Briscoe Win and In at Darlington, Reddick Regular Season Champ, Larson opens Playoffs P1

1 September 2024
By Bob Francis, Managing Editor
Go Full Throttle Racing News

DARLINGTON, SC — Chase Briscoe drove his №14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in the regular-season finale Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday night. Briscoe held off a charging and very hungry Kyle Busch, with Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson, and Ross Chastain rounding out the top 5.

Chase Briscoe, driver of the №14 HighPoint.com Ford, takes the checkered flag at Darlington Raceway to win the Cook Out Southern 500. (Image Credit: Meg Oliphant | Getty Images)

Chase Briscoe celebrates a crown-jewel win in Victory Lane. (Image Credit: Alejandro Alvarez | NASCAR Digital Media)

Briscoe led twice for a total of 67 laps in the grueling 500 mile race. He took the lead for the final time with 29 laps to go and held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch to secure the victory.

Kyle Larson, who led a race-high 229 laps, dominated much of the event winning both stages, but ultimately came up short finishing 4th. Tyler Reddick, who finished third in the race, clinched the regular season championship by 1 point over Larson.

The win was a significant one for Briscoe, who has struggled to find consistency this season. It marks his second career Cup Series victory and propels him into the playoffs with momentum on his side.

GFT AI Driver Rankings after Darlington

Go Full Throttle Top 25 NASCAR AI Driver Rankings following the Southern 500 on September 1, 2024 at Darlington Raceway (Image Credit: GFT Digital)

With the NASCAR Playoff Points realignment, Burton and Briscoe jump way up in the rankings as we now focus on the 16 drivers that made the Cup Series Playoffs. Kyle Larson still holds the top spot and is the favorite as we start the Round of 16.

GFT NASCAR BOX SCORES

Go Full Throttle NASCAR Cup Series Box Scores following the Southern 500 on September 1, 2024 at Darlington Raceway (Image Credit: GFT Digital)

After 26 Races …
Manufactures Box Score:
Chevrolet = 11
Toyota = 8
Ford = 7

Team Box Score:
Hendrick Motorsports = 9

Driver Box Score:
Kyle Larson = 4 wins

NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFF PICTURE

The NASCAR Cup Series Playoff grid is set as Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton lock in the final two spots with victories at Daytona and Darlington. Ty Gibbs and Martin Truex Jr. make the cut, but start the Round of 16 in negative territory.

GFT AI NASCAR Fantasy LIVE — back in the top 15%

Our models scored 185 points at Darlington, with the GFT AI model remaining in the top 15% of all players (14.3%) in the TMD NASCAR Fantasy Live League.

Looking Ahead: The Next Race

The 1st race of the NASCAR Playoffs!
Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Sunday, Sep. 8–3:00 PM ET