Chase Briscoe emerged victorious in the 2025 Southern 500, withstanding a tight challenge from Tyler Reddick to secure a dominant win in the playoff's opening race.

In a thrilling finish at the Darlington Raceway, Chase Briscoe clinched his second consecutive victory in NASCAR's oldest crown jewel race, the Cook Out Southern 500. Briscoe's win makes him the eighth driver in NASCAR history to achieve this feat, and the first to win back-to-back Southern 500s for two different teams.

Briscoe's win, the fourth of his Cup career, was hard-fought. He led over 300 laps during the race, demonstrating his dominance on the track. However, Tyler Reddick and Erik Jones closed in on Briscoe during the final run of the race, making for a nail-biting finish.

Reddick, who finished in second place, celebrated his best finish in two years. He made a lunge for the lead in the final corner, but didn't have enough grip or positioning to pass Briscoe. John Hunter Nemechek finished in fourth place, his best career finish, while A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top five.

The race was not without its share of incidents. Ryan Blaney experienced a spin and crash damage during the race, while Christopher Bell suffered damage from contact on pit road. Denny Hamlin, who had to fight through clutch problems and a loss of track position, managed to finish in sixth place.

Before the 2025 Cook Out Southern 500, Briscoe had the most wins in the season on the Darlington Raceway. He secured his first victory of the season during the regular season finale and clinched a spot in the playoffs.

The deciding moment of the race occurred in the final corner, where Reddick made a bold move for the lead. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't enough to unseat Briscoe.

The Cook Out Southern 500 results show Briscoe in first place, followed by Reddick, Erik Jones, Nemechek, Allmendinger, Bubba Wallace, Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Carson Hocevar, Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Zane Smith, Noah Gragson, Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Chase Elliott, Blaney, Kyle Larson, Joey Logano, William Byron, Ty Gibbs, Austin Dillon, Cole Custer, Daniel Suarez, Todd Gilliland, Justin Haley, Riley Herbst, Bell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Alex Bowman, Shane van Gisbergen, Michael McDowell, Ty Dillon, Timmy Hill, Derek Kraus, Cody Ware, and Josh Berry in last place.

Reigning Cup champion Joey Logano is below the cut line with -3 points, while Austin Dillon is at -8 points, Alex Bowman at -19 points, and Josh Berry at -19 points. Kyle Larson is 43 points below the Round of 12 cut line, followed by Hamlin (+43), Kyle Busch (+38), Tyler Reddick (+35), Bubba Wallace and William Byron (+25), Ryan Blaney (+22), Ross Chastain (+21), Austin Cindric (+12), Christopher Bell (+11), Chase Elliott (+9), and Shane van Gisbergen (+3).

Josh Berry's car bottomed out in Turn 2 and backed hard into the outside wall at the start of the race, setting a sombre tone for the event. Shane van Gisbergen had an overall ill-handling race car, struggling to keep pace with the leaders.

As the dust settles on the Cook Out Southern 500, the focus shifts to the Round of 12 in the NASCAR playoffs. Briscoe's win advances him to this stage, where he will look to continue his winning streak and vie for the Cup Series championship.

Chase Briscoe emerged victorious in the 2025 Southern 500, withstanding a tight challenge from Tyler Reddick to secure a dominant win in the playoff's opening race.