Chase Briscoe Wins 2nd Straight Southern 500 To Advance in NASCAR Playoffs

Chase Briscoe held off Tyler Reddick at Darlington Raceway on Sunday evening to win the Southern 500 for the second straight 12 months and advance to the second spherical of the NASCAR Cup Collection playoffs.

Briscoe, in his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing, took the lead early, received each phases and led 309 of 367 laps. Not solely did he advance into the spherical of 12, he turned the primary driver with consecutive wins in NASCAR’s crown jewel race since Greg Biffle in 2005 and 2006.

“It is so cool to win two Southern 500s in a row,” the 30-year-old Indiana driver stated. “That is my favourite race of the 12 months.”

A 12 months in the past, when the race was the final of the common season, Briscoe used a late, four-wide cross to maneuver in entrance and win his approach into the playoffs. This time, he had the baddest machine on the block all through.

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

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

“That was approach more durable than it wanted to be,” stated Briscoe, additionally the winner at Pocono in June.

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 not an incredible evening for many of the playoff subject as a number of contenders struggled. Solely 4 playoff racers have been within the high 10.

Josh Berry, who was already under 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 Collection playoff run for Berry, who drives for the Wooden Brothers. Berry returned to the observe halfway by the second stage, 119 laps off the lead.

Alex Bowman was amongst simply two playoff drivers with out a win this 12 months and wanted a robust displaying at Darlington to maneuver up from sixteenth. Bowman pitted a number of occasions to search out pace and as a substitute discovered issues, together with a malfunctioning air hose that stored him on pit highway for about 30 seconds.

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

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

“It was not what we have been anticipating,” Logano stated about his Twentieth-place end.

Toyota on high

The highest 4 all drove Toyotas — simply the third time that has occurred because the producer joined the Cup Collection 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 high six.

“It was an excellent day for them and an incredible day for Toyota basically,” Hamlin stated.

Up subsequent

The playoffs proceed subsequent Sunday at World Huge Expertise Raceway outdoors of St. Louis within the second of three first-round races — the spherical concludes at Bristol on Sept. 13 — earlier than the sphere is reduce from 16 to 12.

Reporting by The Related Press.

Need nice tales delivered proper to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports activities account, comply with leagues, groups and gamers to obtain a customized e-newsletter day by day!