The highly anticipated NASCAR In-Season Challenge is back after making its successful debut last year. The challenge will feature 32 drivers going head-to-head in an elimination-style round. After five races, the last driver standing will win the $1 million prize.

The first round will kick off at Sonoma Raceway on June 28th. The driver bracket for the challenge has been set after the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono. Let’s take a look at the tournament details below. 

How to fill out the bracket?

One of the fun elements about the challenge is the fan involvement. Fans can predict the tournament by registering on the NASCAR website.

 The registration opens on June 8th at 9 a.m. ET, while the selections open on June 15th at 9 a.m. ET. Fans need to pick out their predictions and complete the bracket by June 28th at 3:25 p.m. ET. 

What is up for grabs?

Similar to the All-Star race at Dover, drivers will be battling for the $1 million prize along with bragging rights.

As for the fans, the bracket entry with the most points will be awarded $10,000. The second and third places will be awarded  $5,000 and $2,500, respectively. However, the entry with correct predictions for every round will win $1 million. 

However, if there are two or more entries with a correct outcome for all the rounds, the prize money will be divided among them. 

What determined the bracket seeding for this season?

Last year, the bracket was chosen based on the best finishes from three races(Michigan, Mexico City, Pocono. This time, it's based on the NASCAR Cup Series championship standings after the Pocono race.

According to this format, the current drivers' championship leader, Tyler Reddick, is entering the tournament as the number 1 seed. He is followed by Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott as the second, third, and fourth seedings, respectively. 

For the first round, Tyler Reddick will be facing off against Alex Bowman, while Denny Hamlin will be facing off against his rival from last year, Ty Dillon, and will be followed by the rest of the bracket. 

What are the stops on the In-Season Challenge schedule?

The inaugural round of the tournament will be held at Sonoma on June 28. Chicagoland Speedway will host the second round of the tournament on July 5th. This will be followed by EchoPark Speedway and Wilkesboro Speedway on July 12th and 19th, respectively. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the grand finale of the tournament on July 26th. 

Fans can catch the NASCAR In-Season Challenge on TNT Sports. 

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason