Chase Briscoe Knows Exactly What Got Away at Darlington

Chase Briscoe left Darlington Raceway with a solid finish, but it was difficult for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to view it that way.

Briscoe finished sixth in Sunday’s Southern 500 after leading 30 laps and spending much of the night in contention for the victory. More importantly, he entered the race as the two-time defending winner and had a chance to become the first driver to win three consecutive Southern 500s.

Instead, Christopher Bell captured the Chase opener.

For Briscoe, the frustration centered on the final restart.

After a late caution, Briscoe chose the inside lane and initially appeared to have an opportunity to control the closing laps. Instead, several cars passed him after Turn 2, dropping him to sixth by the finish.

Briscoe later acknowledged that the result represented a missed opportunity.

The finish still helped his championship position. Briscoe entered Darlington 45 points behind the Chase lead and left 37 points back, gaining eight points on the leader despite failing to capitalize on his opportunity to win.

That distinction could become important as the Chase moves forward.

Briscoe’s Darlington performance demonstrated that the No. 19 Toyota remains capable of running at the front of the field. He simply didn’t maximize the opportunity when it mattered most.

That’s what makes the result so frustrating.

Briscoe wasn’t searching for speed Sunday night. He had it.

He wasn’t buried in the field. He was leading the race late.

He just didn’t finish where he believed he should have.

And with nine Chase races remaining, that could prove to be either a minor disappointment or one of those moments that lingers throughout a championship fight.

For now, Briscoe has to move on.

But if the No. 19 team turns that frustration into execution at Gateway, the rest of the Chase field may have a problem.

Briscoe knows he left points on the table at Darlington. Now he has nine races to make sure it doesn’t happen again.