Chase Briscoe wins Southern 500 in NASCAR playoffs opener

DARLINGTON, S.C. — Chase Briscoe shared some historical past along with his second straight Southern 500 victory at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. He hopes to make a bit extra this season as he goes after his first NASCAR Cup Series title.

Briscoe held off Tyler Reddick on the ultimate lap to turn out to be simply the eighth driver in inventory racing historical past with consecutive wins on the observe dubbed “Too Tough to Tame.” The record contains Hall of Famers and greats reminiscent of Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Allison.

“The expectation was to go and contend for wins,” Briscoe stated about his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. “It definitely took more time than I expected, but tonight I feel like we showed what we’re capable of.”

Briscoe took the lead early, gained each levels and led 309 of 367 laps. Not solely did he advance into the spherical of 12, however he grew to become the primary driver with consecutive wins in NASCAR’s crown jewel race since Greg Biffle in 2005 and 2006.

“It’s so cool to win two Southern 500s in a row,” the 30-year-old Indiana driver stated. “This is my favorite race of the year.”

A yr in the past, when the race was the final of the common season, Briscoe used a late, four-wide go to maneuver in entrance and win his method into the playoffs. This time, he had the baddest machine on the block all through.

“I definitely [feel] like I’m holding up my end of the bargain,” Briscoe stated.

Briscoe moved in entrance early and cruised via a lot of the occasion on NASCAR’s oldest superspeedway. After Reddick swept previous him on the restart for the ultimate phase, Briscoe acquired again in entrance a lap later and simply moved into the lead after every of his ultimate three pit stops.

Reddick went low and acquired to Briscoe’s door on the ultimate lap however couldn’t end the go. Briscoe held on to win for the second second time this season and fourth time in his profession.

“That was way harder than it needed to be,” stated Briscoe, additionally the winner at Pocono in June.

Briscoe’s workforce proprietor, Joe Gibbs, recalled greeting the driving force in victory lane right here final yr when he was ending up racing for now defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. Soon sufficient, Briscoe was picked to succeed retiring JGR champion Martin Truex Jr.

Gibbs was amazed how shortly Briscoe crew chief James Smalls had the automobile difficult for wins because it had prior to now.

“Certainly, this wasn’t something we expected,” Gibbs stated.

Two-time Southern 500 winner Erik Jones was third, adopted by John Hunter Nemechek and AJ Allmendinger. Playoff racers Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin, Briscoe’s JGR teammate, have been subsequent.

Playoff issues

It was a not an ideal evening for a lot of the playoff area as a number of contenders struggled. Only 4 playoff racers have been within the prime 10.

Josh Berry, who was already beneath the 12-man cutoff line coming into Darlington, spun out moments after the race started and had to enter the storage. It was the primary Cup Series playoff run for Berry, who drives for the Wood Brothers. Berry returned to the observe halfway via the second stage, 119 laps off the lead.

Alex Bowman was amongst simply two playoff drivers and not using a win this yr and wanted a robust exhibiting at Darlington to maneuver up from sixteenth. Bowman pitted a number of occasions to seek out velocity and as an alternative discovered issues, together with a malfunctioning air hose that saved him on pit highway for about 30 seconds.

Penske driver Ryan Blaney, who gained a NASCAR title two years in the past and took Daytona final week, was one of many circuit’s hottest drivers with six straight prime 10 finishes. But spun out on Lap 209 whereas thirteenth to slip down the playoff standings.

The 4 drivers beneath the minimize line are defending champion Joey Logano in thirteenth, then Austin Dillon, Bowman and Berry.

“It was not what we were expecting,” Logano stated about his Twentieth-place end.

Toyota on prime

The prime 4 all drove Toyotas — simply the third time that has occurred for the reason that producer joined the Cup Series in 2007. In all six of the primary seven have been driving Toyotas, together with playoff contenders Briscoe, Reddick, Wallace and Hamlin.

Hamlin is co-owner of 23XI Racing together with Michael Jordan with the workforce’s two playoff drivers in Reddick and Wallace within the prime six.

“It was a good day for them and a great day for Toyota in general,” Hamlin stated.

Up subsequent

The playoffs proceed Sept. 7 at World Wide Technology Raceway outdoors of St. Louis in second of three first-round races — the spherical concludes at Bristol on Sept. 13 — earlier than the sector is minimize from 16 to 12.