In his 19th consecutive season as a full-time competitor in the NASCAR Cup Series level, Denny Hamlin will continue his quest to have the final word over his competition and critics by etching a first-time championship in NASCAR’s premier series when the final checkered flag of the 2024 season waves.
The three-time Daytona 500 champion from Chesterfield, Virginia, roared out of the gates by winning the non-points Busch Light Clash at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in early February before finishing 19th during the 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Four races later, he notched his first Cup points victory of the season at Bristol Motor Speedway in March, an event mired with a pyramid of tire issues.
The early momentum for Hamlin and his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry XSE team continued two races later at the Virginia veteran’s home track in Richmond Raceway as Hamlin muscled away from teammate Martin Truex Jr. to double up his win column in 2024. Despite finishing no higher than 11th during his next three starts, Hamlin responded by fending off fellow rival Kyle Larson to win at Dover Motor Speedway in late April for the second time in his career.
Since his latest series’ victory at Dover, Hamlin recorded a total of six top-five results and eight top-10 results despite getting mired with six results of 24th or worse during the remaining 15 events on this year’s regular-season stretch. He was also in contention for the regular-season championship until he was assessed an L2 penalty from NASCAR for an engine rules violation that involved his race-winning car from Bristol in March and that Toyota admitted to causing. The penalty resulted in Hamlin losing 75 points and 10 Playoff points, which dropped him out of contention for the regular-season title.
Nonetheless, Hamlin is set to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in sixth place in the Playoff standings with 2,015 points as he bids for his first elusive championship in the series. To do so, however, he will attempt to make his fifth Championship 4 round after missing the cutline to the finale by a single point position over the last two seasons.
When asked about his approach to tackling the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs following this past Sunday’s regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway, Hamlin echoed the term “win” as his key to success to transfer to the finale and contend for the title.
“[I] Just got to execute races and just win,” Hamlin said at Darlington. “I think that’s the key in the Playoffs is winning so you don’t put yourself in a bad point position. With some of the crazy tracks that we’ve got in the Playoffs this year, it’s going to try to avoid those 25th or worse finishes. That’s gonna be the key for us.”
Denny Hamlin’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Having mounted his way all the way to the Championship 4 round only to fall short of reaching the pinnacle and claiming the covenant prize in NASCAR’s premier series over the last two seasons, Christopher Bell has an opportunity to make his third consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs be an appearance where he can reach the pinnacle and etch his name as a Cup Series champion for the first time.
Thus far, the 2017 Truck Series champion from Norman, Oklahoma, is coming off a decent 26-race regular-season stretch that started by finishing third in this year’s 66th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. Then after finishing outside the top 30 during his next two starts, Bell struck early by recording his first Cup victory of the season at Phoenix Raceway in March.
Over his next nine starts, Bell would finish in the top 10 four times but would get mired with four results of 17th or worse. He would regain his momentum by grabbing a rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Following the Charlotte victory, Bell finished no worse than ninth over his next three starts before he capitalized on an overtime shootout to add a third Cup victory of the season at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
Then after accumulating a single top-five result over his next four starts before a two-week summer break amid the Summer Olympics in Paris, Bell would be paired with his car chief Chris Sherwood calling the shots atop the No. 20 pit box due to veteran crew chief Adam Stevens recovering from a double knee injury during the break.
Thus far, Bell has recorded three top-six results, including back-to-back third-place finishes in his latest four races with Sherwood. With the Playoff points he has accumulated along with his regular-season victories, Bell is set to commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in second place in the Playoff standings with 2,032 points.
Using mountainous terms to characterize his 2024 regular-season stretch, Bell was not shy to identify the difficulties he experienced thus far on the track but remained confident towards his goal to return to the Championship 4 round and contend for the title come the season finale at Phoenix Raceway in November.
“The regular season was just like mountains,” Bell said following the regular-season finale at Darlington Raceway. “It was the tallest of tall and then all the way to the bottom there. [I] Got to clean that up. Got to get a little bit more consistency, but the strength is obviously the car speed and the potential in our team. I feel like everywhere we go, we’re a contender. We can be a contender if everyone does their jobs. If we can eliminate our lows, I think we’ve got everything we need to go for a title run here.”
Christopher Bell’s pursuit for his first NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2024 commences at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and the start of the 2024 Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur this upcoming Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Jordan Jordan Bianchi and Jeff Gluck discuss the new NASCAR Weekly show coming to truTV this Thursday night
On the latest episode of Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi’s podcast, The Teardown, Bianchi revealed he would be on a new weekly NASCAR recap show by TNT Sports that will air on truTV on Thursday evenings. The show, NASCAR – Inside the Playoffs, will air each week at 7-8 p.m. ET and will also be available to stream on MAX.
The announced cast will be accomplished broadcaster Shannon Spake, NASCAR “Chief Hype Officer” Mamba Smith, former crew chief Steve Letarte and Jordan Bianchi, a NASCAR reporter for The Athletic, who will cover breaking news. It will also feature a rotating cast of current drivers. According to Bianchi, Kyle Busch will join the show in the first two episodes.
“This is going to be so much fun,” said Shannon Spake. “I get to talk about the sport I have been a part of for 20 years in two totally different settings, alongside some of my greatest friends and most respected peers in the industry. The fans have been so good to me over the years, and I’m excited to take them further inside the action of the postseason while staying up to speed on some of the fun and entertaining things unfolding away from the track.”
As Harrison Burton prepares to campaign in his first NASCAR Cup Series race weekend as a Playoff competitor ahead of this weekend’s Playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway, he does so with a milestone start up for grabs. By competing at Atlanta, the driver of the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse will make his 100th career start in NASCAR’s premier series.
A second-generation racer from Huntersville, North Carolina, Burton made his inaugural presence in the Cup circuit at Talladega Superspeedway in April 2021. By then, he was campaigning in his second full-time season in the Xfinity Series for Joe Gibbs Racing and was coming off a four-race victory season as he also achieved the 2020 Xfinity Rookie-of-the-Year title. Driving the No. 96 Toyota Camry for Gaunt Brothers Racing, Burton rallied from starting at the rear of the field to finish 20th.
In July 2021, Burton was named as the driver of the iconic No. 21 Ford Mustang for Wood Brothers Racing for the 2022 Cup season, where he replaced Matt DiBenedetto and contended for the Rookie-of-the-Year title. Burton’s rookie Cup campaign commenced on a rough note after he was involved in a multi-car wreck during the 64th running of the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. It resulted in the North Carolina native flipping on the roof before rolling back on all four wheels while battling towards the front on Lap 62 of 200 and ending up in 39th place in the final running order.
During his next 18 scheduled events, Burton would finish no higher than 11th and notch a total of six top-20 results before securing his first career top-10 result at Atlanta Motor Speedway in July, where he led nine laps. Three laps later, he achieved his first career top-five result at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course by finishing in third place amid a wild overtime finish. While not in contention of making the 2022 Cup Series Playoffs, Burton would proceed to finish in the top 20 seven additional times during the final 14 events on the schedule, which included an 11th-place run at Martinsville Speedway in October, before settling in 27th place in the final standings and in the runner-up spot behind Austin Cindric for the rookie title.
Remaining at Wood Brothers Racing for the 2023 Cup season, Burton commenced the season by finishing 26th during the 65th running of the Daytona 500 after being involved in a late multi-car wreck. He then finished no higher than 15th twice during his next 11 starts before posting his first top-10 finish with a sixth-place result at Darlington Raceway in May. Burton would then manage an eighth-place finish at Pocono Raceway in July during his next 13 starts as he would not make the Cup Series Playoffs for a second consecutive season. Managing a 15th-place result at Martinsville in November and three top-20s throughout the Playoffs, Burton ended up in 31st place in the final standings and an average-finishing result of 24.7 with only two top-10 recorded results.
Through the first 24 regular-season events of the 2024 Cup Series season, Burton had recorded a single top-10 result, where he finished 10th at Talladega in April, but was strapped with an average-finishing result of 26.9. By then, he was informed in early July that he would be replaced by Josh Berry in 2025.
Then in August, Burton outdueled Kyle Busch during an overtime shootout to score his first elusive Cup Series career victory at Daytona with his father and former NASCAR veteran Jeff Burton calling the event’s broadcast. The Daytona victory made Harrison Burton the 205th competitor overall to win in NASCAR’s premier series as he both secured a spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs and delivered the milestone 100th career win for Wood Brothers Racing.
Through 99 previous Cup starts, Burton has achieved one victory, two top-five results, six top-10 results, 73 laps led and an average finishing result of 24.2. Despite finishing in 21st place during this past weekend’s regular-season finale at Darlington, Burton will commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs and his first pursuit for a first Cup title in 14th place in the Playoff standings with 2,005 points.
Harrison Burton is scheduled to make his 100th Cup Series career start at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400 on Sunday, September 8, with the event’s broadcast time to occur at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Brandon Jones will be rejoining Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and piloting a Toyota Supra entry on a multiyear basis, beginning in the 2025 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.
The news comes as the 27-year-old Jones from Atlanta, Georgia, is campaigning in his ninth consecutive full-time season in the Xfinity Series and second in recent seasons driving the No. 9 Chevrolet for JR Motorsports. Through 23 of 33-scheduled events, Jones has racked up two poles, a runner-up result at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, five top-10 results, 30 laps led and an average-finishing result of 20.3. With Jones currently ranked in 14th place in the drivers’ standings and trailing the top-12 cutline to make the 2024 Xfinity Series Playoffs by 132 points, the Atlanta native expressed his excitement over returning to an organization where he achieved an abundant of his success in the Xfinity circuit.
“I’m beyond excited to be returning to Joe Gibbs Racing and rejoining the Toyota Racing family,” Jones said. “My time with JGR was some of the most rewarding of my career, and I’m eager to build on that success as we chase more wins and a championship together. I’m ready to hit the ground running and make the most of this incredible opportunity. For now, my focus remains on finishing this year strong for my team, crew, manufacturer and Menards. We will push hard to win our way into the Playoffs and finish the year on a high note.”
Jones first joined Joe Gibbs Racing in 2018 following a three-year campaign at Richard Childress Racing. Over his next five-year campaign at JGR (165 starts), he notched his first five career victories, made the Playoffs in all seasons and accumulated a combined 35 top-fives and 84 top-10 results. He also finished in the top 10 in the final standings during all five seasons and achieved a career-best sixth-place result in 2020.
During the 2020 Xfinity season, Jones recorded a career-high three victories, 19 top-10 results and a personal-best average-finishing result of 12.8. The following season, he notched a career-high 11 top-five results before he led a career-high 240 laps in 2022.
“We’re thrilled to have Brandon return to Joe Gibbs Racing next season,” Joe Gibbs, owner of Joe Gibbs Racing, said. “He has a proven history of success with us and is someone that we know will be in the championship hunt each year. His veteran leadership will also be a tremendous asset to our program.”
“It is great to have Brandon back in our Xfinity Series program,” Steve de Souza, Executive Vice President of Xfinity Series and Development for JGR, added. “He showed great progress across each season he was with us previously showing the ability to run up front and lead laps consistently each week. We look forward to getting him back to that level of consistency and winning races for us next year.”
Jones’ car number, crew chief and sponsorships, along with the rest of Joe Gibbs Racing’s Xfinity Series driver lineup in 2025, remains to be determined.
With his plans for the 2025 season set, Brandon Jones’ 2024 NASCAR Xfinity Series season continues with a trip to Jones’ home track at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Focused Health 250. The event will occur this upcoming Saturday, September 7, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
Before CBS broadcast the 1979 Daytona 500 in full from flag to flag, NASCAR races were not broadcast all the way through and instead were tape-delayed. NASCAR tape-delay races would instead be shown in parts with broadcasters, but on rotation in a show like ABC’s Wide World of Sports or NBC Sports World.
This was very popular with the networks on the weekends and sometimes weekdays in the late 50s to the 1980s to show sports that would have a niche interest in the eyes of the networks. Fan interest was also put into play in terms of what niche sports were shown. NASCAR races were also broadcast live through these programs as well.
It wasn’t until 1978 when legendary NASCAR Broadcaster Ken Squier and NASCAR Chairman at the time Bill France Jr. convinced CBS to air the 1979 Daytona 500 from start flag to checkered flag. At first, CBS was very hesitant to air the full event due to concerns about the four-hour length of the race and the viewability of it. Before that, they would show parts of NASCAR races on their version of Wide World of Sports called CBS Sports Spectacular.
Flag-to-flag coverage of a race had never been tried before by any network. Then later that year Mr. Squier convinced Neal Pinson, who worked at CBS and CBS Sports at the time, to air the entire Daytona 500 on CBS TV from green flag to checkered flag across the US. After that, the rest was history. What also helped was on the day of the 1979 Daytona 500 there was a massive snowstorm across most parts of the US but the race track didn’t have that issue.
This led to many people staying in their homes and watching TV. This was a godsend to NASCAR and CBS. Thousands of people flocked to their TV sets and watched that year’s Daytona 500. The Daytona 500 is one of those Super Bowl-like events millions watch today when it’s on FOX, which acquired the rights to broadcast it in 2001 after NASCAR and CBS stopped working together. If it weren’t for Mr. Squier and CBS, as well as NASCAR’s family, the France family, we wouldn’t have full races and NASCAR coverage on TV and on video like we do today.
1. Kyle Larson: Larson dominated at Darlington, leading 263 laps, but faded late on his way to a fourth-place finish in the Cook Out Southern 500.
“Darlington is a race steeped in NASCAR tradition,” Larson said. “And nothing puts the ‘Southern’ in the ‘Southern 500’ quite like an Australian accent calling the race.”
2. Denny Hamlin: Hamlin finished seventh at Darlington.
“Is Richard Childress the biggest crybaby in NASCAR?” Hamlin said. “He must be. He still thinks his grandson Austin Dillon’s actions at Richmond should not be penalized. Talk about an entitled @%#$^&. Of course, I could be talking about Childress or Dillon.”
3. Tyler Reddick: Reddick’s No. 45 Toyota was fast, but he was afflicted with stomach issues all race long. But the 23XI driver toughed it out and finished 10th and won the regular season title.
“I did some unspeakable things in the cockpit of my car,” Reddick said. “My crew was actually calling me ‘Austin Cindric,’ because I was driving the ‘No. 2’ car.”
4. Christopher Bell: Bell finished third in the Cook Out Southern 500.
“Darlington is one of the longest races on the schedule,” Bell said. “And I don’t just mean for drivers. Some fans have actually been known to sober up during the race.”
5. Brad Keselowski: Keselowski finished 14th at Darlington.
“Luckily,” Keselowski said, “I had already clinched a playoff spot, so my race was fairly drama-free. I wasn’t on the playoff bubble. I guess, in the context of this race, the ‘playoff bubble’ was what was going on in Tyler Reddick’s stomach.”
6. Chase Elliott: Elliott struggled at Darlington but put up a late charge to finish 11th in the Cook Out Southern 500.
“I wasn’t much of a factor on Sunday,” Elliott said. “I mean, it could have been worse. I could have been the car that finished directly behind Tyler Reddick. Talk about a debris caution. So much for clean air.”
7. Ryan Blaney: Blaney was knocked out of the race just two laps in when Martin Truex Jr. lost control and slammed into Blaney’s No. 12 Penske Ford. The damage eliminated both cars, with Blaney finishing last in 37th.
“Martin was man enough to take responsibility for the accident,” Blaney said. “He even called himself an ‘idiot.’ It’s refreshing to see someone in this sport with the integrity to call themselves that. If only someone else had the integrity to call their grandson an idiot.”
8. Kyle Busch: Busch was unable to chase down Chase Briscoe in the closing laps at Darlington and took the runner-up spot. Needing a win to advance, he will miss the Playoffs.
“My No. 8 car was primarily sponsored by Morgan And Morgan,” Busch said. “They are a personal injury law firm, and I can proudly say that not only does M & M call me a client, they often call me a defendant.”
9. Chase Briscoe: Briscoe drove his way into the Playoffs, dramatically holding off Kyle Busch in the closing laps to win the Cook Out Southern 500.
“Stewart-Haas Racing is closing its doors after this season,” Briscoe said, “so I’m very hesitant to say I’m ‘fired’ up for the Playoffs.”
10. Bubba Wallace: Wallace started on the pole and finished 16th in the Cook Out Southern 500, a result that wasn’t quite good enough to clinch a playoff spot.
“Michael Jordan was in the pits again offering his support,” Wallace said. “He’s put a lot of money into the 23XI Racing team. I don’t know exactly how much, but if Michael’s invested just half as much in this team as he’s lost on the golf course, then 23XI should be worth billions.”
In a span of 367 grueling laps of the 2024 Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace went from competing against one another for the 16th and final berth to this year’s Playoffs to both being knocked out of contention amid a new race winner capitalizing on the Playoff’s “Win and You’re In” format.
The diminished Playoff hopes for Buescher and Wallace occurred after both dominated the headlines throughout the Darlington weekend and withstood a series of on-track trials of their own to remain in Playoff contention until the drop of the checkered flag and the conclusion of this year’s 26-race regular-season stretch.
The battle between Buescher and Wallace commenced with the latter striking first as he led the first 34 laps from the pole position. Wallace would proceed to finish in second place at the conclusion of the first stage period and accumulate nine stage points while Buescher ended up in 10th place, which allowed Wallace to overtake Buescher for the 16th and final Playoff berth.
Throughout the second stage period, Buescher would regain the upper hand by a slight margin as Wallace slipped out of the top-five mark. Despite ending up in 13th place at the second stage’s conclusion while Wallace finished ninth, which enabled him to claim an additional two stage points, Buescher leaped back atop Wallace for the final Playoff berth.
Then throughout the final stage period, late drama struck for both Buescher and Wallace that began with 46 laps remaining when the former got squeezed into the backstretch’s outside wall by Todd Gilliland before he proceeded to spin the latter. Despite sustaining slight cosmetic damage to his No. 17 BuildSubmarines.com Ford Mustang Dark Horse entry, Buescher remained both on the lead lap and above the cutline. Then with 24 laps remaining, Wallace’s Playoff hopes took a hit after he was collected in a multi-car wreck in Turn 2, when he ran into the rear of a wrecking William Byron before he was rammed in the rear by Noah Gragson sending Wallace spinning below the track. Despite plummeting below the leaderboard, Wallace was able to keep his damaged No. 23 U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry XSE under power and in race pace.
With Wallace initially appearing to lose ground to Buescher on points for the final Playoff berth, Buescher was then placed at a disadvantage as Chase Briscoe, who came into Darlington in a “must-win” situation, rocketed away with the lead during a late-race restart with 17 laps remaining. For the final 17 laps, Briscoe would fend off Kyle Busch, another Playoff “must-win” contender, to win the race and leapfrog both Buescher and Wallace in the Playoff standings to secure his spot into the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs.
For Buescher, the outcome resulted in the Prosper, Texas, native being the first competitor who was scored outside the top-16 cutline and missing his third opportunity to make the Playoffs a year after he transferred all the way to the Round of 8 and won three races.
From losing to a record-setting finish of 0.001 seconds to Kyle Larson at Kansas Speedway to sustaining a cut tire amid a late-race battle for the win with Tyler Reddick at Darlington, both occurring earlier in May, Buescher reflected on various instances where he missed opportunities to secure a regular-season victory that would have locked him into the Playoffs. With a total of five top-five results and 12 top-10 results in 26 races, the Texan also attempted to reflect on the positives made earlier in the season that would enable him to conclude the 2024 season on a strong note.
“We got back in contention there at the end and got a decent finish out of it,” Buescher said on USA Network. “We just didn’t quite get it done again and we’re on the outside looking in. It’s just the system we’re all playing in. We had such a great year. Everyone at [Roush Fenway Keselowski] has worked so hard. We’ve been so fast. We’ve outrun so many of these cars that are gonna get to run for a championship, but that’s the system and we didn’t work it right.”
Like Buescher, Wallace, who made his first Cup Series Playoffs and finished a career-best 10th a year ago in the final standings, was also left disappointed on pit road despite a late summer surge to fight his way back into the Playoffs. But his hopes evaporated with the recent surge of surprise winners that include Chase Briscoe and Harrison Burton. Nonetheless, the Mobile, Alabama, native praised the fight and determination exhibited by his No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota team in keeping both the driver and team in contention until the regular-season finale’s conclusion.
Currently, Wallace has racked up career-high stats of five top-five results and 10 top-10 results, both of which equal his total accumulated results from the previous two seasons. With his current average-finishing result of 15.8, which marks his personal best, Wallace has 10 races remaining on the 2024 schedule to add to his stats and notch his first Cup victory in two seasons.
Photo by John Knittel for SpeedwayMedia.com.
“We were back and forth on our U.S. Air Force Toyota Camry,” Wallace said. “We were a little too loose, a little too tight. And the caution a couple laps on tires where we stayed out, I don’t know if that was the deciding factor or not. I was so tight there and got back there in traffic in a spot we hadn’t been all day and got caught up someone else’s mess. It’s unfortunate. I hate it for our guys. Man, hats off to [Briscoe]. I thought I did something yesterday. They one-upped us and showed up when it was game time, so that’s pretty badass so congrats to them. Man, just wasn’t good enough for 16th this year. I hate that. It stinks saying that, but it wasn’t for a lack of effort from all of us on this No. 23 car. Best of luck to [Reddick] and hopefully, a Toyota wins.”
Overall, both Buescher and Wallace join Ross Chastain, Kyle Busch, Todd Gilliland, rookie Carson Hocevar, Michael McDowell, rookie Josh Berry, Noah Gragson, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones, Ryan Preece, Austin Dillon, Daniel Hemric, Justin Haley, Corey LaJoie, John Hunter Nemechek and rookie Zane Smith as full-time Cup Series competitors who did not qualify for the 2024 Playoffs. Nonetheless, all have the final 10-race Playoff stretch to contend for as high as 17th place in the final standings.
The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues with the upcoming Quaker State 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, which will commence the Playoffs. The event is scheduled to occur next Sunday, September 8, at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
DARLINGTON, S.C. — Darlington Raceway lived up to its reputation Saturday night to a sold-out crowd as the track “Too Tough to Tame” delivered all the twists and turns we’ve come to expect.
The Southern 500 was the final race of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season and emotions ran high in anticipation of the upcoming series Playoffs. When the checkered flag waved, Chase Briscoe crossed the finish line first in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford to win the Southern 500, secure his spot in the Playoffs and emerge as the regular season champion. It was Briscoe’s second career win in the series.
But it wasn’t easy one as he held off a hard-charging Kyle Busch in the final closing laps. Busch was also fighting for a spot in the Playoffs but came up short finishing 0.361 seconds behind Briscoe.
“I was sideways, countersteering. I felt like I was in a Sprint Car,” Briscoe said. “Yeah, this night just literally went perfect. The pit crew did an incredible job and I was crying after the checkered because I just won the Southern 500.
“This is a crown jewel and what makes this race so special is all you race fans. Every time we come here it’s sold out. It’s awesome and we love you guys. The last time I won here was during COVID, so I didn’t get the experience with the fans, so I’m grateful you guys are here and I can’t wait to celebrate.”
After the race, a disappointed Busch described the final laps as he raced Briscoe for the win.
“I’m proud of everyone on the No. 8 Morgan & Morgan Chevrolet team today for finishing second. We didn’t have much speed throughout the majority of the race. We were just mired in traffic, and we weren’t able to get up through the field. Once we did get up there, I felt like we were going to have a shot at running in the top five during those last three or four restarts. But then we had a shot for the win and just couldn’t make it up there.
“We needed Chase Briscoe to have about three more laps on his tires, maybe. If his tires would have been just a little bit more used up, I could have gotten there. I got within his wake, and as soon as I got within his wake I felt my car come out of the racetrack and I didn’t have enough to overpower that. I really hate it for everybody at RCR because we’ve put a lot of effort and work into our Chevrolets.
“We didn’t have much speed there through a majority of the race,” Busch said. “We were just mired in traffic, and we weren’t able to get up through there. “But once we got up there, I felt like those last three or four restarts, we were going to have a shot running in the top-5. But then we had a shot for the win and just couldn’t make it up there.”
It will be the first time Busch has missed the Playoffs since 2012,
Christopher Bell finished third, followed by Kyle Larson, Ross Chastain, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Corey LaJoie and Tyler Reddick to complete the top 10.
Kyle Larson led 263 laps and won the first two stages but his fourth-place finish left him one point short of claiming the NASCAR Cup Series regular-season title which went to 23XI Racing’s Tyler Reddick. Larson will, however, start the Playoffs as the No. 1 seed with 40 Playoff points.
Buescher’s sixth-place finish, unfortunately, was not enough to advance him to the Playoffs as Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs advanced based on points earned throughout the season even though both were involved in wrecks.
With an advantage of just a single point, Tyler Reddick clinched the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Regular Season Championship after a wild Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, September 1.
The two-time Xfinity Series champion from Corning, California, persevered and ground through an event that spanned nearly four hours and seven cautions for 39 laps. Amid his battle on the track to contend for the regular-season title, Reddick himself was also battling an illness that he first radioed to his team after the first stage period that ended on Lap 130, where he finished fourth and picked up seven stage points.
Receiving medicine, water and crackers from his No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota pit crew to maintain his health from inside the cockpit, Reddick fought through his illness to steer his car to an eighth-place result after the second stage period on Lap 230. By then, he had accumulated a total of 10 stage points, three from the latter stage period. With Kyle Larson sweeping the event’s first two stages, however, Reddick had a 17-point advantage he had coming into the Southern 500 weekend disappear as Larson was in prime position to win his second regular-season title.
For the majority of the final 130 laps throughout the final stage period, Larson continued his early dominance by dominating with the top spot on the track as Reddick was struggling to keep pace with the front-runners.
Then through a series of late-race incidents and late green flag pit strategies ensuing as Larson would be challenged late by Denny Hamlin and eventual winner Chase Briscoe for the top spot, Reddick opted to pit during an extensive caution period that started with 24 laps remaining due to a heavy multi-car wreck that involved Reddick’s teammate Bubba Wallace, who was trying to race his way into the Playoffs.
Restarting inside the top 12 during a 17-lap shootout to the finish, Reddick would manage to gain two spots and claim the checkered flag in 10th place for his 18th top-10 result of the 2024 Cup Series season. With Larson falling back to fourth place despite leading a race-high 263 laps and winning the event’s first two stages, Reddick emerged on top of the regular-season standings by a single point over Larson as the former emerged as a regular-season champion for the first time in his fifth full-time season in the Cup Series level,
With his accomplishment, Reddick, who is in his second consecutive season driving the No. 45 Toyota for 23XI Racing, joined Martin Truex Jr., Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Larson and Chase Elliott as competitors to win a Cup Series Regular Season Championship. The championship was also the first of any type in NASCAR for 23XI Racing, which is in its fourth season in competition.
With the regular-season title and 15 Playoff points, Reddick will commence the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs in third place in the Playoff standings with 2,028 points, where he is four points behind runner-up Christopher Bell and 12 points behind Playoff points leader Kyle Larson entering next weekend’s Playoff opener at Atlanta Motor Speedway
Amid the relief of securing the 2024 regular-season championship, Reddick could not overlook the disappointment and the run he had at Darlington that nearly cost him the title.
“Things fell our way there at the end,” Reddick said on USA Network. “[The regular-season title]’s huge for us,” Reddick added. “This is what this team’s all about. I feel like this is the worst night we’ve had in months and months speed-wise wise and we still finished 10th. It was kind of an all-out struggle for us, so just really proud of everybody on this team, staying behind me. Shame we gave some points up. I feel like this is a race we could win, but it’s really nice to, in year two for me here at this team and year four of this team for [the team overall], to get the regular season championship like we did.”
With the 2024 Cup Series Regular Season Championship officially locked up, the 2024 season overall is shaping up to be Reddick’s best season overall in NASCAR’s premier series. The Californian has won twice this season, the first occurring at Talladega Superspeedway in April before he won two weeks ago at Michigan International Speedway. In addition, he has racked up 11 top-five results and 18 top-10 results, the most he has garnered in a Cup season, throughout the 26-race regular-season stretch. With a season-best average-finishing result of 11.2, Reddick enters the 2024 Cup Series Playoffs as a prime favorite to contend for this year’s championship.
Tyler Reddick’s pursuit for a Cup Series championship commences next Sunday, September 8, at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Quaker State 400. The event’s coverage is scheduled to commence at 3 p.m. ET on USA Network.
