Briscoe tames Darlington again, wins NASCAR playoff opener

Chase Briscoe cemented his place in NASCAR history, capturing his second consecutive Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway to open the Cup Series playoffs dominantly on August 31, 2025.

The driver of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota held off a fierce last-lap challenge from Tyler Reddick to secure the victory.

With this win, Briscoe has joined the list of “Hall of Famers” including Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon, and Cale Yarborough.

He is now the eighth driver to win back-to-back Southern 500s.

After sweeping both stages of races, leading a staggering 309 of the 367 laps, he shared, “It's so cool to win two Southern 500s in a row. This is my favorite race of the year.”

This marks his second victory of the season and advances him into the Round of 12 in the playoffs.

It also serves as validation of his move to Joe Gibbs Racing, where he was tasked with filling the seat vacated by the retired champion Martin Truex Jr.

While Briscoe won, many contenders couldn’t make it through the night. Only four playoff drivers finished in the top ten.

The previous winner, Joey Logano, secured 20th position, while Josh Berry’s title hopes took a massive hit after he spun on the opening lap and finished 119 laps down.

The night proved to be a triumph for Toyota, which swept the top four finishing positions.