including Elliott, allowing him to take the green flag in second. Right away he was battling the lead when the green flag dropped and he briefly found it before falling back to second before a caution flag waved with 13 laps to go. He once again took the lead on the ensuing green flag but fell back to second shortly thereafter before another caution came one lap later. He lined up third for the restart, but cars with fresher tires began to catch him this time around, and Elliott fell outside of the top 10. He took the checkered flag in 14th.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 HENDRICK AUTOGUARD CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 9th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- After racing his way into the event by winning Stage 1 of the Open, Byron began the All-Star Race in 16th. He gradually moved his way toward the top 10, running 12th when a caution flag with four laps to go sent the opening segment to a two-lap overtime race to the finish. He gained one more spot to finish Stage 1 in 11th.
- Byron moved inside the top 10 early in the second stage, and he pushed into the top five with 10 laps to go in the segment. Five laps later, he moved up to fourth and maintained that position through the end of the segment.
- The No. 24 team gained Byron a position on pit road prior to the start of Stage 3, and the driver capitalized on their quick work. After running just outside of the top five with 11 laps to go in the segment, Byron climbed to fifth one lap later, made it fourth a lap after that, and advanced all the way to third with three laps remaining. He held that position to finish Stage 3 in third.
- Following a trip to pit road, Byron began the final stage in eighth and he continued to battle inside the top 10 in the early goings of the 15-lap segment. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line ninth in his first career All-Star Race.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 15th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting the All-Star Race in eighth, Johnson was shuffled back in traffic early in the event and fell outside of the top 10. During a caution with four laps to go in the opening segment, quick work by the No. 48 team gained two spots for Johnson on pit road, and he lined up 10th for the overtime restart. In the battle toward the finish line, Johnson and a competitor made contact, causing left-rear damage to the No. 48 Chevy. Still, Johnson finished the opening segment in ninth.
- While the majority of the field stayed out, Johnson headed to pit road before the start of the second segment in order for the No. 48 team to repair some damage, and he was outside of the top 15 for much of Stage 2 as a result. He finished the stage in 18th.
- Battling the handling of his car, Johnson ran outside of the top 15 early in Stage 3. During a caution, he headed to pit road with 15 laps to go in the segment. He took advantage of the fresh tires to move as high as seventh with nine laps to go in the segment before ultimately finishing the third stage in 11th.
- Johnson took the green flag for the final segment in 14th, and though he fell outside of the top 15 to 18th with just 10 laps to go, he climbed back up to 15th before the checkered flag waved.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 8th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Joining the All-Star Race field as the fan vote winner, Bowman took the green flag in 19th. He got to work pushing toward the top 15 but remained just outside of it until a caution flag waved with four laps to go in Stage 1, sending it to overtime. He lined up 14th for the two-lap sprint to the finish and quickly gained four spots to finish the opening segment in 10th.
- Bowman jumped up to sixth early in Stage 2, but fell outside of the top 10 before making contact with the wall midway through the segment. That caused him to drop back and he finished the second stage in 15th.
- Heading to pit road to repair the damage, Bowman was penalized for pitting too soon prior to the start of Stage 3. Racing in 18th early in the segment, he climbed as high as 12th with 11 laps to go in the segment. Down the stretch, he fell two positions to finish the third stage in 14th.
- Bowman started the final segment of the event in 12th, but he made contact with the wall during a brief stint of four-wide racing. Still, he persevered despite falling back to 17th with 13 laps remaining and began to climb his way back toward the top 10. By the end of the race, he had moved all the way up to eighth to lead Hendrick Motorsports in the All-Star Race.