NASCAR Opens 10-Race Chase at Darlington as 16 Drivers Start New No-Elimination Format

Q: Can Chase Briscoe overcome a metric-based starting lineup to tie Jeff Gordon’s historic Southern 500 win record?

Yes, but the metric-based lineup makes it harder rather than impossible. Briscoe starts seventh after qualifying was canceled by weather and NASCAR set the Southern 500 grid by its performance metric. That puts him behind Tyler Reddick and Daniel Suarez on the front row, with Ryan Preece and Denny Hamlin also ahead. At Darlington, track position matters: the last five Cup races there were won by drivers who started in the top three. By that measure, Briscoe begins at a disadvantage. Still, he is one of the strongest exceptions to any starting-position trend. He has won the past two Southern 500s, including a dominant 2025 run in which he led 309 of 367 laps, and he has repeatedly said Darlington is one of his best tracks. A third straight Southern 500 win would tie Jeff Gordon’s mark of three consecutive wins in the event, though Gordon’s overall streak in the race remains the record at four from 1995-98. The bigger obstacle may be the field as much as the lineup. Reddick won the spring Darlington race and was awarded the pole, while Hamlin enters as the playoff top seed and a five-time Darlington winner. Briscoe is also priced among the top betting choices, generally behind only Hamlin and Reddick. So the answer is yes: Briscoe has a realistic chance to overcome a metric-set starting spot. But from seventh, against proven Darlington contenders starting ahead of him, he will likely need elite long-run speed, tire management and pit strategy to do it.

3 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Sep 6

Darlington hosts Sunday’s Cook Out Southern 500 at 5 p.m. ET, opening NASCAR’s 10-race postseason with points reset for 16 title contenders.
The biggest change is format: NASCAR scrapped the 2014-style playoff system, ending three-race eliminations and the four-driver championship finale in favor of a full 10-race points battle.
Denny Hamlin starts the Chase on top at 2,100 points, ahead of Ryan Blaney at 2,075 and Tyler Reddick at 2,065; Reddick also led the series with five regular-season wins.
Tyler Reddick will start from pole for the 367-lap, 501.32-mile race at Darlington, where he won the spring event and Chase Briscoe won last year’s Southern 500.

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USA TODAY13h ago

NASCAR Postseason Kicks Off with Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington, Revamped Chase Format

The Associated Press14h ago

Reddick to start up front for Southern 500 after lightning cancels Darlington qualifying | AP News

Chattanooga Times Free Press15h ago

Chase Briscoe taking aim at third straight Southern 500 victory | Chattanooga Times Free Press

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With qualifying canceled by weather, will Tyler Reddick's pole position be the ultimate advantage at unforgiving Darlington?

Will the controversial return to the Chase format completely upend strategies for NASCAR's most demanding playoff opener?

Can Chase Briscoe overcome a metric-based starting lineup to tie Jeff Gordon’s historic Southern 500 win record?

NASCAR Opens 10-Race Chase at Darlington as 16 Drivers Start New No-Elimination Format

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