Two time Nascar Cup series champion Kyle Busch narrowly missed out on a place in the 2024 NASCAR cup series playoffs after finishing 2nd in the Southern 500 on Sunday.
CHASE BRISCOE HOLDS OFF KYLE BUSCH AND RACES HIS WAY INTO THE PLAYOFFS! pic.twitter.com/AVst4Z4EFa
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) September 2, 2024
Chase Briscoe holds off Kyle Busch
Chase Briscoe fended off a fierce charge from Kyle Busch over the final 17 laps to win the Cook Out Southern 500 Sunday night at Darlington Raceway.
The victory, the second of Briscoe’s career, propels the No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford into the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs in the regular-season finale. Busch, winless and out of the postseason, fell 0.361 seconds short of triumph. Christopher Bell, Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain completed the top five, while Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie and Tyler Reddick are the rest of the top 10.
A crash on Lap 344 collected two playoff hopefuls. Ty Gibbs was pinched in the Turn 1 wall atop a three-wide situation with Josh Berry and Denny Hamlin, spinning Berry and collecting William Byron, Austin Dillon, Daniel Suárez, Bubba Wallace and Noah Gragson. Gibbs and Wallace entered Sunday’s contest vying to make the 16-driver postseason grid via points eligibility; Gibbs was able to continue and raced his way, claiming the final position on points while Wallace was ousted.
Martin Truex Jr. nearly had his playoff hopes upended after a Lap 3 error sent him into the Turn 1 wall with Ryan Blaney, ending the day of two former champions early. Truex attempted a pass on William Byron and misjudged, bouncing off Byron’s left rear and sending Truex into a skid. His overcorrection led him into the SAFER barrier with Blaney, eliminating both from the race and resulting in a 36th-place finish for Truex and 37th — last — for Blaney. Truex was nonetheless able to clinch his spot in the postseason at the conclusion of Stage 2.
Reddick battled illness all afternoon but ultimately won the Regular Season Championship by a single point over Kyle Larson, the first such title for the 23XI Racing driver.
Tyler Reddick clinches 2024 Regular Season Championship
Tyler Reddick clinched the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship with a 10th-place finish in Sunday’s Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota edged out rival Kyle Larson by just one point for the title.
This marks Reddick’s first Regular Season Championship since NASCAR began awarding it in 2017. Martin Truex Jr. won the inaugural championship that year, a success that propelled him to his first NASCAR Cup Series Championship with a stellar postseason performance, including four wins in the final 10 races.
Driving the No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, Reddick has earned two victories in 2024, triumphing at Talladega Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway. His 11 top-five finishes and 18 top-10s are the most in the series after 26 races this season.
2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field Lineups
The lineup for the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field is complete. The NASCAR Cup Series confirmed the 16 drivers on Sunday at Darlington Raceway during the regular-season finale.
With 13 of the 16 playoff spots secured before the Cook Out Southern 500, the final three positions were still up for grabs. Chase Briscoe, Martin Truex Jr., and Ty Gibbs secured those last spots, with Briscoe’s No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford crossing the finish line first.
Briscoe, Truex, and Gibbs entered the race with point standings of minus-144, plus-58, and plus-39, respectively.
Here is the official list of drivers for the Round of 16, ordered by playoff seeding.
NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs field:
— 1. Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 2,040 points
— 2. Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 2,032 points
— 3. Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota, 2,028 points
— 4. William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 2,022 points
— 5. Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford, 2,018 points
— 6. Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 2,015 points
— 7. Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 2,014 points
— 8. Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford, 2,008 points
— 9. Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford, 2,007 points
— 10. Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford, 2,007 points
— 11. Daniel Suárez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet, 2,006 points
— 12. Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, 2,005 points
— 13. Chase Briscoe, No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford, 2,005 points
— 14. Harrison Burton, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford, 2,005 points
— 15. Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 2,004 points
— 16. Martin Truex Jr., No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, 2,004 points