DARLINGTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – MAY 21: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #98 HighPoint.com Ford, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway on May 21, 2020, in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Chase Briscoe Rides Emotions in NASCAR Xfinity Series Return to Racing
An emotional Chase Briscoe battled Kyle Busch to the line, beating and banging each other in the last ten laps, that probably had fans at home on their feet. Briscoe overcame Busch at the line to capture the win in the Toyota 200 at Darlington Raceway in the NASCAR Xfinity Series’ first race back since the COVID 19 pandemic brought sports to a halt.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 15: Noah Gragson, driver of the #9 Bass Pro Shops/BRCC Chevrolet, celebrates winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series NASCAR Racing Experience 300 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2020, in Daytona Beach, Florida. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
Three drivers ‘made their names’ in the NASCAR Xfinity Series over the last couple of years. Tyler Reddick, Christopher Bell, and Cole Custer each earned their place in the ‘Big Three’ of the series last year. On their way to collectively winning 21 of 33 races (64%), these three drivers took a meteoric rise to the top. Reddick went on to claim the championship for the second year in a row and now, the ‘Big Three’ are moving up to the NASCAR Cup Series as part of the rookie class in the premier series. That leaves the question of who fills the role of being next in the ‘Series where Names are Made?’
For many, the common answer is Justin Allgaier, Chase Briscoe, and Austin Cindric. These drivers finished the season right behind the departing drivers, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in the point standings. Briscoe won at Las Vegas and now leads the series points battle just two races into the season. Meanwhile, Cindric sits sixth and Allgaier ninth. While a strong case can be made for these three, there are other drivers already making their statements for this season on the track.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 23: Chase Briscoe, driver of the #98 Ford Performance Racing School Ford, poses with the trophy after winning the rain-delayed NASCAR Xfinity Series Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on February 23, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
LAS VEGAS – Before the 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series season started, Chase Briscoe suggested he could win as many as eight to ten races this year.
In Sunday’s rain-delayed Boyd Gaming 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Briscoe got No. 1 in his second start of the season, winning the battle between the only two Fords in the race.
The driver of the No. 98 Stewart-Haas Racing Mustang held the lead after the final restart on lap 170 of 200 and won going away, beating fellow Ford driver Austin Cindric to the finish line by 2.874 seconds.
With the racing ‘graduation’ of several of the last two season’s championship contenders – including two-time Xfinity champion Tyler Reddick, Cole Custer, Christopher Bell, and John Hunter Nemechek all to the NASCAR Cup Series this year – the 2020 Xfinity championship field has a distinctive new competitive look.
HOMESTEAD, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 16: Tyler Reddick, driver of the #2 Tame the Beast Chevrolet, poses with the trophy after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2019, in Homestead, Florida. Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
HOMESTEAD, Fla. – From the season’s beginning on the Daytona high banks to Saturday night’s very final laps of racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway the 2019 Xfinity Series championship battle was intense; ultimately coming down to a contest of speed, skill and bravado among a familiar lineup of drivers who combined to win 22 of the season’s 33 races.
And for the second consecutive year, it was Californian Tyler Reddick who hoisted a hard-earned Homestead race trophy and celebrated his second straight Xfinity Series championship. He led a race-best 84 of the 200 laps Saturday and ultimately prevailed in a good ole NASCAR ‘slingshot’ move that decided an exciting nail-biting lap-by-lap duel in the closing minutes with title challenger Cole Custer.
Reddick took the lead for good with 19 laps remaining and the checkered flag 1.038-seconds ahead of Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Custer and rookie Chase Briscoe. The other two championship eligible drivers – eight race-winner Christopher Bell and Justin Allgaier finished fifth and 14th, respectively.