CONCORD, N.C. -- In an overtime finish, Chase Elliott placed second Sunday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
It was Elliott's best finish of the season so far. He was in first heading into the final laps of the race when William Byron brought out a caution due to a tire issue.
Elliott opted to head to pit road and try and thunder back on fresh tires but he was unable to regain the lead.
"You just make the best decision you can based on the information you have," Elliott said of making the final pit stop. "When you are leading the race like that, people behind you are going to do the exact opposite of what you do."
Alex Bowman finished in 19th, Byron finished in 20th and Jimmie Johnson placed 40th in the 400-lap event. Johnson originally finished second but his vehicle failed post-race inspection. No. 48 crew chief Cliff Daniels said it was "tough news" to hear.
Overall, Hendrick Motorsports drivers led for 208 laps, including 164 from Bowman.
Brad Keselowski won the race.
Below is a closer look at how Sunday's race at Charlotte unfolded for the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 2nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started on the second row in third and was down to fourth by lap two. By lap 13 he was back in third, where he remained until the competition caution came out on lap 20.
- The field went under red after rain started falling on Charlotte Motor Speedway. Over an hour later the race resumed and Elliott was in second. At one point he was close to passing teammate Alex Bowman for first place, but Bowman was able to pull away.
- With 18 laps left in Stage 1 Elliott dropped to third place. He remained in that position as the stage finished under caution.
- The field went green on lap 106 and Elliott was riding in fourth. He decided to go to pit road at the halfway point of Stage 2 and came out in 17th. He was quick to get back in the top 10 and soon was in sixth by lap 165.
- Elliott was in fourth place with 31 laps left in Stage 2. However, William Byron passed him with a couple of laps left in the stage and Elliott fell to fifth.
- He had some rubber stuck to his tire coming out of pit road between stages and had to pit again to adjust. This caused Elliott to fall to 18th. He settled in 16th a few laps later.
- Fifty laps into the stage Elliott was up to 13th. He was in third for a few seconds when several leaders pitted, but soon he followed suit and came back on the track in 16th. He was in 10th when the sixth caution came out on lap 275.
- Elliott decided to stay out when a chunk of the field pitted during the caution and moved up to third. He was shuffled back and ended up in 16th. He was 18th by the end of the third stage.
- He broke into the top 10 and was in eighth place 327 laps in. His run continued as he moved to seventh with 69 laps to go and was in sixth when the seventh caution of the race came out.
- Elliott was in fourth coming off pit road and moved to second when the field went green after he pushed Johnson. He took his first lead of the night with 34 laps left in the race.
- Elliott maintained the lead until the final caution occurred with two laps to go and the race went to overtime. He went to pit road for four fresh tires and came out in 11th. Elliott was able to move up and finished in third, which later changed to a second-place finish.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 20th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron qualified for 10th and was in 11th by the second lap. However, he quickly moved back to 10th. He was up a spot to ninth by the 13th lap.
- Coming off pit road after the competition caution Byron jumped up another spot to eighth. By the 33rd lap Byron climbed again to seventh. He inched up another position to sixth by lap 48.
- After the rain delay, he was in eighth place but fell to 10th 70 laps in after teammate Jimmie Johnson edged him. He was in ninth when the first stage ended.
- Byron made his move to sixth place at the start of Stage 2. After the caution lifted, he was in eighth place, then moved up two spots and settled in sixth.
- Byron broke into the top five 45 laps into Stage 2 right behind Chase Elliott. He headed to pit road and was 18th halfway through Stage 2.
- When other drivers pitted Byron worked his way back to fifth with 31 laps left in Stage 2. He surpassed Elliott for fourth place toward the very end of Stage 2, which is how he finished.
- At the start of Stage 3 Byron was in third. He maintained that spot for the next 30 slaps until he dropped to fourth. After he pitted, he came out in sixth place and was in fifth 75 laps into the third stage. Byron fell to eighth toward the end of Stage 3 and finished in 10th.
- He climbed to fifth within the first few laps of the final stage and soon settled in sixth behind two of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
- Byron was fifth coming off pit road with 50 laps left in the race and lost that spot to Bowman. In the last 10 laps he was in seventh place. With three laps left he spun out due to a tire issue and brought out the final caution. His final finishing place was 20th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 40th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Johnson earned his fourth front-row placement for the 600-mile event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He remained in second place when the competition caution came out on lap 20.
- He was in fourth coming off pit road and moved up to third for a few seconds, then dropped to fifth. He got loose and was close to touching the wall but Johnson was able to recover in 12th.
- Once the rain passed and the field returned to the track, Johnson had jumped up to 10th and put all four Hendrick Motorsports drivers in the top 10. He surpassed teammate William Byron for ninth place 70 laps in and finished the first stage in eighth.
- By lap 107 Johnson still was in eighth. Ten laps later he had fallen four spots to 12th. Johnson decided not to go to pit road with half the field, putting him in fourth with 44 laps left in Stage 2.
- Johnson took over the lead spot when teammate Alex Bowman decided to pit. However, he was quick to get two new tires at lap 163 and and was in 14th coming out.
- He was in 10th on lap 170 and in ninth a few seconds later. After the sixth caution of the race Johnson was able to push up to fourth, which is how he finished Stage 3.
- Johnson slid up to third with 92 laps left in the race and made his case for second place a few laps later. He came off pit road first after the seventh caution and was in first place. He was unable to get the push he needed to get ahead and fell to third.
- Overtime saw Johnson move up to second place, which is how he finished. However, the No. 48 Chevrolet did not pass post-race inspection, which regulated him to 40th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/NOCO CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 19th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started in 12th and was in 13th by the fourth lap. He dropped to 14th but by the time the competition caution came out he was in 13th again. When the field went green Bowman was in 12th, then fell behind teammate Jimmie Johnson in 13th.
- After a lengthy rain delay, Bowman was riding in first place after he decided to take just two tires on pit road. He remained the leader of the field and earned the first stage win of the race.
- With 41 laps left in the second stage Bowman decided to pit and he came off in eighth place. He soon worked his way back to first as other members of the field pitted. He finished the stage in first, marking the first time he’s won at least two stages in one race.
- Bowman lost the lead on lap 224 after leading for more than 160 laps and was in third by lap 245. He said he was starting to feel a vibration in his car and headed to pit road. Bowman came off in eighth and soon worked his way up to fourth.
- Bowman was in third place 64 laps into Stage 3. He took over in second 275 laps in but decided to take fresh tires when the sixth caution occurred. He jumped back on the track in sixth and soon moved to third.
- Bowman was in second with 10 laps left in Stage 3 and maintained that position until the end of the stage. He was in third by lap 304 and fell to fourth after Johnson pushed ahead of him. Once Johnson was in second place Bowman was able to get to third again.
- Heading off pit road with 50 laps left, Bowman dropped five spots to eighth. He was battling teammate William Byron for the fifth spot and prevailed.
- In overtime, Bowman was up in third place but a lug nut issue caused him to fall toward the back of the field. He finished 19th.