Briscoe Conquers the Southern 500: Historic Double in NASCAR

Chase Briscoe demonstrated his dominance in the Southern 500 for the second consecutive year at Darlington Raceway, an achievement that places him in a select group of drivers in motorsports history.

Briscoe: In pursuit of the title

Briscoe, after an intense battle with Tyler Reddick on the last lap, secured his victory, becoming the eighth driver in the history of the competition to achieve consecutive wins at this circuit, known for its difficulty.

The expectation was to compete for victories. It definitely took longer than I expected, but tonight I feel like we showed what we are capable of.

Chase Briscoe

Briscoe led most of the race, winning both stages and leading 309 of the 367 laps. In addition to advancing to the next round, he became the first driver to achieve consecutive victories in this iconic race since Greg Biffle in 2005 and 2006.

The 30-year-old Indiana driver expressed his excitement for this victory, highlighting the importance of this race for him. Unlike the previous year, when victory secured him a place in the playoffs, this time Briscoe demonstrated superior performance from the start. Reddick tried to overtake Briscoe on the last lap, but couldn’t complete the pass. Briscoe celebrated his second win of the season and the fourth of his career.

It was much harder than it should have been.

Chase Briscoe

Briscoe team owner Joe Gibbs recalled the meeting in Victory Lane the previous year and the team’s rapid adaptation with the new driver, highlighting the performance of crew chief James Smalls. Erik Jones, two-time Southern 500 winner, finished third, followed by John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger. Other prominent playoff drivers, such as Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin, also had good performances.

Playoff Problems

The race presented difficulties for several competitors in the playoffs. Only four playoff drivers managed to finish in the top ten. Josh Berry had problems from the start, while Alex Bowman, who needed a good result, faced technical issues. Ryan Blaney, one of the most consistent drivers, suffered a spin that affected his position in the playoffs. The four drivers below the cut line are defending champion Joey Logano, Austin Dillon, Bowman, and Berry.

It wasn’t what we expected.

Joey Logano

Toyota Ownership

The top four places were occupied by Toyota drivers, an uncommon occurrence since the brand joined the Cup Series in 2007. Denny Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing along with Michael Jordan, celebrated the success of his team and Toyota.

It was a good day for them and a great day for Toyota in general.

Denny Hamlin

Upcoming Events

The playoffs will continue on September 7 at the World Wide Technology Raceway, followed by the last race of the first round in Bristol on September 13, where the number of competitors will be reduced from 16 to 12.