CONCORD, N.C. – Following Alex Bowman’s winning performance at Chicagoland Speedway, one by one his Hendrick Motorsports teammates headed to Victory Lane to congratulate him and join the celebration.
It was a Sunday that saw three of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers lead laps and finish in the top eight, with all four crossing the finish line inside the top 11.
Following Bowman to the checkered flag, Jimmie Johnson completed his best finish of the 2019 campaign so far, finishing fourth after leading 10 laps at Chicagoland.
"It was just a solid performance for our Ally team – I’m really proud of everyone,” he said. “This No. 48 team is smiling.”
After Johnson climbed out of his car, he shared that he couldn’t wait to congratulate Bowman for his relentless effort on the track.
“The way some of those restarts unfolded, the No. 88 had a great opportunity with the draft and working very well and got the lead,” Johnson said. “Once he had that control, there was really no taking it from him.”
William Byron, driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, was the next of the teammates to finish the 400-mile race in eighth, claiming his fifth top-10 result of the season.
“We were really good,” he said. “I just have to close in on those details a little bit more. We, as a team, are really close.”
After leading nine laps and earning extra points from top-10 stage finishes, Byron had a successful day in the “Windy City” and continued to climb in the point standings.
“Alex and those guys were really fast,” Byron said. “Congrats to them; they did a great job.
“Hopefully we can piggy-back on that. I think we had another good points day, which doesn’t sound great, but we are making our way up the playoff grid.”
Chase Elliott rounded out the organization’s day by finishing 11th and picked up some extra points by finishing Stage 2 in second.
Afterward, he took to Twitter to congratulate his teammate, Bowman, and the No. 88 team. No. 88 team crew chief Greg Ives even replied to the tweet to show his appreciation.
With all four teams showing speed at Chicagoland, the organization will look to keep up the momentum when the NASCAR Cup Series heads to Daytona International Speedway this weekend.
"I'm extremely happy for Hendrick Motorsports,” Johnson said. “It was a good night."