CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott took home the checkered flag Wednesday night after he dominated the field during the 2020 All-Star Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE won Stages 2 and 3 before crossing the finish line first in the final stage and earning the $1 million prize.
"I can't believe it," Elliott said after the race as the crowd cheered. "There's nothing like Bristol, there's nothing like the lights here, there's nothing like racing everyone here. I'm very proud of our team tonight. ... We're going to celebrate this one, for sure. We'll take that million dollars back to Georgia."
It was the first All-Star Race held at Bristol. Interestingly, the only other all-star event that wasn't at Charlotte Motor Speedway was when Atlanta Motor Speedway hosted the event in 1986, the year Elliott's father, Bill Elliott, won the event. Chase Elliott's win on Wednesday makes him and Bill Elliott the second father-son duo to earn all-star victories.
Alex Bowman followed next for the Hendrick Motorsports drivers, finishing in eighth place. William Byron, who earned his spot in the All-Star Race by winning Stage 2 of the Open earlier in the day, ended the race in 12th. Jimmie Johnson rounded out the group with a 17th-place finish.
The 2020 event marked the 19th time Hendrick Motorsports had all four drivers in the All-Star Race.
Below is a closer look at how the All-Star Race unfolded for the four Hendrick Motorsports teammates.
CHASE ELLIOTT, UNIFIRST CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 1st
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Chase Elliott began the race in 13th. He quickly sliced through the field and was riding in sixth when the first caution flag dropped on the seventh lap.
- A couple of laps after the restart, Elliott moved into the top five. He put the pressure on the fourth-place driver and cleanly surpassed him with 25 laps to go in the first stage. Elliott moved ahead of teammate Alex Bowman for third place with 15 laps to go in Stage 1. He kept that position to end the stage.
- For the restart, Elliott edged up to the second spot. A caution came out right after the stage began, prompting another restart. Once the field was green again, Elliott surged to first from the outside lane, taking the lead for the first time. He kept the top spot for the rest of the segment and crossed the finish line as the Stage 2 winner.
- Elliott was in third for the beginning of Stage 3. He jockeyed hard to keep that spot and slipped to fourth for a few seconds but was able to get ahead of the other driver and jump back to third.
- With 20 laps to go, Elliott edged up to second place. Five laps later, Elliott reclaimed the lead. He crossed the finish line in first for his second stage win of the night.
- Elliott was flying high at the start of the fourth stage, keeping his top position. He didn’t relinquish the lead in the final stage and earned his first all-star win.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 12th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- William Byron started off in the Open when he rolled off the grid in seventh. He finished the first stage as the runner up, setting him up to take the lead for the second segment.
- Byron rode steady in first place until the end of Stage 2, punching his ticket into the All-Star Race. With that win, he took his place in the all-star lineup in 18th.
- He moved up to 14th when the first caution occurred. Byron was up another spot to 13th by the 22nd lap. Twenty circuits later, Byron was down to 14th. He edged back up the 13th to finish Stage 1.
- Byron moved up toward the middle of Stage 2 and was riding in 11th by lap 75. He slipped down to 12th a couple laps later, which is how he ended the second stage.
- The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE was in 14th for the beginning of the third stage. He moved up to 13th several laps in and rode steady in that position to end the stage.
- Byron moved up to 12th right after Stage 4 began. The 15 laps flew by fast and Byron finished the race in that same position.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 17th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Four-time All-Star Race champion Jimmie Johnson rolled off the grid in 14th. He dropped to 16th when the first caution came out on the seventh lap.
- Johnson started to push his way up the field and was riding in 11th by lap 21. He broke into the top 10 two laps later. However, Johnson was back in 11th by lap 30, which is where he remained for the rest of Stage 1.
- When the race resumed, Johnson surged up to eighth. Soon he was shuffled back and was riding in 14th with 17 laps left in Stage 2. Johnson maintained that spot and finished the stage in that position.
- Johnson was in 15th for the beginning of Stage 3. He moved up to 14th a short time later, which is how he finished the 35-lap stage.
- The driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE moved up to 11th for the final 15 laps but was shuffled again. He was in 17th with five laps remaining, which is how he ended the race.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 CHEVYGOODS.COM/ ADAM'S POLISHES CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 8th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Alex Bowman was on the front row for the start of the All-Star Race, starting in second. He quickly was in first within the first lap. By the sixth lap, he was back in second. The first caution came out on the seventh lap, which saw Bowman in third.
- He was passed by teammate Chase Elliott on lap 40 and slipped to fourth. He tailed Elliott for the rest of the first stage and finished in that spot.
- Bowman slipped to fifth during the 30th lap but battled back and snagged the fourth-place position again. Bowman stayed tight in fourth for the most of the stage but crossed the finish line in fifth.
- At the start of Stage 3, Bowman was riding in seventh. He quickly jumped to sixth for a lap but then fell to eighth by lap 100. Eight circuits later, he slipped another spot to ninth, which is where he ended Stage 3.
- Bowman fell back to 10th for the start of the final stage. Six laps later, he moved back to ninth. Bowman jumped up again to eighth with six to go and ended the All-Star Race in that position.