Chase Briscoe fought his way into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs on Sunday evening.

Briscoe put together an incredible drive to beat Kyle Busch to win the Southern 500 and clinch his second playoff spot. Busch put pressure on Briscoe over the final 15 laps of the race, but Briscoe was nearly flawless and kept the two-time Cup Series champion at bay.

Briscoe’s win was no fluke. He had one of the fastest cars all night and took advantage of it with an incredible move to take the lead. Check out this move before the final caution period that ultimately gave him the win.

Briscoe is the 14th driver to qualify for the playoffs by winning. Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs finished in the final two spots by point standings, while Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace were out. The same goes for Busch, who had to beat Briscoe to qualify for the playoffs.

“This evening was literally perfect,” said Briscoe after the race.

The full playoff field includes: Tyler Reddick, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Gibbs, Truex, Alex Bowman, Joey Logano, Briscoe, Daniel Suarez, Austin Cindric and Harrison Burton.

Reddick won the regular season title thanks to a pit stop during the final caution period. The fresh tires allowed him to gain four points on Larson and win the regular season title by a single point.

Stewart-Haas Racing is closed

Briscoe’s win comes as Stewart-Haas Racing closes its doors at the end of the season. Over 300 employees will lose their jobs as the four-car team ceases operations, and it’s hard to overstate how difficult it is for a team to succeed when its employees know they’ll need new jobs at the end of the season.

Briscoe already has a new job for 2025. He was announced as Truex’s successor at Joe Gibbs Racing as the 2017 champion retires at the end of the season. His drive on Sunday night showed why he can be one of the best drivers in the Cup Series – especially when he’s in a top-of-the-line car.

SHR hasn’t been a top team of late, and Briscoe has suffered for it in 2023. After making the playoffs in 2022 thanks to a win in Phoenix, Briscoe had a rough year last season, finishing 30th in the standings due to a massive points penalty for illegal car modifications earlier in the year.

This season, he entered Sunday night’s season finale in 18th place, making him SHR’s best driver. With Kevin Harvick retiring and in the Fox announce booth, Briscoe was the team’s only driver in the top 20 in the points standings. And he is now the team’s only playoff representative.

Truex sweats

Truex entered the Southern 500 with a comfortable lead despite not winning in the first 25 races of the season. Truex’s lead on the playoff line was 58 points before the race, and after an early crash, he needed almost all of them.

Truex blamed himself for the accident because he tried to get close to William Byron and simply lost control. When Truex crashed, he also took Blaney with him.

Truex entered the playoffs just six points ahead of Buescher, the first driver to finish the postseason. Wallace challenged Buescher for the final playoff spot before Briscoe’s win, but his playoff chances disappeared in a late crash that started in front of him when Josh Berry slid into Ty Gibbs.

Race results

1. Chase Briscoe

2. Kyle Busch

3. Christopher Bell

4. Kyle Larson

5. Ross Chastain

6. Chris Buescher

7. Denny Hamlin

8. Joey Logan

9. Corey LaJoie

10. Tyler Reddick

11. Chase Elliott

12. Ryan Preece

13. Austin Cindric

14. Brad Keselowski

15. Austin Dillon

16. Bubba Wallace

17. Todd Gilliland

18. Daniel Suárez

19. Alex Bowman

20. Ty Gibbs

21.Harrison Burton

22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

23. Zane Smith

24. Eric Jones

25. John Hunter Nemechek

26. Shane van Gisbergen

27. Justin Haley

28. Michael McDowell

29. Daniel Henric

30. William Byron

31. Josh Berry

32. Noah Gragson

33. Carson, however

34. Kaz Grala

35. Timmy Hill

36. Martin Truex Jr.

37. Ryan Blaney