DARLINGTON, S.C. — Chase Briscoe shared some history with his second straight Southern 500 victory. 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 Sunday night at Darlington Raceway to become just the eighth driver in stock-car racing history with consecutive wins at the track “Too Tough To Tame.” The list of greats who have accomplished the feat includes Bobby Allison, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Cale Yarborough — all four of them in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“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 in the first of 10 races in the Cup Series playoffs. Not only did he advance into the round of 12 — four drivers from the initial field of 16 will be eliminated after the next two races are complete — he became the first driver with consecutive wins in the NASCAR crown jewel race at the 1.33-mile track 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.”