TC Daily Pit Stop: Chase Briscoe Goes Back-to-Back in Southern 500; Josh Berry Crashes Early

TC Daily Pit Stop: Monday, September 1, 2025

Sep 01, 2025

Leading into the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs, Chase Briscoe was adamant that the full potential of the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing team hadn’t yet been put on full display.

With an opportunity to reset for the final 10 events of the season, Briscoe and his crew chief, James Small, changed that fact on Sunday with an incredible, dominant performance in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington.

The Mitchell, Indiana-native started the playoff opener from second-place (barely missing out on securing all four crown jewel poles this season), but instantly took the lead.

After taking over the lead early in the race, Briscoe hardly looked back, pacing the field for 309 of 367 laps — the most dominant Southern 500 performance since Bobby Allison led 329 laps in 1971.

Playoff Contender Josh Berry Triggers Multi-Car Wreck on Lap 1

The first NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs appearance for Josh Berry has met some early grief after a first-lap accident in the Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway.

Berry, driving the No. 21 Ford Mustang Dark Horse for Wood Brothers Racing, snapped around while on the inside of Tyler Reddick in the second corner, crashing hard into the outside wall.

The Hendersonville, Tennessee-native started the race inside the top-five after a stellar qualifying run, meaning that the entire field had to avoid the spinning Berry, and with that came some problems.