Chase Briscoe secured a thrilling victory at the Southern 500 at Darlington, holding off Kyle Busch in a nail-biting finish to clinch his spot in the playoffs on Sunday night. The race was marked by a chaotic series of cautions that threw strategies into disarray, but when the dust settled, Briscoe emerged triumphant behind the wheel of the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang.
Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) will close at the conclusion of the season, but not before giving itself one more chance to contend for a third Cup Series championship, it was announced earlier this year. Briscoe, an ardent Tony Stewart fan, was emotional after the win, reflecting on the significance of the victory for the entire SHR team. “To get this No. It’s incredible that all 320+ personnel have 14 cars back in Victory Lane and can compete for a title in their last year,” Briscoe remarked, his voice choked with emotion. He likened the dramatic finish to a previous encounter with Busch at Darlington, recalling how loose his car felt as he fought to maintain the lead.
Commenting on SHR’s impending closure, Briscoe recalled the team’s resolve when they learned the news. We all looked at each other that day and declared, “We’re in this together till the very end,” after learning that the team would no longer be together. We kept saying ‘we got one bullet left in the chamber,’ and that bullet hit.”
The race’s turning point came when Ross Chastain, on older tires, stayed out with less than 30 laps to go, creating an opening for other drivers to challenge Kyle Larson, who had dominated the first two stages. Briscoe seized the opportunity, executing a daring three-wide move to take the lead just before a multi-car wreck unfolded behind him, involving Josh Berry, Ty Gibbs, and Bubba Wallace, the latter’s playoff hopes effectively ending in the crash.
Under caution, Busch led a group of drivers to pit road for fresher tires in preparation for the final dash to the finish. On the restart, Busch sliced through the field and closed in on Briscoe, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t find a way around the determined leader. Briscoe held on to win the Southern 500, marking only the second victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Busch, finishing second, ended the regular season with consecutive runner-up finishes, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Christopher Bell took third place, followed by Kyle Larson in fourth and Ross Chastain in fifth. Rounding out the top ten were Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie, and Tyler Reddick. Despite battling illness throughout the race, Reddick secured the regular season title by a single point over Larson. Martin Truex Jr., Ty Gibbs, and Briscoe were present, (who crashed early in the race) earned their playoff spots, notable drivers like Buescher, Wallace, Chastain, and Busch fell short of the 2024 championship fight.
