Chase Briscoe wins South Point 400; Larson, Reddick crash off final turn

Chase Briscoe led 175 laps at Las Vegas for his second win of 2026, and Kyle Larson padded his points lead before NASCAR's Chase resumes Oct. 11 at Charlotte on USA Network.

Chase Briscoe survived a chaotic finish to win the South Point 400 on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, capturing his second victory of the NASCAR season. Kyle Larson and Tyler Reddick crashed off the final turn but still crossed the line in second and third place. The outcome came down to three Chase drivers from three different teams, who ran within a second of one another over the closing laps.

After climbing from his No. 19 Toyota, Briscoe told the crowd he hoped they had enjoyed the race, adding that from his seat in the closing laps he could not have asked for much more from a back-and-forth fight for the lead.

The win came one week after a painful defeat at Kansas. In that race, Briscoe moved into the lead with 30 laps to go and stayed out front for 23 circuits before Larson passed him with seven remaining and went on to win. At Las Vegas, Briscoe made no mistake. He joked that a second straight loss might have kept him off the plane home, with crew chief James Small and the rest of the team ready to give him a hard time.

Briscoe also had the strongest car of the night. He led 175 laps while no other driver led more than 39, and he claimed the opening two stages — his first stage wins of the year — bringing home 75 points.

The result lifted Briscoe one spot to sixth in the standings and trimmed his deficit to first by 39 points, leaving him 84 points behind the leader.

Larson still managed to grow his advantage. The Hendrick Motorsports driver arrived in Las Vegas 26 points ahead of Denny Hamlin and 50 clear of third-place Christopher Bell, and his runner-up finish stretched both margins. Hamlin finished 16th and Bell 23rd, leaving Larson up 40 points on Hamlin and 55 on Bell. Larson said the added cushion was welcome, though he believed a car closer to the mark at the start could have been worth at least 10 more points.

Hamlin said the team would move on and look for a way to win the next time out, adding that Charlotte should be a good track for them even though the Las Vegas result did not match expectations.

The 2026 Chase has now run five weeks, with five still to go. The second half of the postseason opens with the Bank of America 400 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, located near the headquarters of most NASCAR teams. The green flag is set for shortly after 3 p.m. on Oct. 11, with USA Network handling the broadcast. It will be the third consecutive 400-mile race on a 1.5-mile oval.

Daniel Suarez won NASCAR's first visit to Charlotte this year, an event shortened by rain on Memorial Day weekend. Suarez qualified for the Chase but is no longer in the title picture, sitting 14th and nearly 200 points adrift.