This article is part of our NASCAR Barometer series.
Chase Briscoe claimed a statement victory in Sunday night's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, earning a spot in the championship-deciding playoffs at the last possible moment. The Stewart-Haas Racing driver was not part of the contingent doing battle on points to make the playoff field and only a victory would get the job done. Still, Briscoe stalked the lead, planting his car among the front runners throughout the race's 500 miles, and made the decisive move on the race's final restart. The late race reset put Briscoe on the front row for the final restart, and he executed the opportunity to perfection, firing his car well into the lead for the final run to the checkered flag. Even a late charge from Kyle Busch on fresher tires wasn't enough to topple the No. 14 and Briscoe held on to claim his first 2024 victory and a shot at this season's championship. Briscoe's victory silenced the points battle at the back of the playoff scuffle, eliminating Bubba Wallace and Chris Buescher from championship contention. The back-to-back victories from first time winners on the season left just two playoff spots open for non-winners with teammates Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs claiming the final positions.
The 10-race run for the championship kicks of this coming week at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The superspeedway last hosted the series in February as Daniel Suarez made an early statement with his 2024 victory. The three-race round will then turn to the road course at Watkins Glen before finishing with a short-track fight at Bristol. There is no time to relax for the 16 playoff competitors, and their results this coming week will set the tone as they position themselves to be one of the final 12 drivers with a chance to win the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series championship.
UPGRADE
Chase Briscoe - While everyone was focused on the points battle, Briscoe only had eyes for the race win. He started the weekend with an ideal qualifying effort and then converted that pace into competitiveness during Sunday night's race. The Stewart Haas Racing driver kept his car among the top 10 runners all night, picking up stage points in both segments, and then winning the race. On the race's final restart, Briscoe shouldered his way ahead, jumping out to an unassailable lead in the final 26-lap run to the flag. From there, he held off Kyle Busch who closed on new tires, placing his car defensively to keep the oncoming challenger behind. The victory was the second of Briscoe's career and it gives the departing team a playoff appearance in its final races in the series before closing its doors. Briscoe will have a challenge ahead of him, though. He has never finished in the top 10 in seven series starts at Atlanta.
Tyler Reddick - Darlington has been a good track for Reddick and optimism that he could use that history to capture the regular-season championship abounded prior to the green flag. He started off well by qualifying sixth, but things started going sideways Sunday. Reddick entered the grueling race feeling under the weather and struggled throughout. In the first half, it wasn't clear whether or not he would even be able to complete the distance. The team worked throughout the night to give him medication and nutrients to help and Reddick persevered. In fact, he held on to score stage points in both segments and finish the race in 10th position. It was enough to claim the regular-season title and enter the playoffs as the third-seeded driver. Better health might have enabled Reddick to fight for the race win, but his gritty push to the finish speaks volumes about his heart as the final 10-race run to the season finale kicks off.
Kyle Larson - Larson was the car to beat early Sunday night at Darlington. He started on the second row and it wasn't long before he made his way to the lead, winning his ninth stage of the season and adding a valuable playoff point to his tally. His strength carried him through the second stage as well to sweep the segments ahead of a charge for the race win. However, older tires in the final miles weren't enough for him to hang onto the lead for the race win. He ended the night in fourth place, losing out on the race victory as well as the regular-season championship, but his 263 laps led with two stage victories sets Larson up well for the coming playoff races. Larson only has two top-five finishes at Atlanta. He hasn't finished inside the top 30 in the last three races at the track and crashed out of four of the last five.
Kyle Busch - A late call for fresh tires gave Busch a shot the victory and the playoffs Sunday night. The former champion put the extra grip to good use on the final restart of the night, but it wasn't enough to enable Busch to get around Briscoe for the win, missing out on a chance at this season's championship as well. However, since the summer break, Busch and crew have turned their season around. Sunday's runner-up finish was his second in a row, fifth top-five of the season, and third consecutive finish of fourth or better. Busch the fastest he has been all season and the coming week's race at a superspeedway could play into his hands, too. He is a two-time winner at Atlanta and he finished third there earlier this season. Busch still has motivation to get a 2024 race victory to extend his streak of seasons with wins, and his pace right now shows how close that win may be.
Ty Gibbs - Gibbs may not have scored the finish he wanted at Darlington, but the stage points his scored early in the race were enough to solidify his spot among the 16 playoff contenders. Gibbs qualified 13th for Sunday night's race and climbed inside the top 10 quickly once racing got underway. He pieced together a mistake-free night that would up being exactly what he needed to confirm his playoff spot despite his involvement in a late crash. Gibbs now sits 16th in the standings, tied with teammate Truex with the points reset. He now faces the first three-race round of eliminations needing to do exactly what he has done all season, which is pick up points and race for victory if opportunity arises. Atlanta could be a good start for his playoff charge, too. Gibbs finished in the top 10 two out of three tries including his 10th-place finish there in February from the 25th starting spot.
DOWNGRADE
Bubba Wallace - Wallace knew the assignment last weekend at Darlington and he gave as much as he could to deliver the goods. The weekend started perfectly with pole position, and he went on to lead 37 laps and claim stage points in both segments, too. His plans fell apart late in the race as he was one of several cars caught in a crash with less than 20 laps remaining, though. Prior to the contact, Wallace was on the knife's edge of the playoffs in a battle with Chris Buescher. In the end, it didn't matter. Briscoe's win took away the points position Wallace and Buescher were dueling for and both drivers saw they championship hopes extinguished. The season is not over, though. Wallace sits 18th in points with tracks yet to come where he can win. Atlanta is one of those, too. Wallace is at his best at superspeedways and he finished fifth there earlier this year.
Chris Buescher - Buescher needed circumstances to go his way Sunday at Darlington to join the playoff field. The proceedings didn't start poorly as his 10th-place qualifying effort gave him positive track position for the early miles at a track he might have won at earlier this season. Buescher went on to finish 10th in the first stage, but missing stage points in the second segment put him in a dogfight with Bubba Wallace for the final playoff position. All of that came to naught when Briscoe took away the spot Buescher was pushing for, though. Buescher's sixth-place finish was his 12th of season, but it wasn't enough to make himself one of the 16 championship contenders. Race wins will be the goal for the remainder of the season, and that isn't out of Buescher's reach in the final 10 races of the season.
Ryan Blaney - Blaney's spot in the playoffs was assured prior to Sunday's race at Darlington, but contact with Martin Truex Jr. took him out of the race early, robbing the defending series champion of the chance at one final opportunity to build momentum ahead of the playoffs. Blaney's Team Penske Ford was one of the cars that impressed in practice ahead of Sunday night's race, but he never got the opportunity to show it. A mistake by Martin Truex Jr. in the first laps of the race collected Blaney's No. 12 machine hard against the outside wall, taking him out of the race instantly. He was the first car out of the running and now enters the playoffs having not scored a top-10 finish since Indianapolis in July. Blaney won at Talladega in 2021 and enters the coming week's race at the track with seven finishes of ninth or better from the last eight races at the venue and needs to end his slump.
Martin Truex Jr. - Truex needed just a few points and a clean race Sunday at Darlington, but the night got away from him early. While trying to pass William Byron, Truex lost control and clouted Ryan Blaney against the outside wall. The damage to both cars was too much to repair, leaving Truex out of the race and only able to look on as the points battle to make the playoffs played out. When all was said and done, the veteran's margin was enough to put him through. It has been a challenging season for Truex and the No. 19 team who made the playoffs but have yet to claim a victory. With the playoffs starting, the team must turn things around quickly and start capitalizing on their pace with race victories. From 26 Atlanta starts, Truex has 13 top-10 finishes, but he has only one top-10 from the last five races there. He was 12th there in February.
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Corey Lajoie - Amidst the spotlight on the points and playoff battles, Lajoie quietly delivered his best-ever finish at Darlington. The Spire Motorsports driver equaled his best qualifying result at the track with his 19th-place start, but he made all the right moves during the race to capture just his second top-10 finish of the season with a ninth-place result. His only other top-10 finish this year came all the way back in the season-opening Daytona 500, too. It was Lajoie's first Darlington top-10 and the 10th-top-10 of his Cup Series career. The result may be timely for him, too. It was announced a month ago that Lajoie would not be returning to the team in 2025 and his future plans have yet to be announced. A top-10 finish at one of NASCAR's most iconic tracks could prove to be a much-needed boost for his future job hunt.
