What’s Happening?

This summer, NASCAR debuts its new in-season tournament, the In-Season Challenge. This tournament will pit drivers head-to-head for $1 million throughout the five weeks of NASCAR coverage provided by TNT Sports. There are a lot of moving parts to this tournament, so here is everything you need to know about the 2025 NASCAR In-Season Challenge.

How Does the Tournament Work?

This tournament will pit 32 qualifying drivers head-to-head over five races. Of course, this does not mean that the races will be one-versus-one; rather, the drivers will compete to see who finishes better in each given race. The better-finishing driver will advance to the next round until the final two drivers remain, with the winner walking away with $1 million.

Weekly Matchups: Week 1: EchoPark Speedway

No. 1 Denny Hamlin v. No. 32 Ty Dillon

Denny Hamlin

• 2025 Avg Finish: 12.8
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 18.1

Ty Dillon

• 2025 Avg Finish: 23.7
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 27.0

No. 2 Chase Briscoe v. No. 31 Noah Gragson

Chase Briscoe

• 2025 Avg Finish: 13.7
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 23.9

Noah Gragson

• 2025 Avg Finish: 23.2
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 31.4

No. 3 Chris Buescher v. No. 30 Todd Gilliland

Chris Buescher

• 2025 Avg Finish: 14.0
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 23.6

Todd Gilliland

• 2025 Avg Finish: 20.5
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 20.4

No. 4 Christopher Bell v. No. 29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

Christopher Bell

• 2025 Avg Finish: 11.0
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 15.3

Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

• 2025 Avg Finish: 19.7
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 16.3

No. 5 Chase Elliott v. No. 28 Austin Dillon

Chase Elliott

• 2025 Avg Finish: 10.8
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 10.5

Austin Dillon

• 2025 Avg Finish: 20.1
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 24.1

No. 6 Ty Gibbs v. No. 27 Justin Haley

Ty Gibbs

• 2025 Avg Finish: 19.4
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 20.4

Justin Haley

• 2025 Avg Finish: 22.3
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 14.9

No. 7 Ryan Blaney v. No. 26 Carson Hocevar

Ryan Blaney

• 2025 Avg Finish: 16.5
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 6.7

Carson Hocevar

• 2025 Avg Finish: 22.5
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 12.3

No. 8 Alex Bowman v. No. 25 Joey Logano

Alex Bowman

• 2025 Avg Finish: 18.8
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 20.0

Joey Logano

• 2025 Avg Finish: 16.9
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 13.4

No. 9 Bubba Wallace v. No. 24 Daniel Suarez

Bubba Wallace

• 2025 Avg Finish: 19.3
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 17.4

Daniel Suarez

• 2025 Avg Finish: 20.6
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 11.0

No. 10 Kyle Larson v. No. 23 Tyler Reddick

Kyle Larson

• 2025 Avg Finish: 12.4
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 19.0

Tyler Reddick

• 2025 Avg Finish: 15.5
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 26.0

No. 11 Michael McDowell v. No. 22 A.J. Allmendinger

Michael McDowell

• 2025 Avg Finish: 19.2
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 15.3

A.J. Allmendinger

• 2025 Avg Finish: 20.3
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 11.0

No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek v. No. 21 Josh Berry

John Hunter Nemechek

• 2025 Avg Finish: 18.7
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 27.3

Josh Berry

• 2025 Avg Finish: 20.4
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 25.0

No. 13 Ross Chastain v. No. 20 Erik Jones

Ross Chastain

• 2025 Avg Finish: 13.4
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 11.4

Erik Jones

• 2025 Avg Finish: 19.2
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 17.0

No. 14 Zane Smith v. No. 19 Austin Cindric

Zane Smith

• 2025 Avg Finish: 20.3
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 22.3

Austin Cindric

• 2025 Avg Finish: 18.5
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 14.3

No. 15 Ryan Preece v. No. 18 William Byron

Ryan Preece

• 2025 Avg Finish: 18.0
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 20.8

William Byron

• 2025 Avg Finish: 11.4
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 16.7

No. 16 Kyle Busch v. No. 17 Brad Keselowski

Kyle Busch

• 2025 Avg Finish: 18.2
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 12.1

Brad Keselowski

• 2025 Avg Finish: 23.4
• Avg Finish at EchoPark: 18.4

The In-Season Challenge Field

How Does Seeding Work?

The seeding, or ranking, of the 32 drivers is decided based on the driver’s best finish in each of the three races mentioned above. For tiebreakers, NASCAR will turn to the driver’s next-best finish and then, if necessary, their season points position.

Seeding Race Schedule

• June 8 | Michigan International Raceway
• June 15 | Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez
• June 22 | Pocono Raceway

Who is Eligible?

According to NASCAR, the top 32 drivers in points after the June 1 race at Nashville Superspeedway will be eligible for seeding. This does not mean that after the June 1 race at Nashville, the top 32 in points are locked in their position; rather, they will be re-seeded based on those three seeding races.

What is the In-Season Challenge Schedule?

• 32 Drivers | June 28 | Atlanta Motor Speedway
• 16 Drivers | July 6 | Chicago Street Course
• 8 Drivers | July 13 | Sonoma Raceway
• 4 Drivers | July 20 | Dover Motor Speedway
• 2 Drivers | July 27 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Where Can I Watch?

In-Season Challenge

• TNT Sports will have exclusive coverage for the five tournament races. All five races will be on TNT, which you can access through a live TV service such as YouTube TV or via a cable service.
• Furthermore, MAX, or HBO MAX, will have simulcasts of each race, meaning that subscribers will not have to have a cable or live TV streaming service.
• Finally, for those focused on the tournament, TNT will have an AltCast during each race on TruTv, with Larry McReynolds and Jeff Burton hosting.

Will The Tournament Affect the Standings/Playoffs?

Not on face value, there are no points or playoff points handed out for performance in the tournament. However, it will be a delicate balance for drivers to watch their actions during the tournament, as one wrong move could affect their race day or a fellow non-tournament driver’s day.

Who are Some Favorites?

When looking at a format like this, it would be easy to drift toward consistent winners like Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson as favorites. However, consistency will be key, so look for some quiet drivers, such as William Byron, Bubba Wallace, and Ryan Blaney, to perform well in this system.

This article will be updated race to race as the In-Season Challenge continues.