Only two races remain before the inaugural NASCAR In-Season Challenge begins to take its true shape, and the battle for the final position in the field is as tight as the on-track racing itself.
The 32-driver field is set following the Cracker Barrel 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 1 (7 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Multiple NASCAR Cup Series drivers near the threshold must capitalize over the next two races and clinch their opportunity to race for the $1 million prize in the process.
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Heading into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (6 p.m. ET, Prime Video, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), four drivers — Riley Herbst, Brad Keselowski, Cole Custer and Shane van Gisbergen — all stand within 13 points of each other in the driver standings with Herbst, driver of the No. 35 23XI Racing Toyota, currently holding onto the 32nd and final spot in the provisional grid. Keselowski is three points behind Herbst, followed by Custer (-12) and van Gisbergen (-13).
Luckily for the quartet, the chance to collect stage points will never be stronger than this upcoming weekend at Charlotte, with the year’s only four-stage race providing ample opportunity to tally points and create separation. So, the question: Which driver will take advantage best?
Well, there isn’t a slam-dunk favorite to do so, at least not in terms of 2025 production. Between Herbst, Keselowski, Custer and van Gisbergen, the best finish on a 1.5-mile track so far in 2025 has been 11th, with Keselowski doing so at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March. And while the 2012 Cup Series champion has plenty of experience at the North Carolina facility — he has two wins in 25 Cup starts there dating back to 2009 — Keselowski possesses five DNFs on this year’s ledger (including three straight), which leads all Cup drivers so far this season.
Keselowski’s defense, however, comes in the form of parity relative to his fellow competitors. Keselowski, Custer and Herbst are three of six total drivers to not yet collect a top 10 this season despite starting all 12 races. And while van Gisbergen’s No. 88 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet has cracked the top 10 once this season, it came on a road course (Circuit of The Americas), a much different track compared to the intermediate characteristics Charlotte possesses.
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The NASCAR In-Season Challenge will consist of five races, beginning on June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Following Atlanta, the challenge will move to the Chicago Street Course on July 6, then to Sonoma Raceway on July 13, Dover Motor Speedway on July 20 and conclude at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the annual Brickyard 400 on July 27. The winner will receive a $1 million prize.
The seeding for the 32-driver bracket will be determined by the results of the final three races aired on Prime Video before the challenge begins (Michigan, Mexico City, Pocono). Drivers will be seeded based on their best finish in the three races, with tiebreakers determined by the next-best finish, followed by the season points position.
Throughout the challenge, drivers will compete head-to-head in a bracket-style competition, with the highest-finishing driver in each matchup advancing to the next round. The field will be narrowed down from 32 drivers in the opening race to 16 in the second, eight in the third, four in the fourth, and finally, two drivers battling for the challenge win in the fifth and final contest at The Brickyard.