NASCAR
Chase Briscoe Takes Southern 500 Triumph, Playoff Berth for Stewart-Haas
DARLINGTON, S.C. – 2024’s regular season for the NASCAR Cup Series ends on a high note with another new winner breaking through. Chase Briscoe keeps Stewart-Haas Racing’s Playoff record alive with a Darlington victory. The Southern 500 lived up to its crown jewel status and then some, closing out the run to the Playoffs with peak drama.
Kyle Larson was a man on a mission from the drop of the green flag. Gunning for the Regular Season Championship, the No. 5 led all but 64 laps across both stages, eyeing a max-points night to enter the postseason with peak momentum.
The only stoppage across either Stage happened very early, with Martin Truex Jr finding trouble on lap two. Truex said he overdrove turn one and just lost it, making contact with William Byron and then Ryan Blaney. Both Truex and Blaney were done for the night mere seconds into the Southern 500, leaving much to be desired.
What could have been a catastrophic blow in Truex’s swan song season did have one silver lining. The No. 19 did clinch a Playoff berth after Stage 2. Truex will have postseason representation in his final full-time year of NASCAR.
Stage 3 began with Larson quickly scooting out to a large lead. The 5 was simply in a class of his own, with very little seemingly standing between him and another Darlington trophy. Larson’s march to one of the most dominant wins in recent memory would only be halted by Ross Chastain.
Needing a miracle to make the Playoffs, Chastain’s team opted for a three-stop Stage 3 strategy. This led to the No. 1 staying out under one caution, inheriting the lead as the only car on old tires.
Chastain would quickly be swallowed up on the restart, thanks to a three-wide dive bomb turn three move by Chase Briscoe. The No. 14 Ford also faced a must-win Playoff fate, and drove the laps of his life to close out Darlington.
Even a hungry Kyle Busch on fresher tires was no match for Briscoe, who takes his second Cup triumph. In their last year of operation, Stewart-Haas Racing puts their flagship No. 14 into the postseason.
“For all 320 employees, everybody, to be able to race for a championship in their final year, man, unbelievable. God is just so good. It’s like déjà vu there at the end with Kyle, with the Xfinity race here in 2020. Obviously I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do it.”
“Yeah, just can’t thank HighPoint.com, Mahindra Tractors, Rush Truck Centers, Rinnai, Zep, everybody that makes this deal go around. Go to Atlanta and try to steal another one.”
“This group, the day that we found out that the team wasn’t going to exist any more, we went over to the shop floor, we all looked at each other and said, We’re in this till the end. We’re not going to give this up. We kept saying all week we got one bullet left in the chamber. That’s bullet hit.”
“I was sideways, counter steering. Like I was in a sprint car. Yeah, this night just literally went perfect. The pit crew did an incredible job. I was crying. After the checkered, I just won the Southern 500, this is a crown jewel. What makes this race so special is all these race fans. Every time we come here, it’s sold out. It’s awesome. We love you guys. Last time I won here was during COVID, I didn’t experience it with the fans. Glad that you are here and can’t wait to celebrate.”
Behind Briscoe and Busch at the finish were Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Ross Chastain. Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Corey Lajoie, and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top-10. Hear from a few of these drivers below.
The final Playoff berth went to Ty Gibbs, who out-scored Chris Buescher by 12 points. Despite valiant top-10 efforts, both Chastain and Buescher missed the 16-man cut. Reddick also edges Larson by one point for the Regular Season Championship.
The championship gauntlet begins in less than a week from Atlanta Motor Speedway. The sight of the three-wide photo finish in the spring has the chance to send one contender into the Round of 12. The Quaker State 400 goes green Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on USA, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR radio Channel 90. Who can survive the feared drafting track that opens the 10-week chase for a championship? Will anyone’s season come to a crashing end?
Written by Peter Stratta
Be sure to follow us on Twitter/X
Be sure to follow the writer on Twitter/X
Photo Credits to James Gilbert/Getty Images
