NASCAR

NASCAR Cup Series Fans Respond To Chase Briscoe Claiming Cook Out Southern 500 Title, Earning Playoff Spot At Darlington Raceway

By
Jeff Hawkins
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Jeff Hawkins Sports Editor

Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than three decades in the industry, in both print and digital media. He joined the Sportscasting team in 2021 following a decade of freelancing. He spent his early career as a reporter for various newspapers in Illinois, New York, Florida, North Carolina, and Michigan, with a particular emphasis as a beat reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from Oakland University. Over the course of his career he earned several sports writing awards, including two national awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors for column writing and news reporting. One of the five prized columns included a commentary on NASCAR's increasing corporate influences, particularly in northern racetracks — commentary which you might find Jeff building on as part of the Motorsports writing team at Sportscasting now.  

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Published02 Sep 2024

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chase briscoe pit road at darlington (1)

Chase Briscoe outran all the drama. 

With the final three NASCAR Cup Series playoff spots on the line and the regular-season championship at stake during Sunday night, underdog Chase Briscoe outdueled a desperate two-time series champion to earn the Cook Out Southern 500 title. 

Kyle Busch, who failed to qualify for the postseason for the first time in 12 seasons, pressured Briscoe over the final laps, nearly forcing the leader into a mistake.    

“I was sideways … counter-steering,” Briscoe told NBC Sports, describing his actions to fend off Busch. “This is a crown jewel. I can’t wait to celebrate.” 

The win snapped Stewart-Haas Racing’s 73-race winless skid and zapped the postseason chances of drivers like pole-sitter Bubba Wallace. 

Despite feeling ill, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Tyler Reddick held off Hendrick Motorsports’ Kyle Larson for the regular-season points championship. 

X (Twitter) users replied to the bubble drivers competing for a playoff spot – and airtime on Netflix … 

In honor of a legend … 

Enjoy the experience … 

The final fight for the playoffs started without incident … 

But the innocence didn’t last long as trouble discovered Martin Truex Jr., who tapped William Byron (24), lost control and took out defending circuit champion Ryan Blaney on Lap 3 … 

Truex told NBC Sports his early crash “was all my fault.” Despite his absence, Truex’s retirement tour will continue into the playoffs after his team clinched a spot during the third stage … 

Busch (8) and Ross Chastain (1) made stage-one contact, but remained in control and challenged for the checkered flag. Chastain placed P3 after leading for three rotations … 

Larson, the Stage 1 winner, made the first big move to catch Reddick for the regular-season title, but faded down the stretch after leading for a race-high 263 laps … 

Needing 44 points to clinch the regular-season title, Reddick felt a bit woozy. A pit crew member attempted to hand Reddick medicine, but he dropped them and could not take any. Seven laps later, while running P3, Reddick’s machine made slight contact with the Turn 3 wall. He finished P10 … 

Following a Josh Berry-inspired wreck on Lap 344, Chastain stayed out while most of the field pitted. Ty Gibbs, who earned the final playoff spot, also stayed out …

On the final restart, Chastain elected to start on the outside lane and Larson took the inside. Briscoe, however, made the move that saved his team’s season. He went low and created a three-wide scenario before claiming the lead for good … 

Wallace, a 23XI Racing pilot, came up short of the playoffs. His fate was sealed after getting mixed up in the final altercation. The sixth-year driver qualified for his first – and only – postseason appearance last season, but failed to repeat. His organization is co-owned by Michael Jordan, who demands greatness …   

When Stewart-Haas Racing announced it was ceasing its Cup operations at the end of the season, Briscoe and the No. 14 Ford team staged an informal meeting. “The day we found out the shop wouldn’t exist anymore, we said we’re in this until the end,” Briscoe told NBC Sports. “We had one bullet left in the chamber and that bullet hit” … 

Entering Sunday night, three playoff spots were unclaimed. Twenty-one drivers vied for one of the openings. Briscoe and Gibbs grabbed the opportunities …  

The postseason cometh …