BRISTOL, Tenn. – In a race that spanned two days due to inclement weather, Jimmie Johnson led his teammates to the checkered flag with a top-10 result.
Johnson earned a seventh-place result Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway, and he was joined inside the top 15 by the other three Hendrick Motorsports drivers.
Jeff Gordon was next to take the checkered flag in 11th, followed by Kasey Kahne in 13th and Chase Elliott in 15th.
Kevin Harvick took home the victory.
Below is a detailed look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared at Bristol.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 DRIVE TO END HUNGER CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 13th
STANDINGS: 17th
RECAP: Starting 19th, Kahne jumped five positions in the early laps Saturday night before rain forced a red flag and postponed the remainder of the race to Sunday. When the race resumed, he found the top 10 on Lap 65, within six laps of the restart. He continued running inside the top 15, settling into 14th on Lap 100. By Lap 200, he was still running inside the top 20, holding on to the 17th position. After briefly falling outside of the top 20 on a restart on Lap 263, he raced all the way into the top 15 on Lap 317. After avoiding a multiple-car incident following a restart on Lap 372, Kahne made it all the way to 10th, and when a red flag waved for rain with 54 laps remaining in the race, he found himself in 11th. When the race resumed, Kahne continued to race inside the top 15, ultimately taking home a 13th-place result.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 24 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 15th
STANDINGS: 12th
RECAP: Elliott’s race at Bristol began just outside the top five in sixth, but by Lap 3 he had already jumped to the runner-up position. On Lap 10, he took the lead for the first time, leading 14 laps before falling back to second. That is where he was running when a red flag flew due to inclement weather, which ultimately pushed the remainder of the race to Sunday. When the race resumed, he continued to run inside the top five, settling into fifth on Lap 130. By Lap 200, he had settled into eighth place. He continued to battle in and around the top 10 for the next 100 laps, settling into 10th on Lap 290. Once again just outside of the top 10, the No. 24 Chevrolet SS took damage during a multiple-car incident following a restart on Lap 372. After multiple trips to pit road for repairs, he restarted 16th on Lap 390. He had advanced to 14th when a red flag waved for rain with 54 laps remaining in the race. When the race resumed, Elliott continued to race inside the top 15, taking the checkered flag 15th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’S/KOBALT TOOLS CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 7th
STANDINGS: 9th
RECAP: Johnson started Saturday night’s race from the 16th position, but he reported to the No. 48 team that his car was “really loose” and he fell outside of the top 20. He chose to pit under caution as rain began to arrive at Bristol, and he returned to the track in 29th just before a red flag waved and pushed the remainder of the race to Sunday. When the race resumed, Johnson reported the No. 48 Chevrolet SS still needed more grip, and he continued battling until he found the top 15 just before Lap 200. On Lap 263, Johnson restarted just outside the top 10 in 11th, but reported that he was losing his power steering and made slight contact with a competitor, causing him to drop outside the top 20. He once again found the top 15 by Lap 320 thanks to a fast restart. He continued his push through the field, and after a caution on Lap 358, Johnson restarted eighth. The No. 48 Chevy took some slight damage to the rear during a multiple-car incident following a restart on Lap 372, but it did not require Johnson to head to pit road. He restarted in third on Lap 390 as his race toward the front continued, and he briefly found the runner-up spot before falling back to third. That is where he remained when a red flag waved for rain with 54 laps to go. When the race resumed, Johnson fell outside of the top five on the restart, but advanced to seventh before the checkered flag.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
STANDINGS: 21st
RECAP: Rolling off the grid just outside of the top 10 in 11th, Gordon quickly jumped up to eighth by Lap 6. When a red flag halted the race after 48 laps and pushed the remainder to Sunday, he was running eighth. When the race resumed, he continued that progress, finding the runner-up position on Lap 107. He continued to run inside the top five for the next portion of the race, thanks in part to another quick restart that got him back up to second on Lap 165. Four laps later, however, the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet SS got very loose and Gordon nearly made contact with the wall as he headed up the racetrack. That caused him to fall outside of the top 15, and he settled into 19th on Lap 200. He found the top 15 once again on a restart on Lap 263. He continued to push toward the top 10, finding it after avoiding a multiple-car incident following a restart on Lap 372. He found himself in 11th with 100 laps to go, and had advanced to ninth with 54 laps remaining when a red flag waved for rain. When the race resumed, Gordon held that position, ultimately taking the checkered flag 11th.