The three-time reigning Daytona 500 champion rallied from a long evening at his home track to grab a transfer spot to the second round of the Playoffs.
The Welcome, North Carolina, native backed up his run at Darlington by posting a top-five run at Richmond and recording his first back-to-back top-five results in the Cup circuit.
The Columbus, Ohio, native wrapped up the Xfinity Series regular-season championship following a top-10 run and capping off an eventful doubleheader run at Richmond.
The Riverton, Illinois, veteran backed up his first Richmond on Friday night by dominating and winning the second Richmond event on Saturday afternoon, thus carrying extra momentum prior to the Playoffs.
The seven-time Cup championship crew chief for Hendrick Motorsports' No. 24 team is set to reach a milestone start in his 20th full-time season as a crew chief.
Stewart-Haas Racing's Aric Almirola and Clint Bowyer rallied from a long night of racing and their share of on-track issues to record top-10 results in the Playoff opener at Darlington Raceway.
