Chase Briscoe clinched a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a dramatic victory at the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, holding off Kyle Busch in the final laps. This win marked Briscoe's first since 2022 and was pivotal for Stewart-Haas Racing, which will shut down at the end of the season. Tyler Reddick, despite battling illness, secured the regular-season championship with a 10th-place finish. Martin Truex Jr. and Ty Gibbs also made the playoff field, while Chris Buescher and Bubba Wallace missed the cut. Kyle Larson, the top seed, aims for his second Cup title, and defending champion Ryan Blaney seeks to become NASCAR's first repeat champion since 2010.