What’s Happening?

The NASCAR In-Season Challenge is back after an entertaining debut last year, and with TNT taking over the broadcast, it’s time to fill out another bracket. From road courses to superspeedways, short tracks, and Indianapolis, every matchup could be decided by one mistake. Here are the picks for every round of this year’s tournament.

• Can Tyler Reddick survive a difficult opening path that includes Austin Cindric, Zane Smith, and eventually Chase Elliott, or will one upset derail one of the tournament favorites before the final rounds?
• Which underdogs have the best chance to bust brackets? Zane Smith is picked as this year’s Cinderella, while Ross Chastain, Todd Gilliland, and Michael McDowell could all surprise higher-seeded opponents along the way.
• Will the veteran stars take control once the bracket reaches Chicagoland, Atlanta, North Wilkesboro, and Indianapolis? Drivers like Chase Elliott, Ryan Blaney, Chris Buescher, Denny Hamlin, and Kyle Larson all have tracks that play directly into their strengths.
• Who ultimately wins the tournament? The prediction is a championship matchup between Chase Elliott and Ryan Blaney at Indianapolis, with Blaney’s recent strength at the Brickyard giving him the edge to capture the In-Season Challenge title.

With so many different track types on the schedule, this year’s bracket feels even harder to predict than last season’s. One accident or strategy call could completely reshape the tournament, making every head-to-head matchup matter.

Watch Also