Chase Briscoe Earns Second Consecutive Cook Out Southern 500 Win

Chase Briscoe etched his name alongside some of the best to ever race around Darlington Raceway on Sunday night, winning his second consecutive Cook Out Southern 500.

After leading 309 of the race's 367 laps, Briscoe held off Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones late in the race to secure back-to-back wins in the crown jewel event. The win also ensured a spot in the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs for the Mitchell, Indiana native.

Race Results: NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington

While Briscoe dominated the event, the late charge from Reddick and Jones put plenty of pressure on his shoulders. At race's end, Briscoe crossed the line just .408 seconds ahead of Reddick, as Toyota drivers claimed the top four positions in the final rundown.

“At the end, that was way harder than it needed to be,” said Briscoe. “Man, what an incredible Toyota. I’ve watched Martin [Truex, Jr.] dominate a lot of races. It was fun to finally be behind the wheel of it."

Briscoe is now 18th multi-time winner of the Southern 500. He is the first driver to win the event in back-to-back years since Greg BIffle did so in 2005-06.

Other drivers to win the crown jewel race in consecutive years include Herb Thomas (1954-55), Cale Yarborough (1973-74), David Pearson (1976-77), Dale Earnhardt (1989-90) and Jeff Gordon (1995-98).

"It's so cool to win two Southern 500s in a row," said Briscoe. "This is my favorite race of the year. It's because of you race fans. Every time we come here, the place is sold out and the atmosphere here is unlike anywhere else. It's a great way to start our Playoffs, and it was a lot of fun."

The win is also a statement for the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team to open the Playoffs. With one regular season victory, Briscoe's team flew under the radar entering the postseason, but the team showed its capabilities in a dominant showing on Sunday night.

"I feel like this is what we are definitely capable of doing," said Briscoe. "We haven't been able to go out and dominate a race like that. The potential's been there from day one."

For Tyler Reddick, there was an undeniable sting of disappointment on coming close yet again at Darlington without a win.

"The one time we got ahead of [Briscoe], we were a little too tight and they were able to get back by us," said Reddick. "We were better than he was on the long run. He could fire off a whole lot better, and I think that was the difference tonight.

"I could get close. I know we had a long run there. Unfortunately, it just seemed like that last run, the balance just wasn't quite as good as it had been the rest of the night on the long run."

However, Reddick's result was was also an impressive outcome after his race nearly derailed on the opening lap.

When Josh Berry lost control in turn two of lap one, he spun into Reddick's No. 45. Despite a precarious slide through the exit of turn two and the slightest tap of the outside wall, Reddick maintained control of his car and soldiered on to the second-place result.

With everything on the line in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, it could be a season-defining save for Reddick. 23XI Racing co-owner Michael Jordan reminded Reddick of that moment during a discussion after the race.

"It's a long race when you're in the 500," said Reddick. "I had pretty much forgotten that me and Berry got together on the first lap and we had all sorts of issues that we had to correct on that first pit stop, lost some time there. Pretty much from that point forward, our car was much more manageable.

"Obviously, looking at it, it's got a hole in the left side on the rocker panel. We were probably losing a little performance there, I think that's some more fire-off speed. This race could have been disastrous on lap one, and we survived that. I know we didn't lead any laps, but we got a lot of stage points and almost won the Southern 500. We'll turn these second-place finishes into a victory one day."

LEGACY MOTOR CLUB teammates Erik Jones and John Hunter Nemechek finished third and fourth, with A.J. Allmendinger rounding out the top five. Bubba Wallace and Denny Hamlin started their Playoff runs by finishing sixth and seventh, with Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar and Chris Buescher completing the top 10.

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs continue next Sunday, September 7, at World Wide Technology Raceway for the Enjoy Illinois 300. Coverage of the event begins at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

-Photo credit: Peter Casey, Lumen Digital Agency for Toyota Gazoo Racing