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.

The In-Season Challenge Field

When Will We Know Matchups?

We will know who is going head-to-head for the first round following the June 22 race at Pocono Raceway. This race is the final of three races, Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono, which will decide the seeding for the tournament.

Seeding Race Schedule

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

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.

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?

Seeding

• Prime Video has exclusive broadcast rights to the three seeding races. The streaming service, which was new to the NASCAR scene in 2025, has five exclusive races on its service.
• You must have a subscription to Amazon Prime or just Prime Video to watch any of these five races, including the three seeding races.

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.