Briscoe Two-Time Champion at the Southern 500: Dominates Darlington and Pursues NASCAR Title

Chase Briscoe Conquers Darlington and Aims for the NASCAR Cup Series Championship

In a demonstration of absolute dominance, Chase Briscoe claimed his second consecutive victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. The Indiana driver, with this feat, seeks to consolidate his path towards his first title in the NASCAR Cup Series. Briscoe, displaying exceptional skill, managed to hold off Tyler Reddick on the final lap, securing his place in the competition’s history. This victory makes him the eighth driver in stock car racing history to achieve consecutive wins at this track, 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 think we showed what we are capable of.

Chase Briscoe

Briscoe led from the start, winning both stages and dominating 309 of the 367 laps. In addition to securing his advance to the next round, he became the first driver to achieve consecutive victories in this prestigious race since Greg Biffle in 2005 and 2006.

Chase Briscoe led from the start, won both stages and dominated 309 of the 367 laps before holding off Tyler Reddick on Sunday night at Darlington Raceway.The 30-year-old driver expressed his joy at this achievement, highlighting the importance of this race in his calendar. In the previous edition, Briscoe secured the victory in the final laps, securing his place in the playoffs. On this occasion, he demonstrated superior performance throughout the race. After being overtaken by Reddick on the restart of the final stage, Briscoe regained the lead on the next lap, consolidating his position in each of his final three pit stops. Reddick tried to snatch the victory on the last lap, but Briscoe managed to hold the lead, securing 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 welcoming the driver to the winner’s circle last year, when Briscoe was still competing for Stewart-Haas Racing. Gibbs praised how quickly Briscoe’s crew chief, James Smalls, got the car competing for wins. Erik Jones finished in third place, followed by John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger. Playoff drivers Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin, Briscoe’s teammate, rounded out the top spots.

Playoff Problems for the Contenders

The night was not favorable for several contenders in the playoffs, with multiple difficulties. Only four playoff drivers managed to finish 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 needed a good performance at Darlington to move up from sixteenth position. Ryan Blaney, who won a NASCAR title two years ago, spun out on lap 209. 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 Demonstrates Its Power

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. Hamlin co-owns 23XI Racing with Michael Jordan, with the team’s two playoff drivers, Reddick and Wallace, in the top six.

It was a good day for them and a great day for Toyota overall.

Denny Hamlin

Next Stop

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