Chase Briscoe liked Darlington Raceway from the moment he first drove here seven years ago.
asserted
he → like → moment
He’ll like it a lot more if he can make history with his third straight win at the Southern 500 on Sunday.
asserted
he → like → Sunday
Only NASCAR Hall of Famer Jeff Gordon would have more, with four straight victories from 1995-98 at the track dubbed “Too Tough to Tame.”
asserted
Gordon → have → track
Briscoe recalled his opening practice in an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car back in 2019.
asserted
Briscoe → recall → 2019
“After the first five laps, I thought, ‘Man, this place is awesome.’”
asserted
place → think → laps
His affinity for Darlington has only grown since then.
asserted
affinity → grow → Darlington
He won the Triple-A tier series race here in 2021, then took the past two Southern 500s to match a feat that only seven other drivers, including Bobby Allison, Cale Yarborough, David Pearson and Dale Earnhardt — all Hall of Famers — had ever achieved.
asserted
drivers → win → Famers
“That’s definitely on the radar,” Briscoe said with a grin.
asserted
Briscoe → ’ → grin
It also would be a strong start for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s latest attempt at a NASCAR Cup championship, a chase that begins Sunday.
asserted
that → begin → championship
Briscoe finished fifth in the standings, 45 points behind regular-season champion and JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.
asserted
Briscoe → finish → Hamlin
The margin is manageable, especially with the format change, where none of the 16 competitors in The Chase will be eliminated during the next 10 races.
asserted
none → eliminate → races
Briscoe brings with him an understanding of how to make his car better during his time on Darlington’s oddball layout.
asserted
car → bring → layout
While others complain about the egg-shaped oval’s tight corners and tire-chewing surface, Briscoe has pushed all the right buttons to get to victory lane the past two years.
asserted
Briscoe → complain → lane
He used a drama-filled, three-wide pass late in the race to win in 2024 to qualify for that year’s playoff grid.
asserted
He → use → grid
A season later, Briscoe had a dominant machine as he led 309 of 367 laps for his second Southern 500 in a row.
asserted
he → have → row
“When you’re able to win two years in a row, that confidence just builds more and more every single time,” Briscoe said.
asserted
Briscoe → ’re → row
“So this is always one I’ve got circled on the calendar and one where the circle gets bigger.”
asserted
circle → circle → calendar
Denny Hamlin enters NASCAR’s playoff Chase as the favorite and with experience in the reset format, in which none of the 16 competitors will be knocked out.
asserted
none → enter → competitors
But what if the 45-year-old future Hall of Famer doesn’t win the championship this year or before he chooses to leave the sport?
asserted
he → win → sport
“It would mean a lot personally,” Hamlin said this week while previewing the playoffs.
asserted
Hamlin → mean → playoffs
“But also if I quit today, I’m still really happy with the stats we were able to put on the stat sheet and the wins we’ve been able to get.
asserted
we → quit → sheet
It certainly would be very gratifying, but what matters to me is my dad saw me when I was at my absolute best, and that was at Phoenix last year.”
asserted
that → matter → Phoenix
Hamlin’s father, Dennis, was his son’s biggest supporter, and Hamlin said that his dad’s sacrifices helped him achieve all he has in racing.
asserted
he → say → racing
Dennis died last December at 75, a few weeks after his son competed for the title at Phoenix.
asserted
son → die → Phoenix
Denny Hamlin holds the record with 19 playoff appearances and 14 playoff race wins.
asserted
Hamlin → hold → appearances
He has made the Championship 4 at the final race four times, including last year.
asserted
He → make → year
But he has not broken through for a title.
asserted
he → break → title
He sits ninth all-time with 64 NASCAR victories, including four this season to take the 2026 regular-season title.
asserted
He → sit → title
He hopes to add a few more on the way to celebrating in Homestead in a couple of months.
asserted
He → hop → months
“I’m a little bit ahead and I’ve got enough races to prove that we’re the best,” he said.
asserted
he → ’m → races
Preece staying aggressive
asserted
staying → stay → ?
Ryan Preece, who won his way into the playoffs with a victory at Daytona last week, plans to stay aggressive and focused in the postseason.
asserted
who → win → postseason
It’s the only strategy that make sense to him.
asserted
that → ’ → him
“We have nothing to lose,” said Preece, seeded 16th in the 16-driver grid.
asserted
Preece → have → grid
“When I look at where we’re at, if we’re aggressive and it doesn’t work out we’re still at the bottom.
asserted
we → look → bottom
Who is the betting favorite to win the race?
asserted
Who → win → race
Hamlin and Tyler Reddick are the co-favorites to win the Southern 500 on Sunday, tied at plus-500.
asserted
Hamlin → win → plus-500
Briscoe, looking for his third straight win at Darlington’s crown jewel event, is next at plus-600.
asserted
Briscoe → look → plus-600
Following Briscoe is Kyle Larson (plus-850), Christopher Bell (plus-1000) and Ryan Blaney (plus-1100).
asserted
Larson → follow → Briscoe
The Aporia
