Chase Briscoe’s exciting pass at Darlington, which secured his victory at the NASCAR Southern 500, has received plenty of attention, not least from seasoned driver Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin has broken down the series of decisions that led to Briscoe’s decisive move over Kyle Larson and Ross Chastain. Briscoe’s audacious slingshot pass was brilliant to watch, and had a huge effect on the race.
Restarting strategy played an essential role in the orchestration of the race’s end. He said the following on his Actions Detrimental podcast.
“There were two separate ones. The first one you’re talking about is that I had the second option to choose on the restart, right? Either the bottom front row, or choose the top.
Chase Briscoe, driver of the #14 HighPoint.com Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on September 01, 2024 in Darlington, South Carolina. Denny Hamlin breaks down Briscoe’s win.
Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“For us, the numbers suggested that I needed to be P4, so the second car on the outside behind [Kyle] Larson when he restarted,” Hamlin explained. Opting to start behind Larson, Hamlin hoped to leverage Briscoe’s short-run speed to challenge the leaders and create opportunities for himself.
Chase Briscoe’s capability during restarts had not gone unnoticed.
“I thought that maybe the better chance would be to let Chase, who could challenge Larson in the short run, let him take the bottom. I’ll start behind Larson.
“These guys get aggressive, get in the fence, and I’m going to go around them both. That’s what I’m thinking. But ultimately, it was a two-second decision right before the choice and I’m like, ‘I’ve just got to take the bottom.’ You just never know,” Hamlin said.
He continued:
“Here comes the No. 14, with a huge slingshot into Turn 3,” Hamlin recalled. He capitalized on the drag created by Larson and Chastain’s side-by-side battle, allowing him to time his move perfectly.
“Passed them both, and I think he did a great job moving up just enough where he forced Larson to, you know, get close enough to the No. 1, where the No. 5 really needed to check up, or else it was going to cause a wreck,” Hamlin detailed.
Chase Briscoe’s capability to maintain control and speed, even on older tires, was impressive.
“He was clear through one and two, the No. 14 car is clear. Now he’s free to run whatever line he wants to, which that sets up, you know, you want to have a fast exit,” Hamlin noted.
The victory at Darlington confirmed Briscoe’s place in the NASCAR playoffs, reigniting his season after prior struggles.
“I think that was a key moment,” Hamlin said.
