Chase Briscoe held off Tyler Reddick at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night and advanced to the second round of the NACAR Cup Series playoffs.
— Chase Briscoe shared some history with his second straight Southern 500 victory at Darlington Raceway on Sunday. He hopes to make a bit more this season as he goes after his first NASCAR Cup Series title.
Briscoe held off Tyler Reddick on the final lap to become just the eighth driver in stock racing history with consecutive wins at the track «Too Tough To Tame.» The list includes Hall of Famers and greats like Dale Earnhardt, Cale Yarborough, Jeff Gordon and Bobby Allison.
«The expectation was to go and contend for wins», Briscoe said 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, won both stages and led 309 of 367 laps. Not only did he advance into the round of 12, he became the first 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 said. «This is my favorite race of the year.»
A year ago, when the race was the last of the regular season, Briscoe used a late, four-wide pass to move in front and win his way into the playoffs. This time, he had the baddest machine on the block throughout.
«I definitely like I’m holding up my end of the bargain», Briscoe said.
