Stewart-Haas Ford driver Chase Briscoe passed Austin Cindric who lost his power steering in the closing laps to win the final race of the regular Xfinity Series season at Bristol Motor Speedway.
The win was Briscoe’s seventh of the 2020 season but early on, it wasn’t Briscoe’s race to win.
Instead it was a race dominated by Justin Allgaier with a supporting performance by Ross Chastain.
Allgaier dominated stages one and two and appeared poised to dominate in stage three but an ill handling race car with a loose setup would drop Allgaier back in the field and ultimately cost him the win, finishing fifth.
The night was even more disappointing for Ross Chastain who challenged Allgaier early and also challenged Team Penske driver Austin Cindric and race winner Briscoe, but had nothing else to muster to cross the start/finish line as the winner of the Food City 300.
Chastain would finish second in the standings, Cindric placed third, Harrison Burton placed fourth and Allgaier finished fifth.Chase Briscoe was able to collect his ninth career NASCAR Xfinity Series win and better his second-place finish at the 0.533-mile short track in June.
“I was worried. Our car was really good on the long run, I couldn’t get going, those guys were so far ahead,” said Briscoe following the race.
“The last 15 laps our car came to life, I figured something out. We had to root and gouge our way up there, that’s what Bristol is all about.
“If we could end up second in points and win the race, we’d have the same amount of playoff points as (Cindric). Mission accomplished.”
Unofficially, Briscoe will heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the opening round of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs tied with the regular season champion Austin Cindric at 2,050 points apiece.
Anthony Alfredo claimed sixth ahead of Noah Gragson, Brandon Jones, Jeb Burton and Riley Herbst to complete the top-10.
Brandon Brown came across with a 12th place finish and secured his spot, the final spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoff.
Racing action resumes at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night for the Bass Pro Shops/NRA Night Race. The NASCAR Cup race will be the cutoff race for four drivers as twelve spots will be secured after Bristol, heading into Las Vegas, Charlotte and Martinsville.
By Rod Mullins | Augusta Free Press
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