HAMPTON, Ga. – Alex Bowman led the way for Hendrick Motorsports Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The driver of the No. 88 Axalta Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 earned a 15th-place finish in the second race of the 2019 NASCAR Cup Series season.
He was joined inside the top 20 by teammates William Byron and Chase Elliott, who finished 17th and 19th, respectively.
Jimmie Johnson took home a 24th-place result.
Brad Keselowski captured the win.
Below is a closer look at how the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers fared Sunday at Atlanta.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 19th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Taking the green flag in 22nd, Elliott wasted little time advancing through the field, finding 11th by Lap 8. He continued to knock on the door of the top 10 for the remainder of the segment, finishing Stage 1 in 14th.
- Thanks to quick work by the No. 9 team on pit road between segments, Elliott began Stage 2 in ninth. He fell just outside of the top 10 before making a green-flag stop, and returned to the track in 11th. As tires continued to wear down, Elliott fell to 16th at the green-checkered flag to end Stage 2.
- After an extended pit stop to repair nose damage to the No. 9 Chevy, Elliott began the race’s final segment in 20th. As competitors began to make green-flag pit stops, Elliott stayed on the track to move inside of the top 15. He then headed to pit road under caution and restarted in 12th with fewer than 100 laps remaining.
- After making a scheduled green-flag stop, a caution flag trapped Elliott a lap down before he took a wave-around to return to the lead lap – and he found himself in sixth for the restart with 43 laps to go. Shortly after the green flag, however, he fell back to 21st. He gained two positions back before the checkered flag waved, taking home a 19th-place finish.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 17th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron rolled off the grid 17th Sunday at Atlanta, and after moving up to 13th by Lap 8, he held steady inside the top 20 for the majority of the opening segment. He took the green-checkered flag to end Stage 1 in 15th.
- The driver of the No. 24 Liberty University Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 began Stage 2 in 13th, and he remained inside the top 20 through a cycle of green-flag pit stops. He returned to the track in 13th, and once again he maintained his top-20 position as the laps wound down, finishing Stage 2 in 19th.
- Byron took the green flag for the final segment in 15th but dropped outside of the top 20 before making a green-flag pit stop. Shortly thereafter, a caution flag waved in the middle of the cycle of green-flag pit stops, but Byron took a wave-around to remain on the lead lap and restarted 20th with fewer than 100 laps remaining.
- After making a green-flag pit stop, a caution flag once again trapped Byron a lap down, but he was able to take another wave-around to return to the lead lap and restart 17th with 43 laps to go. He maintained that position through the checkered flag, finishing 17th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 24th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Starting Sunday’s race just outside the top 10 in 11th, Johnson relayed that he was battling the handling of his No. 48 Ally Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 throughout Stage 1. He fell outside of the top 20 before a competition caution at Lap 35 and ultimately finished the opening segment in 25th.
- Johnson began Stage 2 in 26th after multiple trips to pit road, and with 32 laps to go in the segment, he was passed by the leader to fall a lap down running 25th. He remained in that position for the remainder of Stage 2.
- The final segment began with Johnson in 26th, and on Lap 219 he was passed by the leader to fall two laps down. He continued to battle just outside of the top 25 as the segment wound down, climbing to 25th with 57 laps remaining. He gained one more position before the checkered flag waved, finishing 24th.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 88 AXALTA CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1
FINISHED: 15th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman began Sunday’s race in 16th, and he remained consistent throughout the opening stage at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He teetered on the edge of the top 15 for the majority of Stage 1, taking the green-checkered flag in 19th.
- That’s where Bowman would begin Stage 2 as well, racing his way inside the top 15 before a green-flag pit stop, after which he returned to the track in 12th. As tire wear began to affect cars down the stretch, Bowman fell to 18th before the green-checkered flag waved to end Stage 2.
- Bowman began the race’s final segment in 19th, maintaining a top-20 position before heading to pit road for a green-flag stop. A caution flag waved shortly thereafter in the middle of the cycle of green-flag pit stops, however, but Bowman took a wave-around to avoid being trapped a lap down. He restarted 19th with fewer than 100 laps remaining.
- After another green-flag pit stop, a caution flag once again trapped Bowman a lap down, but he took the wave-around to return to the lead lap and restart 21st with 43 laps remaining. He began to climb back through the field, cracking the top 15 as the laps wound down and ultimately taking the checkered flag in 15th.