Chase Briscoe has held off Kyle Busch in a frantic battle over the closing laps to win the Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Briscoe, was an emotional wreck and for good reason. On Tuesday, his wife had an appointment for their baby. They just announced not too long ago that they were expecting. Unfortunately, Briscoe couldn’t be there, as he was supposed to be racing that night. They FaceTimed instead. During this appointment, they received the news that the doctors couldn’t find a heartbeat. It was a tragic situation for the young couple and Briscoe was another state away waiting for his race.

Luckily, they didn’t race that night due to rain, which allowed Briscoe to get home much sooner than expected. On Thursday, he was back again. This time, they’d race. This time, he’d win.

“I knew that in the car would probably be the best therapy, but I didn’t know really how my reaction was going to be,” Briscoe said on why he never thought of not racing. “Truthfully, in the whole race I was kind of out of it, for sure the last 50 laps emotionally.

“I was kind of all over the place. … It was a blessing in disguise that it rained Tuesday and I was able to get a couple of days at home.

“God was driving the car the last eight or nine laps,” he said. “I was emotionally a wreck, all over the place. I don’t even really remember to be honest with you.”

Busch had been penalized for speeding on the final round of pit stops and it forced him to relinquish the lead. He still drove his way up to the front and briefly passed Briscoe, but the Stewart-Haas Racing driver held off the two-time Cup champion on the final lap.

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Briscoe dropped to his knees in tears after taking the checkered flag, his second of the season and fourth of his career.

“This is for my wife. This has been the hardest week,” Briscoe said through tears. “When I took the lead, I was crying in my car. This is more than a race win. This is the biggest win of my life after the toughest day of my life. To be able to beat the best there is is so satisfying.

“It’s unfortunate what we were dealt, but we felt like God did it for a reason. We felt like using our platform to help others through it down the road might be what our calling was. That was why we did it, and obviously now, it’s truly a miracle.

“That’s the only way I can put it. It definitely makes more sense now. It still doesn’t make it any easier, but definitely makes a lot more sense.”

Busch winless this season in the Xfinity Series but had only participated in one event before the coronavirus pandemic stopped the season. He is seeking his 97th career victory in NASCAR’s second-tier series.

He won the race off pit road during the stage break and would have restarted as the leader or the final stretch of racing at Darlington. But he was flagged for speeding. When told over his radio, he had just one word in response: “Perfect,” Busch said.

Justin Allgaier earned his first top five of the Season and best career result on the 1.366 mile South Carolina race track in third. Austin Cindric was fourth in his No. 22 Ford while Noah Gragson rounded out the top five in his No. 9 Chevrolet.

JR Motorsports put three cars in the top six while four of the top six finishers started outside the top 10. Also, 10 of the top 11 finishers all earned career best finishes at Darlington on Thursday too.

The Xfinity Series race at Darlington Raceway finally got going after a rain delay of 4-½ hours. Noah Gragson started on the pole.

This was also the first Xfinity Series event back since the season was suspended March 13 during the coronavirus pandemic. The race had been scheduled for Tuesday night but was rained out, and then rain delayed Thursday’s start.

Kyle Busch and Timmy Hill were both in the field after racing Wednesday night’s Cup event at Darlington, as well as NASCAR’s return last Sunday at the same track. Both drivers are entered in all seven races scheduled over 11 days in NASCAR’s return.

Busch finished second Wednesday night and was involved in a late incident with Chase Elliott.