Winners and losers from a mistake-filled playoff race at Darlington

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Playoffs are officially underway. Chase Briscoe has already locked himself into the Round of 12 with a dominant victory at Darlington, becoming the first driver in almost two decades to win back-to-back Southern 500s.

The raced featured several unforced errors by the title contenders, mostly on pit road. 36 of the 38 starters made it to the finish, but that didn’t mean it was a good day. Not a single playoff driver from Ford or Chevrolet finished inside the top ten, while Toyota had four in the top ten. 

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers from the 76th running of the Southern 500:

WINNER: Two different teams, same outcome for Briscoe at Darlington

Chase Briscoe has now won back-to-back Southern 500s at Darlington, but even more impressively, he did it with two different race teams. Last year, he earned Stewart-Haas Racing its final win before the team shut down, and in 2025, he opened the playoffs with a dominant victory at the historic track. He is just the eighth driver to successfully defend their crown in the Southern 500 and the first to do so with two different teams since Cale Yarborough in 1973 and 1974 (though it was essentially the same car with new ownership).

HMS leaves Darlington with a lot of questions, and it goes far beyond ‘why did it take 40 seconds to pit Alex Bowman’s race car?’ No Hendrick driver finished higher than 17th, and two of them are now in real danger as the Cup Series heads to Gateway. Bowman is 19 points below the cutline while Chase Elliott is just nine points up. Was it just an off-night, or something more? The only excuse surrounds the No. 5 of Kyle Larson, who suffered some damage that impacted his performance. But even before that, he was not out front leading laps like we expect him to do at one of his best tracks.

WINNER: Legacy Motor Club shines in the Southern 500

Erik Jones, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

While all eyes were on the playoff drivers, the Jimmie Johnson-led team nearly stole the spotlight at Darlington. Two-time Southern 500 winner Erik Jones had a legitimate shot at making it three, placing a very close third as the best non-playoff driver in the field. The next best was his own teammate, John Hunter Nemechek, who finished fourth in the best showing yet for Legacy in 2025. They also managed to get two cars inside the top five for both the Daytona 500 and Southern 500 this year.

LOSER: Josh Berry’s playoff underdog story may already be over

Berry’s shot of advancing beyond the Round of 16 was already looking difficult, but a Lap 1 wreck at Darlington leaves him buried in a hole that the No. 21 team may not be capable of digging out of. However, props to them for not giving up. He returned to the track after spending over 100 laps in the garage, and even snagged the fastest lap bonus point as he looks to make up some ground.

WINNER: Reddick loses the race, but makes the right choice

Watch: Chase Briscoe fends off Tyler Reddick for Southern 500 victory

Reddick really, really wanted to win the Southern 500. He has been close several times before, and his post-race interviews showed how little he cared about his great points position. However, he still made the right ‘big picture’ choice on the last lap. Reddick made a lunge at Briscoe for the lead, but he didn’t fully send it like Darlington 2024 where he ultimately took himself out in an attempt to win the race. This time, he took second, and walks out of Darlington with a hefty margin between himself in the elimination zone. As one of two winless drivers in the playoffs, it was sorely needed as he looks far more likely to advance now.

LOSER: Bell’s day unravels after pit road collision

Christopher Bell saw his race come apart on pit road, but not in the way many others did. It wasn’t a slow stop or a loose wheel, but a collision with another car. After spinning out and causing a caution, Carson Hocevar filed down pit road at the very back of the field. However, when he went to turn into his own stall, Bell was leaving his and contact occurred. The damage prevented Bell from doing much of anything the rest of the day, and leaves him with just 11 points between himself and the cutline. He was also frustrated with Hocevar’s team after the race for not telling him to give way to the playoff drivers.

WINNER: Chastain avoids disaster and moves away from the cutline

Ross Chastain, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet; Erik Jones, Legacy Motor Club Toyota

Photo by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Ross Chastain has always been strong at Darlington, and Sunday was no different. He collected 12 stage points, and even battled for the race lead at one point. However, he was faced with an uncomfortable situation in the closing laps when a fueling issue meant the team failed to get his car full. Chastain had to purposely give up spots, letting a top ten slip away while he nursed the car home. In the end, he fell from seventh to 11th, but “avoided disaster” as he eaves Darlington 21 points above the cutline. At the start of the race, there was only one point between himself and the drop zone.

LOSER: SVG loses points cushion after just one race

Shane van Gisbergen, Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

It was a very different story for Chastain’s rookie teammate in the No. 88, who finished 33rd at Darlington. They never could get the handle on SVG’s car, and a late-race strategy gamble didn’t pay off due to an untimely caution. As a result, most of his 16-point buffer is gone. He is now on the bubble, just three points above the cutline. To make matters worse, the driver directly below him is three-time and defending series champion Joey Logano. Oh, and van Gisbergen has never run a lap at the next track on the schedule. It’s going to be a tough task for him to stay on the right of the line in the weeks to come.

WINNER: Veteran racer A.J. Allmendinger excels in another old-school race

AJ Allmendinger, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen – Getty Images

It’s hard not to be impressed by versatile racer A.J. Allmendinger. The 43-year-old has been competing in NASCAR since 2006, and his experience shows in traditional events like this one. He’s a driver who has led laps at the Indy 500, earned a watch in the Rolex 24, and has won numerous races in stock cars. This year, he has a fourth-place finish in the Coca-Cola 600 and a fifth-place finish in the Southern 500 — two grueling crown jewel events on ovals. We have to give A.J. his flowers as he delivered Kaulig another stellar showing in one of NASCAR’s toughest races.

LOSER: Hamlin’s ‘Achilles Heel’ appears again in playoff opener

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Chase Briscoe, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Logan Riely / Getty Images

Before the Cup race at Darlington, Denny Hamlin was asked what the ‘Achilles Heel’ is for his No. 11 team, and he quickly pointed to ‘execution’ as the answer. While Hamlin has four wins this year, there have been several moments where races have just gotten away from the Joe Gibbs Racing squad. Unfortunately, the execution was not there on Sunday night. A slow stop on pit road denied Hamlin a chance to challenge Briscoe for the win, but he still made the most of it points-wise. Hamlin secured a top ten finish and shouldn’t be worried about a first-round exit, but as a driver who has a self-appointed goal to reach 60 career wins in 2025, races like this are going to haunt him.