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· collected 2026-09-05 · by Pete Iacobelli The Associated Press
Chase Briscoe is attempting to win his third consecutive Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, which would be a rare feat in NASCAR history, shared by only seven other drivers including Hall of Famers Bobby Allison and Dale Earnhardt. Briscoe has shown a particular affinity for the track, recalling his first experience there seven years ago and having won two previous Southern 500s. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver is currently fifth in the standings, 45 points behind regular-season champion Denny Hamlin. Hamlin enters the playoffs as the favorite but suggests that even if he doesn't win the championship this year, he will still feel satisfied with his career accomplishments and legacy.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event.
Chase Briscoe liked Darlington Raceway from the moment he first drove here seven years ago.
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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.
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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.”
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Gordon → have → track
Briscoe recalled his opening practice in an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series car back in 2019.
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Briscoe → recall → 2019
“After the first five laps, I thought, ‘Man, this place is awesome.’”
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place → think → laps
His affinity for Darlington has only grown since then.
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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.
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drivers → win → Famers
“That’s definitely on the radar,” Briscoe said with a grin.
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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.
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that → begin → championship
Briscoe finished fifth in the standings, 45 points behind regular-season champion and JGR teammate Denny Hamlin.
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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.
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none → eliminate → races
Briscoe brings with him an understanding of how to make his car better during his time on Darlington’s oddball layout.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Briscoe → ’re → row
“So this is always one I’ve got circled on the calendar and one where the circle gets bigger.”
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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.
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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?
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he → win → sport
“It would mean a lot personally,” Hamlin said this week while previewing the playoffs.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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he → say → racing
Dennis died last December at 75, a few weeks after his son competed for the title at Phoenix.
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son → die → Phoenix
Denny Hamlin holds the record with 19 playoff appearances and 14 playoff race wins.
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Hamlin → hold → appearances
He has made the Championship 4 at the final race four times, including last year.
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He → make → year
But he has not broken through for a title.
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he → break → title
He sits ninth all-time with 64 NASCAR victories, including four this season to take the 2026 regular-season title.
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He → sit → title
He hopes to add a few more on the way to celebrating in Homestead in a couple of months.
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He → hop → months
“I’m a little bit ahead and I’ve got enough races to prove that we’re the best,” he said.
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he → ’m → races
Preece staying aggressive
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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.
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who → win → postseason
It’s the only strategy that make sense to him.
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that → ’ → him
“We have nothing to lose,” said Preece, seeded 16th in the 16-driver grid.
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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.
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we → look → bottom
Who is the betting favorite to win the race?
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Who → win → race
Hamlin and Tyler Reddick are the co-favorites to win the Southern 500 on Sunday, tied at plus-500.
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Hamlin → win → plus-500
Briscoe, looking for his third straight win at Darlington’s crown jewel event, is next at plus-600.
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Briscoe → look → plus-600
Following Briscoe is Kyle Larson (plus-850), Christopher Bell (plus-1000) and Ryan Blaney (plus-1100).
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Larson → follow → Briscoe
