The Stewart-Haas Racing driver held off Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch to win a thrilling 367-lap affair at the track dubbed The Lady In Black.

It’s a fairytale finish for the team that announced earlier this year that it would shut down its NASCAR Cup Series program, leaving more than 300 employees out of a job.

“Last week was the most embarrassing race I ever ran in my life and I told Richard (Boswell, crew chief), I said ‘I don’t even want to talk about it. I promise you, I’ll make it up to you next week’,” said Briscoe.

“Man, everybody knows how much I’m a Tony Stewart fan. To get this #14 car back in victory lane and for all 320 employees to be able to race for a championship in their final year is unbelievable.

“The day that we found out that the team wasn’t going to exist any more, we went over to the shop floor and we all looked at each other and said we’re in this to the end. We’re not going to give up. We kept saying all week we’ve got one bullet left in the chamber and that bullet hit.”

REPOST TO CONGRATULATE CHASE BRISCOE!

HE WINS THE SOUTHERN 500 AT DARLINGTON TO MAKE THE NASCAR CUP SERIES PLAYOFFS! pic.twitter.com/yf2YyPQcBv

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 2, 2024

The pivotal moment of the race came when Briscoe got the best restart possible and blitzed Hendrick Motorsport’s Kyle Larson.

Larson dominated the lion’s share of the race, leading 263 laps. However, he had to settle for fourth.

To add salt to the wounds, 23XI Racing driver Tyler Reddick pipped Larson to the regular season crown by one point.

Runner-up Busch threatened to take the win away from Briscoe in the dying laps with slightly newer tyres. He vaulted from eighth to fourth in one lap and quickly dispatched Joe Gibbs Racing’s Christopher Bell for third and Larson for second.

NASCAR Cup Series playoff qualifiers:

• Austin Cindric (#2 Team Penske Ford Mustang)
• Kyle Larson (#5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)
• Brad Keselowski (#6 RFK Racing Ford Mustang)
• Chase Elliott (#9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)
• Denny Hamlin (#11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
• Ryan Blaney (#12 Team Penske Ford Mustang)
• Chase Briscoe (#14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford Mustang)
• Martin Truex Jr. (#19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
• Christopher Bell (#20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
• Harrison Burton (#21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang)
• Joey Logano (#22 Team Penske Ford Mustang)
• William Byron (#24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)
• Tyler Reddick (#45 23XI Racing Toyota Camry)
• Alex Bowman (#48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro)
• Ty Gibbs (#54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry)
• Daniel Suarez (#99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Camaro)

Ultimately, Briscoe held on and notched his first win of the season to join the playoff field leaving Busch to wonder what could have been.

“When I made it through a few of those guys at the start I thought we had a shot to get there,” said Busch.

“I think I just needed him to have maybe three or four laps older tyres for me to be able to break through the wake once I got within his air. I really didn’t have enough to power through that to get closer. I was sliding already.”

“I’m an idiot.”

Martin Truex Jr. loses it and takes Ryan Blaney with him! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/MD17i40cMr

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 1, 2024

After Martin Truex Jr. caused the first caution of the race on Lap 3, the race went relatively trouble-free until Stage 3.

Truex got loose and looked like he would spin out before the car whipped around into the path of Ryan Blaney and took the #12 out of the race.

“It was all my fault, all my doing,” said the driver of the #19.

“I got a run on the #24 (William Byron) and went to the inside and thought everything was going fine and then the car just took off and I ran into him obviously that was on me.

“I hate it for my guys. We had a phenomenal race car. I know this is the longest race of the year, just the dumbest thing on my part.”

Although not a race winner in 2024, Truex accrued enough points to make it through to the playoffs.

Bubba Wallace another high-profile casualty. He was vying for the final playoffs spot with Chris Buescher in the closing stages.

Wallace was taken out of the race in a late crash while Briscoe’s win meant the last play-off spot went to Truex Jr. on points.

HUGE CRASH!

Bubba Wallace and many more involved! #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/zMHdaNSv64

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 2, 2024

The first race in the Round of 16 takes place at Atlanta Motor Speedway on September 9 (AEST).

Results: NASCAR Cup Series, Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway

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