"We should run all 10 playoff races"- Kyle Petty vouches for Darlington following Southern 500 leaving no "negative" moment

Kyle Petty has vouched for Darlington Raceway after the regular-season finale wrapped up on a "dramatic" note. The former NASCAR driver suggested the sport should host all playoff races on the 'Too Tough To Tame' track.

The Cook Out Southern 500 witnessed Stewart-Haas Racing's Chase Briscoe punch his playoff ticket and dethrone Kyle Busch, Bubba Wallace, and Chris Buscher out of the playoffs. The 367-lap thriller birthed seven caution flags and 26 lead changes among 11 drivers.

Kyle Petty was satisfied with how the race turned out and didn't have any "negative" comments to make. Moreover, the eight-time Cup Series race winner expressed keeping Darlington as the go-to track for all playoff races. He said via NASCAR on YouTube:

"The Southern 500, it should be the starting race of the season, the closing race of the season, the cut-off race (regular-season finale), and we should run all 10 playoff races at Darlington. What a fantastic Southern 500, I got nothing negative to say. It was the most dramatic race I think I've seen in a long long time. Maybe the best Southern 500 I've ever seen, there was so much going on."

The 'Lady in Black' produced an enthralling race across the 1.366-mile oval. Kyle Larson led a race-high 263 laps but couldn't hold his dominant run. Bubba Wallace was the polesitter and had high odds of churning a promising result, but the wreckage on Lap 344 slowed him and shattered the chances.

Chris Buescher's #17 Ford went into the wall twice. After scraping the wall while running 11th on Lap 269, the RFK Racing driver's door earned the Darlington stripes as Todd Gilliland slid up the track and pinched Buescher on Lap 322.

Since the season began, Chase Briscoe hasn't shown much signs of punching the playoff ticket. He crept close to securing the playoff berth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway but lost the battle to Christopher Bell. Nonetheless, after emerging victorious at Darlington, the SHR driver rose above the playoff cutline.

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"May not be the last trophy he puts his name on"- Kyle Petty on Chase Briscoe's promising NASCAR future

Chase Briscoe registered his first top-10 of the season at the Daytona 500. However, he couldn't consistently keep his #14 Ford among the frontrunners and largely settled for outside top-10 finishes. He showed glimpses of domination by posting three top-5s- two at Darlington, one at New Hampshire, and seven top-10s.

But the SHR driver kicked off the Southern 500 on a strong note. After producing the third-fastest qualifying speed, Briscoe finished third and second in both stages. During the final stage, the Indiana native maintained his pace to the likes of race leaders. Despite several cautions threw several contenders out of the race, Briscoe didn't let his guard fall.

After initiating the triple overtake lunge on Lap 342, the #14 Ford driver didn't look back, fended Busch's fierce challenge for 17 consecutive green flag laps, and gunned to the checkered flag.

Kyle Petty said the Darlington race may not be the last time the SHR driver puts his name on a trophy (via NASCAR on YouTube).

"It was an emotional victory lane, it was an emotional day, that's a great story for the sport and the sport's better for teams like SHR, the sport is better for drivers like Chase Briscoe. He put his name on that trophy and that may not be the last trophy he puts his name on this year," Kyle Petty said (1:21).

Amid SHR's closure, Chase Briscoe will move to Joe Gibbs Racing in 2025.