Briscoe Bi-Champion in Southern 500: Dominance and Challenge in NASCAR

Chase Briscoe marked a significant milestone by securing his second consecutive victory in the Southern 500, held at Darlington Raceway last Sunday. This achievement places him in a privileged position as he pursues his first title in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Briscoe in Darlington’s History

Briscoe, after an intense battle with Tyler Reddick on the last lap, became the eighth driver in the history of stock car racing with consecutive wins at this circuit, known as “Too Tough to Tame”. This select group includes legends like Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon, and Bobby Allison.

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 dominated the race from the start, winning both stages and leading 309 of the 367 laps. In addition to advancing to the next round, he became the first driver with consecutive wins in this prestigious NASCAR race since Greg Biffle in 2005 and 2006.

The 30-year-old Indiana driver expressed his joy at this achievement: “It’s incredible to win two consecutive Southern 500s. This is my favorite race of the year.” Unlike the previous year, where a bold maneuver secured him victory in the last race of the regular season, this time Briscoe proved to be the strongest from the start. After a restart in the final segment, Reddick tried to overtake him, but Briscoe quickly regained the position, consolidating his lead after each of his last three pit stops. Reddick attempted a final attack on the last lap, but failed to overtake, securing Briscoe’s victory.

It was much harder than necessary.

Chase Briscoe

The owner of the Briscoe team, Joe Gibbs, recalled his meeting with the driver in Victory Lane last year, and the rapid adaptation of the team led by crew chief James Smalls, who quickly put him in contention for victories. Gibbs expressed his surprise at how quickly the team achieved this performance. Erik Jones, a two-time Southern 500 winner, finished third, followed by John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger. Other prominent playoff drivers, such as Bubba Wallace and Briscoe’s teammate Denny Hamlin, also achieved good results.

Problems for Championship Aspirants

The day was not favorable for several playoff competitors, with only four drivers in the top 10. Josh Berry, who was already below the cut line, had to abandon the race early. Alex Bowman, in need of a good result, faced technical problems. Ryan Blaney, one of the most outstanding drivers, spun out, relegating him in the standings. 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 positions were occupied by Toyota drivers, something that has only happened three times since the manufacturer joined the Cup Series in 2007. In six of the first seven places there were also Toyota drivers, including Briscoe, Reddick, Wallace and Hamlin, all of them competing in the playoffs.

Hamlin, co-owner of 23XI Racing along with Michael Jordan, saw his two playoff drivers, Reddick and Wallace, finish in the top six.

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

Denny Hamlin

Upcoming Races

The playoffs continue on September 7 at World Wide Technology Raceway, followed by the second of three races in the first round, which will conclude in Bristol on September 13, before the group is reduced from 16 to 12 drivers.