The 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge is officially in full swing.
The In-Season Challenge commences this upcoming weekend at Sonoma Raceway, the first of a five-race summer stretch from mid-June to the end of July. With five distinct racing venues forthcoming, big names squaring off against one another and a big prize value up for grabs, this year’s tournament presents numerous reasons for epic bragging rights to be made on (and even off) the track.
In-Season Challenge 101
NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge is a tournament that occurs within the summer stretch of a Cup Series season, particularly within the early stages of the schedule’s second half. The tournament features 32 competitors participating in a single-elimination competition over a five-race stretch as part of TNT Sports’ coverage of Cup competition. Compared to the competition’s inaugural occurrence in 2025, where seeding events determined who would qualify for the competition, this year’s field of 32 competitors was determined based on the points position standings following the Cup event at Pocono Raceway on June 14.
At the conclusion of the Pocono event, the following names that include Tyler Reddick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, Chase Elliott, Ty Gibbs, Kyle Larson, Chris Buescher, Daniel Suarez, Carson Hocevar, Christopher Bell, William Byron, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Shane van Gisbergen, Erik Jones, Austin Cindric, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Preece, Michael McDowell, AJ Allmendinger, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ross Chastain, Zane Smith, Todd Gilliland, John Hunter Nemechek, Riley Herbst, Austin Dillon, Noah Gragson, Josh Berry, Ty Dillon and Alex Bowman qualified for the 2026 In-Season Challenge. The competitors mentioned were listed based on their respective seed rankings. Reddick, seeded first, and Bowman, the last competitor to acquire a seeded spot for the tournament, were seeded 32nd.
Notables that did not qualify for this year’s In-Season Tournament are Cole Custer, rookie Connor Zillisch and Cody Ware as they were ranked 33rd or below in the 2026 driver’s standings after the Pocono event.
For the first-round In-Season Challenge matchup at Sonoma, the 32 competitors will square off as follows:
- 1. Tyler Reddick vs. #32. Alex Bowman
- 16. Austin Cindric vs. #17. Brad Keselowski
- 8. Daniel Suarez vs. #25. Todd Gilliland
- 9. Carson Hocevar vs. #24. Zane Smith
- 12. Chase Briscoe vs. #21. AJ Allmendinger
- 5. Ty Gibbs vs. #28. Austin Dillon
- 13. Bubba Wallace vs. #20. Michael McDowell
- 4. Chase Elliott vs. #29. Noah Gragson
- 2. Denny Hamlin vs. #31. Ty Dillon
- 15. Erik Jones vs. #18. Joey Logano
- 7. Chris Buescher vs. #26. John Hunter Nemechek
- 10. Christopher Bell vs. #23. Ross Chastain
- 11. William Byron vs. #22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
- 6. Kyle Larson vs. #27. Riley Herbst
- 14. Shane van Gisbergen vs. #19. Ryan Preece
- 3. Ryan Blaney vs. #30. Josh Berry
Each competitor advances to the following round by finishing ahead of their respective competitor with whom they are squared off against one another. Following the first In-Season Challenge event at Sonoma, the field will be reduced by half, from 32 to 16, before the second event at Chicagoland Speedway (July 5). The field will be reduced a second time by half, 16 to 8, after Chicagoland and before the third event at EchoPark Speedway (July 12). Afterwards, only four contenders will square off against one another in the penultimate event at North Wilkesboro Speedway (July 19).
The 2026 In-Season Challenge concludes with the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 26) for a second consecutive year. For this event, the two finalists who transfer will square off against one another on the track for 160 laps. The highest-finishing finalist will be awarded the tournament’s $1 million prize.
Fans’ Involvement
The 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge is a competition that is not solely designated towards the competitors duking it out on the track. Fans can register for the challenge through NASCAR.com, with registrations commencing on June 8 and bracket selections occurring on June 15. Fans who fill in their brackets would then have to submit to NASCAR by June 28 to be eligible to compete against other race fans for an opportunity to achieve the competition’s prize.
Participants who correctly pick competitors who transfer through each round will be awarded points, with the first round awarding 10 points, the second round awarding 20, the third round awarding 40, the fourth round awarding 80, and the fifth and final round awarding 160. The fan who achieves the top prize title will be awarded $10,000, the runner-up will be awarded $5,00,0 and the third-place finisher will be awarded $2,500. A grand prize of $1 million will only be awarded to any fan who correctly predicts the overall outcome of the entire bracket (drivers’ transfer of each round), while split winners will have the grand prize split equally.
2025 NASCAR In-Season Challenge Recap
NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge tournament featured a Ty vs. Ty showdown as Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon, both of whom transferred through the tournament’s four events, squared off for the $1 million prize during the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In the end, Gibbs claimed fame as being named the inaugural champion of the In-Season Challenge despite finishing in 21st place, but finishing seven spots ahead of Dillon.
This season, both Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon return as two of 32 competitors squaring off against one another for the In-Season Challenge’s prize, with Gibbs aiming for another million-dollar bonus and Dillon striving for redemption following his Cinderella run a year ago. Gibbs enters the tournament as the fifth seed, as he will square off against Ty’s brother, Austin, in the first round. Austin Dillon did not transfer past the first round a year ago. Meanwhile, Ty Dillon, who enters in the 31st seed, will square off against Denny Hamlin, the latter of whom has been victorious four times this season. Ironically, Hamlin was outfinished by Dillon during the tournament’s first round a year ago.
Who will claim the $1 million prize this season? Which competitor will have the epic bragging rights of being crowned a NASCAR In-Season Challenge champion?
Tune in as the 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge commences this Sunday, June 28, at Sonoma Raceway for the Toyota/Save Mart 350. The event’s broadcast is slated to commence at 3:30 p.m. ET on TNT Sports, PRN Radio, SiriusXM and HBO MAX.
