Chase Briscoe held off Kyle Busch to win the Southern 500 at Darlington, locking himself into the playoffs in a dramatic showdown on Sunday night.
The race was decided by a series of cautions that caused utter chaos, with strategies in tatter. But when the dust settled, it was the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang that emerged victorious.
Earlier this year, it was announced that Stewart-Haas Racing will shut down at season's end, but before it does, the team will have one more shot to win a third Cup Series title.
"Everybody knows I'm a diehard Tony Stewart fan," said Briscoe through tears. "To get this No. 14 car back in Victory Lane for all 320-something employees, and to be able to race for a championship in their final year is unbelievable. God is just so good. It's like deja vu there at the end with Kyle [Busch], with the Xfinity race here in 2020. I was so loose. I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it."
Speaking on the closure of SHR, Briscoe added: "The day we found out the team wasn't going to exist anymore. We went over to the shop floor and we all looked at each other and we said, we're in this to the end. We're not gonna give up. We kept saying 'we've got one bullet left in the chamber' and that bullet hit."
Watch: Chase Briscoe: ‘Unbelievable’ after clinching playoff spot with win
When Ross Chastain stayed out on older tyres with under 30 laps to go at Darlington, it presented an opportunity for drivers to break the stranglehold Kyle Larson had on the event after dominating the first two stages. Briscoe made a sensational three-wide move for the lead, moving into the top spot just before a multi-car pileup ensued behind him.
Josh Berry and Ty Gibbs tangled, collecting playoff hopeful Bubba Wallace and effectively ending his chances. Under caution, Kyle Busch led a group of drivers down pitroad to fit fresher rubber ahead of a mad dash to the finish.
At the restart, Busch quickly cut his way through the pack. He ran down Briscoe, desperately looking for a way around him. He never got alongside. Briscoe clawed his way to the checkered flag, winning the Southern 500 and earning just the second win of his NASCAR Cup Series career. Busch ended the regular season with back-to-back runner-up finishes, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2012.
Christopher Bell finished third in Sunday's race, Kyle Larson fourth, and Ross Chastain fifth. Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie, and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top ten. Reddick, who battled sickness all night, won the regular season title by a single point over Larson.
While Briscoe, Ty Gibbs, and Martin Truex Jr. (who wrecked on the third lap of the race) locked themselves into the playoffs, several big names just missed out. Buescher, Wallace, Chastain and Busch will not be part of the 2024 championship fight.
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Source: Autosport