Chase Briscoe's historic sweep bid falls just short as JGR teammate Denny Hamlin takes Southern 500 pole

Denny Hamlin spoiled Chase Briscoe's chance at history by taking pole for Sunday's Cook Out Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. If Briscoe hung on, he could have become the first driver in Cup Series history to start on pole in all four crown-jewel races in a single year, but he will start beside his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate in the opening race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs.

Briscoe already won poles at the Daytona 500, Coca-Cola 600, and Brickyard 400 this year, but Hamlin snatched away the moment with a near-perfect exit out of Turn 4. Hamlin's fastest lap came in 28.694s, edging Briscoe's 28.715s run to secure his second pole of the season after Pocono.

"It turned. We struggled with the balance all through race practice, so we made some good adjustments there to go one lap. I felt like it was really good. This Toyota did everything I needed it to do. It's awesome to come here and get a pole. Starting up front is certainly a big advantage," Hamlin told NASCAR after qualifying.

For Hamlin, who has yet to win a championship despite multiple near-misses, it may finally be the year everything aligns.

How qualifying unfolded at Darlington

Denny Hamlin (11) during the NASCAR Cup Series Cook Out Southern 500 qualifying at Darlington. Source: Getty

The practice sessions saw Spire Motorsports lead the charts, with Michael McDowell fastest at 169.531 mph and teammate Justin Haley close behind. But during qualifying, both fell outside the top ten with McDowell winding up 25th and Haley 13th.

Qualifying itself swung dramatically. Haley initially held the benchmark lap early on, but as the playoff contenders took to the track, times tumbled. Austin Cindric and Bubba Wallace traded the top spot before Tyler Reddick's effort briefly looked like the one to beat. Chase Briscoe then stunned the field with a blistering run, but it was Hamlin, last among the JGR cars, who denied his teammate’s bid for a historic sweep.

Josh Berry was the surprise of the session, putting the Wood Brothers No. 21 Ford third on the grid in his first playoff appearance. Reddick starts fourth, and Kyle Larson rounds out the top five. Briscoe's JGR teammates: Christopher Bell starts seventh, and Ty Gibbs starts 16th on the Cook Out Southern 500 Starting Lineup.

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"This feels more pressure-packed": Chase Briscoe sets sights on Darlington Playoff opener

Chase Briscoe during the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Media Day at Charlotte. Source: Imagn

For Chase Briscoe, missing out on the Southern 500 pole was a disappointment, but it doesn't change his mindset heading into the postseason. In his first year with Joe Gibbs Racing, the No. 19 says the pressure feels completely different compared to his days at Stewart-Haas Racing.

Speaking about his win on the oval last year to secure his playoff spot, Briscoe explained (via NASCAR):

"Last year, nobody expected us (to win), and truthfully, as a race team, we weren't coming into Darlington and being like 'This is our weekend.' At SHR (Stewart Haas Racing), you really couldn't go to the race track each weekend and say we are going to win this weekend, or we are going to have a shot at it. So this feels more pressure-packed than a win-or-go-home situation, because we all kind of made up our minds that we were probably going home anyways, and it just so happened that we won that race, and we were in."

Already locked in thanks to his Pocono victory, Chase Briscoe has been among the sharpest qualifiers in the field this season. He owns a 10.3 average starting position, best in the Cup Series, with six poles at Daytona, Charlotte, Nashville, Michigan, Indianapolis, and Iowa, plus front-row starts at Sonoma and Dover. Saturdays have not been the issue.

Sundays have delivered solid results as well: ten top-five finishes in 26 races. The missing ingredient has been turning those strong runs into wins. Briscoe's lone Darlington triumph came last year when he shocked the field to sneak into the playoffs. In nine starts overall at the South Carolina track, he has that win and one additional top-five finish.

This time, Chase Briscoe starts in the front row with genuine title expectations.