DARLINGTON, S.C. – Chase Briscoe demonstrated his dominance in the Southern 500 by securing his second consecutive victory at Darlington Raceway last Sunday. The driver is now aiming for his first title in the NASCAR Cup Series this season.Briscoe overtook Tyler Reddick on the final lap, joining a select group of eight drivers with consecutive wins at this iconic track, known as “Too Tough to Tame.” This list includes legends like Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon, and Bobby Allison.
Briscoe led from the start, winning both stages and dominating 309 of the 367 laps. In addition to advancing to the next round, he became the first driver to achieve consecutive victories in this NASCAR race since Greg Biffle in 2005 and 2006.The expectation was to compete for victories. It definitely took longer than I expected, but tonight I think we showed what we are capable of.
Chase Briscoe
The previous year, Briscoe secured his place in the playoffs with a bold overtake in the final laps. On this occasion, he proved to be the strongest throughout the race.It’s incredible to win two Southern 500s in a row. This is my favorite race of the year.
Chase Briscoe
After Reddick passed him on the restart, Briscoe quickly regained the lead and held firm after each pit stop.Reddick attempted an overtake on the last lap, but Briscoe held firm, securing his second win of the season and the fourth of his career.I definitely feel like I’m doing my part.
Chase Briscoe
The owner of the Briscoe team, Joe Gibbs, recalled receiving the driver in the victory lane the previous year, when Briscoe was still competing for Stewart-Haas Racing. Gibbs was impressed by how quickly Briscoe’s crew chief, James Smalls, got the car competing for wins.It was much harder than it should have been.
Chase Briscoe
Erik Jones finished third, followed by John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger. Playoff drivers Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin, Briscoe’s teammate, rounded out the top spots.Certainly, this was not something we expected.
Joe Gibbs
Playoff Problems
The day was not favorable for many contenders in the playoffs, with several drivers facing difficulties. Only four of the playoff drivers finished in the top ten.Josh Berry, who was already below the cut line before Darlington, spun at the start of the race and had to go to the garage. Alex Bowman, one of the two winless playoff drivers this year, needed a good performance at Darlington to move up from 16th place, but faced problems in the pit stops.Ryan Blaney, winner of a NASCAR title two years ago, spun on lap 209, causing him to drop in the playoff 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 on Top
The first four drivers drove Toyotas, the third time this has happened since the manufacturer joined the Cup Series in 2007. In six of the first seven positions were Toyota drivers, including playoff contenders Briscoe, Reddick, Wallace, and Hamlin.
Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, with the team’s two drivers in the playoffs, Reddick and Wallace, finishing in the top six.It was a good day for them and a great day for Toyota in general.
Denny Hamlin
