CONCORD, N.C. -- Chase Elliott notched his second runner-up finish of the season and led two of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates to three top-five finishes Sunday at Martinsville Speedway.
The race, originally scheduled for Saturday, was postponed to due rain at the track. Rescheduled for Sunday, the Hendrick Motorsports drivers had to switch gears and restart under a different circumstance than they had studied for.
Elliott, who won in his last appearance at “The Paperclip,” made a strong late-race push to finish second. Following closely behind, William Byron finished fourth and Kyle Larson placed fifth. Alex Bowman was caught in an on-track incident that resulted in a 34th-place finish.
Martin Truex Jr. won the race.
Take a look at how the race unfolded for the Hendrick Motorsports drivers at Martinsville Speedway.
KYLE LARSON, NO. 5 HENDRICKCARS.COM CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 5th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Hitting the track Saturday night, Larson started the race 19th and made a few passes to find himself in 13th by Lap 37.
- NASCAR later waved the red flag on Lap 42 for inclement weather on in the Martinsville area that postponed the event to Sunday. Larson restarted the race 11th and breached the top 10 by Lap 61, running eighth.
- Finding momentum early, Larson surged through the field and was sixth by Lap 82. He finished Stage 1 in fourth.
- Larson held onto fourth for the start of the second stage. He fell back a few spots, running sixth by Lap 159.
- A caution came out on Lap 240 and Larson headed to the pits for a fresh set of tires and some fuel, restacking in ninth. He fell a few more spots on the restart and finished Stage 2 in 13th.
- After pitting for another set of tires and more fuel, Larson shuffled back to the pack in 15th. A caution came out on Lap 275 which saw Larson in 14th. Another caution came out shortly after on Lap 290. Larson pitted and rejoined the field in 16th.
- He found success in the adjustments made under caution and breached the top 10 on Lap 305, running 10th. Another caution came out on Lap 320 and Larson headed back for more tires and fuel, resetting in 14th.
- With two more cautions on Lap 329 and 339, Larson was 14th for both. A larger on-track incident happened on Lap 386, resulting in a red flag stop. Larson had made his way to sixth after pitting under yellow.
- Larson reset in sixth and ran his way up to third by Lap 452 after pitting under another caution. Larson fought hard with teammate Chase Elliott for third but ended up finishing the race in fifth.
CHASE ELLIOTT, NO. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 2nd
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Elliott started his night fifth and stayed there until the first caution on Lap 37. NASCAR later stopped the race for inclement weather on Lap 42 and Elliott was sixth.
- When the race resumed Sunday, Elliott restarted in fourth and finished Stage 1 there. Elliott was in ninth for the Stage 2 restart. Quickly gaining traction, he jumped to seventh by Lap 167 and eventually worked his way inside the top five by Lap 218.
- A caution came out on Lap 240 and Elliott headed to the pits for four fresh tires and fuel, quickly rejoining the field in fifth for the restart of the race. Elliott finished the second stage in fifth.
- Pitting at the stage break, Elliott reset for the final stage in 13th. A caution came out on Lap 275 and Elliott was in 12th after resetting. Elliott pushed his way through the field under green and punched into the top- by Lap 281.
- Once again, caution lights flashed on Lap 290 and Elliott pitted under yellow, getting four tires and fuel before rejoining the pack in 19th. Putting those new tires to work, Elliott ran back to 12th by Lap 318. Three cautions in quick succession allowed Elliott to move up to seventh.
- Striking again, caution lights came on Lap 348 and Elliott had made his way back to fourth. A large on-track incident occurred on Lap 386 resulting in a red-flag stop. Elliott later pitted when the yellow flag followed the red flag, reshuffling with the field in fourth.
- The final caution of the race came out on Lap 452 and Elliott grabbed a fresh set of tires and topped off his fuel before making his final push to the front. Restacking in fourth with 35 to go, Elliott quickly made his way to third and battled for second, where he ultimately finished the race.
WILLIAM BYRON, NO. 24 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 4th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Byron started the race third and pushed to second by the eighth lap. The night’s first caution came out on Lap 37 and Byron fell to seventh. The race was later delayed to Sunday for inclement weather.
- Byron restarted the race seventh and finished the first stage in sixth. After pitting, Byron was sitting in fifth.
- The first caution came out and Byron had fallen back to 10th. After pitting under caution, he rejoined the field in 11th. He picked up a few spots in the remaining laps of the second stage, finishing seventh.
- Byron elected to stay out under the stage break, pushing him to third. A caution came out on Lap 290 and Byron had fallen back to ninth. Pitting under caution, Byron reset in ninth but made quick work with his new tires, pushing up to the lead by Lap 315.
- A caution came out on Lap 320 and Byron pitted with the field, restacking in second. Surviving a series of cautions, Byron fell back to seventh on Lap 365.
- A red flag stopped the race on Lap 386 and Byron sat in 10th. He pitted under yellow and grabbed four fresh tires and fuel, rejoining the rest of the field in 14th.
- With 71 laps left, Byron reached the top 10, running ninth. With 30 to go, he was up to sixth and pushed into the top five to place fourth.
ALEX BOWMAN, NO. 48 ALLY CHEVROLET CAMARO ZL1 1LE
FINISHED: 34th
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Bowman started 20th at Martinsville, making his way up to 14th by Lap 37. After pitting under a yellow flag, Bowman reset in 13th. On Lap 42, NASCAR postponed the race to Sunday for inclement weather.
- After the race resumed Sunday, Bowman pushed his way to seventh by Lap 102. He finished Stage 1 in that position.
- Bowman pitted at the stage break and returned to the track in sixth. By Lap 166, Bowman was inside the top five in fourth place. He went on to finish Stage 2 in that position.
- Pitting at the stage break, Bowman rejoined the field in 14th. Running consistently through a series of cautions, Bowman made his way into the top 10 on Lap 301 in eighth. Another caution came out on Lap 320 and Bowman was sitting fourth. By Lap 348, Bowman had made his way to second but had to pit under green for a vibration he felt in the race car.
- He rejoined the field in 29th. A large on-track incident caught the No. 48 Ally Chevrolet on Lap 386, which ended Bowman’s night early. He placed 34th.