RIDGEWAY, Va. – Short-track racing at the paperclip-shaped track doesn’t disappoint. Sunday’s show was no exception.
Jeff Gordon fought hard throughout the 500-lap race and rallied from a speeding penalty to finish in the ninth position.
Kasey Kahne, who led 26 laps prior to the race’s halfway point, finished two spots behind Gordon in 11th.
After experiencing car troubles and being involved in separate incidents, Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag in 35th while Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 36th.“
“It’s been a tough race,” Earnhardt said when he visited the garage for repairs. “The car has been fast and we’ve been having fun out there.”
Making his Sprint Cup debut in the No. 25 NAPA Chevrolet SS, Chase Elliott was involved in an incident during a restart that resulted in the Dawsonville, Ga. native visiting the garage so his team can assess and repair damage. The 19-year-old driver eventually returned to track and finished the race 38th.
KASEY KAHNE, NO. 5 FARMERS INSURANCE CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 11th
STANDINGS: 5th
RECAP: Kahne took the green flag in the ninth position and raced inside the top 10 for much of the race’s first 100 laps. During the race’s fifth caution period, Kahne restarted 13th on Lap 100 but made his way back inside the top 10 just 30 laps later. After a routine pit stop when the sixth caution flag waved, Kahne was penalized on pit road for speeding and forced to restart in the 22nd position on Lap 171. During the next caution, he stayed out on the track and took over the lead on Lap 215 and held it for a total of 29 laps. At the halfway point, Kahne was running fourth. With 200 laps to go and running 12th after another caution, Kahne dug deep and found himself running eighth with just over 100 laps remaining. A visit to pit road during the race’s second-to-final caution led to routine service for the No. 5 Chevy SS. Kahne restarted 10th with 62 laps to go but fell one position, to 11th, by the time the checkers flew.
JEFF GORDON, NO. 24 AXALTA CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 9th
STANDINGS: 17th
RECAP: Gordon started Sunday’s 263-mile race from the fourth position but tough handling on the No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS resulted in the four-time NASCAR champion falling back to 15th by Lap 44. Gordon continued to work his way through the field and after making a pit stop during a caution he was in the 12th position on Lap 81. During the fifth caution of the day, Gordon brought his No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS onto pit road for four tires, fuel, and an adjustment. After the restart, he got shuffled back to the 20th position on Lap 109. Gordon made it back into the top 15 on Lap 130. Great work in the pits led to Gordon restarting inside the top on Lap 171 during the sixth caution period. after the sixth caution on Lap 171. After restarting 18th on Lap 215 during the ensuing caution, Gordon, again, re-entered the top 10 and was running ninth by the hallway point. The No. 24 Axalta Chevrolet SS cracked the top five for the first time since starting the race on Lap 266. With 200 laps to go, Gordon was running sixth and continued to fight his way to the front. On Lap 317, he cracked into the top three. A caution with just over 65 laps remaining saw Gordon visit his pit crew for fresh tires and fuel. Another great stop in the pits netted Gordon with a second-place restart position. The eight-time Martinsville race winner soon grabbed the lead for the first time of the race on Lap 443. A late-race caution saw Gordon getting penalized for speeding that forced him to restart 22nd with 34 laps to go. Gordon fought his way back to finish ninth.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO.25 NAPA CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 38th
STANDINGS:
RECAP: Elliott made his Sprint Cup debut in the 27th position, but quickly moved up to the 23rd position by Lap five. He continued to race hard, but eventually fell back to the 34th position by Lap 44. The third caution of the day came out on Lap 54 and during the restart Elliott was involved in an incident. On Lap 73 he brought his No. 25 NAPA Chevrolet SS into the garage to assess the damage. Elliott eventually made his way back to the track after being 66 laps down from the leader on Lap 145. At the halfway point he was running 42nd. Elliott ran consistently the rest of the race and finished 38th.
JIMMIE JOHNSON, NO. 48 LOWE’ S CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 35th
STANDINGS: 11th
RECAP: Johnson began the race rounding off the top five in the fifth-place starting position. After getting caught on the outside, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS fell to 11th by Lap 12. During the second caution of the race on Lap 23, Johnson went to pit road to change four tires, make chassis adjustments and refuel. With only a few cars coming from pit road, Johnson restarted in 32nd. Within only a few laps following the restart, the No. 48 team began making up some ground. By Lap 47, the team made up more than 10 positions running 20th on the historic short track. As he continued to pass competitors, Johnson noted to his teammates the chassis adjustments have the No. 48 Chevrolet SS running “much better.” On Lap 70, Johnson climbed his way back into the top 15 running 14th. Johnson once again got caught on the outside falling back to 20th on Lap 90. The team continued to run steady until they began to slip back into 27th by Lap 155. Johnson reported the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS was loose rolling in the center and off. The sixth caution of the day allowed for Johnson to return to pit road to make adjustments and receive fresh tires and fuel. Following the restart, Johnson remained steady racing in 25th through Lap 205 when another caution was brought out. During the pit stop, the team was penalized for throwing an object over the wall resulting in the No. 48 returning to the field in 37th with two laps down. Johnson ran strong and steady before suffering damage after trying to drive around the incident that put teammate, Earnhardt, in the garage for repair. As the race resumed under green, the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet SS team continued to repair the damages spending several laps on pit road. Johnson returned to the track 26 laps down and scored in 38th-place. The No. 48 picked up three positions finishing in 35th-place at the short track.
DALE EARNHARDT JR., NO. 88 DIET MOUNTAIN DEW CHEVROLET SS
FINISHED: 36th
STANDINGS: 9th
RECAP: Earnhardt’s 14th-place starting position didn’t last long, as he raced his way up two positions into 12th-place before the first caution of the day. After the restart, the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS broke into the top 10. The team continued to push forward claiming a sixth-place position on Lap 33. Within another five laps, Earnhardt reached his highest position of the race running fourth. On Lap 57, Earnhardt came to pit road under a caution for tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. Following the restart, the No. 88 team continued to battle amongst the top-six positions. On Lap 74, Earnhardt reported a vibration. He came to pit road from a top-five position under the fourth caution in the following lap. The team replaced all tires, including the loose front-left and returned to the track in 29th. By Lap 93, Earnhardt made a strong climb on the leaderboard reaching 21st before another yellow flag waved in the race. Luckily for the team, the No. 88 was able to pit under caution as Earnhardt had just reported he didn’t have a shifter. Earnhardt returned to the track on the lead lap running 38th on Lap 100. By Lap 160, the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Chevrolet SS was racing a steady 23rd position. The team fell back to 26th by Lap 195, as Earnhardt reported the shifter became loose once again. With the shifter repaired under caution, Earnhardt restarted 24th on Lap 214. Shortly thereafter, the No. 88 was involved in a multi-car incident on Lap 227 causing the 10th caution of the race. Heavy damage to the front end caused Earnhardt to head to the garage. The team worked together and was able to modify the No. 88 Chevrolet SS and bring it back out to the track within 50 laps. Earnhardt returned to the track 47 laps down and scored in 39th- place. In the remaining laps at the Martinsville track, Earnhardt was able to pick up three positions finishing the race in 36th-place.