MADISON, Ill. — Kyle Larson capped off an up and down afternoon at WWT Raceway with a top-10 result, the highest of all Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
After starting from the 13th position, Larson earned an 11th-place finish in the opening stage. However, his race nearly ended early after contact with Kyle Busch in the closing laps of stage two sent both drivers into the outside wall. Because the damage was minimal to the No. 5 entry, Larson was able to pit for minor repairs and stay on the lead lap for the final segment. Coming to the finish, crew chief Cliff Daniels kept his driver out for longer than most competitors during the final green flag run, opting to only put two tires on for their final stop. The result was the seventh top-10 finish for the team in 2024.
RELATED: See the sights from Larson's Indianapolis 500 run
Following Larson was Chase Elliott in 13th. On a day where passing was at a premium on longer green flag runs and several different pit strategies were in use, the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts team spent time inside the top-five. They would run as high as second during the race. On the final pit stop, the team also opted to take right-side tires only, similar to Larson. On the track, Elliott was able to maneuver into the 13th position to end the race.
William Byron earned the 15th position during Sunday afternoon's main event. Byron, the highest starting driver from Hendrick Motorsports, found success early and drove up to the sixth position to end stage one. However, as pit strategies cycled, Byron's No. 24 entry was caught a lap down during green flag pit stops in stage two due to an untimely caution. While he was able to use the wave around to rejoin the lead lap, his loss of track position proved difficult to overcome throughout the final stage and resulted in a 15th-place finish.
RELATED: Looking back at Jeff Gordon's first win, 30 years later
It was a 28th-place result for Alex Bowman on Sunday afternoon. Similar to Byron, the No. 48 Ally Racing team was caught a lap down during green flag pit stops and was unable to make their way back up the running order. Combined with brake issues during the final stage, team finished 28th at WWT Raceway.
Next weekend, Hendrick Motorsports returns to road course action at Sonoma Raceway. Catch all of the left and right-hand turns at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).