CONCORD, N.C. -- Alex Bowman led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to the checkered flag Sunday at the DAYTONA Road Course after a wild third stage.
Bowman started from the rear of the pack and worked his way through the field for a 10th-place finish.
Chase Elliott led the field for 44 laps, but he was spun out with six laps to go as he was moving into fourth place.
Kyle Larson also was running in the top three with less than 10 laps in the race. However, he fishtailed into a tire wall making a run for second and finished 30th.
William Byron also ran into trouble in the final laps with brake issues and a flat tire. He placed 33rd.
Christopher Bell won the race.
Take a look below to see how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers performed at the DAYTONA Road Course.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 NATIONSGUARD CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 30th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Larson began the race eighth and edged to seventh four laps in. He was battling for a spot in the top five shortly after the restart and finally moved to fifth place by the eighth lap.
- Larson had dropped to seventh when a second yellow flag fell on Lap 11. He restarted in 10th and jumped back into seventh place a lap later. Larson moved up a spot to sixth by the end of Stage 1.
- The 28-year-old driver kicked off the second stage 14th after he pitted between stages. Larson quickly jumped to ninth by Lap 20 and was seventh three laps later. He was in that position when yellow flag No. 3 came out.
- Larson remained on the track during the flag and restarted third. He was 10th with four laps left in the stage and was shuffled to 16th when Stage 2 ended.
- After opting not to pit, Larson was in seventh with 32 laps left. He held that position for 11 laps before he made the jump to fifth.
- Larson pitted again on Lap 50 and came back out in seventh. Five laps later, he broke back into the top five in fifth place. Larson pitted during a short rain delay and was 14th on the restart. He moved to ninth before the seventh caution was called.
- Larson took advantage of the eighth caution and was back in fifth on the restart. He jumped to third less than a lap in but slapped into the tire wall trying to make a run for second. Larson sustained damage and had to pit under green, which regulated him to a 30th-place finish.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 21st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started on the pole and pulled away from the field within the first lap. He deepened his lead throughout the first stage and headed to pit road when the second yellow flag dropped on Lap 13.
- Elliott lost the lead on the restart since one driver didn’t pit. It didn’t take long for Elliott to take over the lead and he placed first in Stage 1. It marked Elliott’s sixth stage win on a road course.
- No. 9 crew chief Alan Gustafson instructed Elliott to stay out between stages, allowing him to restart first. He kept the lead spot two thirds of the way through the second stage when the third yellow flag waved. Elliott pitted for four tires and returned to the track 14th.
- It didn’t take long for him to start working his way up the field. With three to go, Elliott was eighth behind teammate William Byron. He made a quick move to pass Byron and was sixth on the 33rd lap, which is how he ended Stage 2.
- The 25-year-old driver moved to fourth within the first two laps of Stage 3. It only took one lap for Elliott to jump to second and ride the first-place car’s bumper. By Lap 40, Elliott was back in first.
- He remained in front after he pitted 12 laps later and quickly returned to the course. A Florida rain shower brought out the yellow flag with 15 laps left in the race, forcing Elliott to pit.
- He was 15th when the race restarted and began to gained momentum. However, Elliott slipped off the track with 13 to go. A seventh yellow flag came out shortly after, allowing him to restart 14th.
- Elliott jumped to 10th after the eighth caution dropped on Lap 60. He moved to fifth with six laps left and tried to pass for fourth but was spun around. Elliott fell back to 24th and pushed up a few positions to finish 21st.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 33rd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron rolled off the grid 22nd and jumped five spots to 16th when the first caution came out on the second lap.
- Five laps into the race, Byron was up to 14th five laps into the race and was in 13th when he pitted under the second caution. However, a tire bounced away during his pit stop and Byron had to restart at the end of the field. He worked his way up to 22nd by the end of Stage 1.
- Crew chief Rudy Fugle made the call not to pit between stages, allowing Byron to restart Stage 2 in 10th place. He dropped only one position when a third yellow flag waved 12 laps later.
- Byron restarted 16th after pitting and surged to seventh with three laps left in the stage. Teammate Chase Elliott passed him less than a lap later and Byron finished Stage 2 in seventh place.
- Byron pitted between stages and restarted 18th. He was 15th by Lap 39 and moved to 10th a few of laps later. Byron was ninth when he was instructed to pit, coming out in 18th place.
- The 23-year-old driver was 16th by Lap 52 and moved to 10th three laps later. He pitted quickly afterward and was 18th with 12 laps to go. Byron was running strong when a small accident happened ahead of him and slowed him down. It brought out a caution and pushed Byron to 27th.
- He had to do a stop after missing the chicane and was 33rd with seven laps to go. Byron was down a lap after he suffered from a flat tire and brake issues within the last five laps. He crossing the finish line 33rd.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 10th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started in 36th place and surged to 30th when the first caution of the race came out. He edged to 29th after the restart and continued to work his way up the field. During Lap 10 he was riding 22nd.
- Bowman pitted with the majority of the field under the second yellow flag and was 19th for the restart. He moved to 16th shortly after the restart and kept that position until Stage 1 ended.
- Crew chief Greg Ives told Bowman to stay out between stages, which allowed him to begin the second leg of the race eighth. He slipped to 12th by Lap 20 and was down to 15th three laps later. He pitted for tires and fuel under the third yellow caution and restarted 14th.
- Bowman tumbled to 21st with three to go in Stage 2. He gained a spot before the second leg of the race ended.
- After restarting in the same spot, Bowman moved to 15th with 26 laps to go. He pitted on Lap 50 and came back out placed 20th. Two laps later, Bowman moved to 18th place.
- By the sixth yellow flag Bowman was riding in 12th place. He pitted and was in 17th when the next yellow flag dropped a couple laps later.
- Bowman took advantage of the caution and moved to 13th with nine laps to go. He inched up the leaderboard and was 10th during the final five laps, finishing in that spot.