CONCORD, N.C. – The doubleheader at Dover had its highs and lows for Hendrick Motorsports, especially for William Byron and Alex Bowman.
The teammates ran into some unprecedented problems during Saturday’s race that didn’t yield their desired result. However, the duo rallied on Sunday to each secure a top-five finish.
“It was like a completely different race car and completely different race for us (Sunday) compared to (Saturday),” Byron said. “We had the Axalta Chevy doing the things we wanted it to do on most runs. It just felt good out there.”
Byron’s fourth-place finish helped keep him inside the playoff bubble after his 28th-place result from Saturday. Just four points below the playoff line is teammate Jimmie Johnson, who finished seventh and third in Saturday and Sunday’s races, respectively.
Bowman had a similar experience to Byron at the Delaware track. He was frustrated with his 21st-place result from Saturday afternoon but was able to turn around his Acronis Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE and nab a fifth-place finish on Sunday.
The feat was especially impressive after Bowman started from the rear due to the No. 88 team moving to its reserve car. He had sustained damage to his Chevrolet Saturday, prompting the change.
“Man, I am so proud of everyone at Hendrick Motorsports,” Bowman said. “Three cars in the top-five today. For us to pull out a backup car, the No. 88 team did a great job getting everything together and regrouping after (Saturday’s) issues. We needed to get things turned around and this is a good step in the right direction.”
Bowman already is locked into the playoffs after he won at Auto Club Speedway in March. Teammate Chase Elliott has his spot secured, as well. If Byron has a similar result at Daytona International Speedway in the regular-season finale on Saturday, he has a very high chance of earning his second playoff appearance in his three-year Cup Series career.
“Overall, this is good for our Axalta team,” Byron said. “Now we’re going to Daytona where it’s going to be insane. I don’t think you can really points race. It’s going to be a race to be as aggressive as you can and hopefully things fall your way.”