CONCORD, N.C. – Alex Bowman made a late-race pass to secure Hendrick Motorsports’ sixth consecutive win in the 2021 NASCAR Cup Series season in Saturday's race at Pocono Raceway.
Bowman passed teammate Kyle Larson in the final corner of Saturday’s 130-lap race at Pocono Raceway after the No. 5 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE’s left-front tire went down. Larson wasn’t able to extend his winning streak but was able to record a top-10 finish.
The Ally Chevrolet driver’s victory is Hendrick Motorsports’ ninth win in 2021 and the organization’s sixth consecutive win is now tied for third most all-time and the most in the modern-era.
“I hate to win one that way,” Bowman said after taking his third checkered flag of the season. “I’m super proud of this Ally No. 48 team. Man, we kind of gave the lead away. We were on two tires and just got super tight. I tried to hold (Larson) off as long as I could. I can’t say enough about everybody at (Hendrick Motorsports) right now, the body shop, engine shop, chassis shop. Top to bottom, everybody is putting race cars on the racetrack.”
William Byron’s top-10 finishes continue with the driver of the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet taking home a third-place finish in the first race at the Pocono doubleheader weekend. He now owns 14 top-10 finishes in 2021, which is the most of all drivers.
Chase Elliott made a strong recovery after an early-race incident placed him deep in the field due to repairs. The NAPA Chevrolet team went on to secure a 12th-place finish.
Take a look below to see how the Hendrick Motorsports drivers did in Saturday’s race at Pocono Raceway.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 9th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Larson took to the Pennsylvania track from the pole position but fell to second by the first caution on lap nine. He elected to stay out and maintained his position when the race went green again. A second caution flag waved on lap 14 and Larson stayed out again, keeping his second-place position.
- After the restart, Larson fell to third and finished Stage 1 there. He pitted at the stage break and reshuffled to 17th. Larson’s fresh tires and fuel helped him push through the field, breaking into the top-10 on lap 43, running 10th.
- On lap 53, there was another caution and Larson was up to fifth before the yellow flag waved. He pitted under caution and reset in eighth. Another caution came on lap 60 and Larson was in ninth. Another caution fell on lap 72 but Larson had made his way into fifth before finishing Stage 2 in second.
- Larson pitted at the stage break and rejoined the field in third for the final stage. The 28-year-old driver took the lead again on lap 93 but fell back to third by the caution on lap 108. He stayed out and reset third. He chased down his teammate Bowman for the lead and passed him with four to go. Just before making the final turn, the left-front tire went flat, and Larson crossed the finish line in ninth.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 12th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started the first race at Pocono in 29th and received damage to his left-rear fender upon the start of the race. The race’s first caution came on lap nine and he headed to the pits to get his fender fixed. He headed back out to the track in 38th. Another caution came on lap 14 and Elliott pitted again, reshuffling to 36th.
- He pushed through the field before finishing Stage 1 in 25th. Elliott pitted at the stage break and rejoined the field in 37th but charged through the field, breeching the top-20 by lap 44, running 20th. The 25-year-old driver made his way to 14th before another caution on lap 53.
- He took his No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE to the pits under caution and rejoined in 17th. Another caution came on lap 72 and Elliott restacked in sixth but fell back and finished stage two in 11th.
- After pitting at the final stage break, Elliott reset in 25th but charged his way through the field, sitting third before having to pit in the pit window on lap 108 when a caution flag waved. After pitting, Elliott rejoined in 16th and moved to 14th on lap 125 before finishing in 12th.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA ELECTROLIGHT COLOR OF THE YEAR CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 3rd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron rolled off the grid from second, next to teammate Larson at the 2.5-mile track. He quickly fell to fourth but found his groove and took the lead by the first caution on lap nine. Byron stayed out and reset in first, maintaining his position through the next caution on lap 14. He was passed on lap 18 and finished stage one on second.
- After pitting at the stage break, Byron rejoined in 15th but launched his No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro through the field, breeching the top-10 by lap 43, running 10th. Another caution came on lap 53, Byron was in eighth and pitted under caution. After a fast stop by his pit crew, Byron was up to third for the restart.
- A caution came on lap 60 and the 23-year-old driver was in seventh but pushed to fourth by lap 65, ultimately finishing Stage 2there. Byron reset for the final stage in second after choosing the inside lane. He fell back to fourth on the restart. After a long green-flag run, Byron reshuffled to seventh after a caution on lap 108. He charged to fourth by lap 112 before finishing the race in third.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 1st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started the Pocono doubleheader weekend in 13th but dropped to 20th by lap four. The race’s first caution came on lap nine and he was in 19th. He reset in 16th and ran there until implementing a pit-strategy plan that saw him pit under green on lap 22. He rejoined the field in 36th and finished Stage 1 there.
- Bowman stayed out and relegated to 14th. He breeched the top-10 on lap 38, sitting 10th and continued to push through the field, sitting seventh by lap 53 where another caution flag waved. After pitting under caution, Bowman reshuffled in 15th. Another caution came on lap 60 and Bowman reshuffled in 10th. After another caution on lap 72, Bowman reset in 12th before finishing Stage 2in eighth.
- The 28-year-old driver pitted under caution and rejoined the field for the final stage in 11th. The final caution of the race came on lap 112 and Bowman used the choose rule to propel himself to second. He was passed by teammate Larson with four to go. As Larson approached the final turn, his left-front tire went flat and Bowman took the lead to win the race.