The NASCAR Cup Series' In-Season Challenge returns for its second season in 2026, bringing a five-race, bracket-style tournament to TNT Sports' portion of the summer schedule.
Thirty-two drivers qualify for the challenge and compete in head-to-head matchups over five consecutive races, culminating with the Champions Round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26. With Round 2 in the books, just eight drivers remain in the quest for $1 million. Continue reading for more information on the challenge, including the format, schedule, bracket and latest updates.
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What is the In-Season Challenge?
The In-Season Challenge is a 32-driver, single-elimination tournament contested during the NASCAR Cup Series season.
Drivers are seeded based on their points position entering the challenge and compete head-to-head across five races. The higher finisher in each matchup advances to the next round until a champion is crowned at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
How are drivers seeded?
Simply put, the drivers were seeded in order of their points position following the race at Pocono Raceway.
How do drivers advance?
The driver with the better finishing position in each head-to-head matchup advances to the next round.
The tournament field is cut from 32 drivers to 16, then eight, four and two before the championship matchup at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Matchup of the week: Round 3, EchoPark Speedway
(No. 2) Denny Hamlin vs. (No. 10) Christopher Bell: A pair of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates will square off at EchoPark Speedway with a trip to the semifinals on the line. Both Bell and Hamlin finished on the podium at Chicagoland behind fellow JGR driver Chase Briscoe, each making significant gains in their championship points situations. But with a drafting track on deck, how much will these two shopmates help each other in this high-speed chess match? Once one of the best in the draft -- as evidenced by his three Harley J. Earl trophies -- Hamlin has struggled at superspeedway-like tracks in Next Gen, specifically EchoPark, where he has just two top 10s in nine races since the reconfiguration. Meanwhile, Bell is sneaky good here with three top fives and a last-lap victory in 2025. But as we've learned in years past, anything can happen when the Cup Series visits the Atlanta-area facility. EchoPark served as the In-Season Challenge opener last year and busted brackets with eight Round 1 upsets. And with these two teammates pitted against each other, this could serve as the most significant matchup in the entire tournament. Both drivers are contenders at every oval on the circuit, and Toyota continues to show incredible strength across the board. With North Wilkesboro and Indianapolis to follow, the winner of this head-to-head duel could very well go all the way.Where will the In-Season Challenge take place in 2026?
[table id=734 /] The five-race challenge features a variety of track types, including road courses, intermediate tracks, a short track and a crown-jewel event to crown the champion.Race recaps and results
Come back throughout the In-Season Challenge to catch up on each race.Round 1: Sonoma Raceway
Race winner: Shane van Gisbergen Race recap: Van Gisbergen fends off Briscoe, seals weekend sweep with Sonoma win Notable: For the second consecutive year, the No. 1 seed was eliminated on the opening weekend. Finishing dead last with a mechanical issue that put him four laps down, Tyler Reddick fell victim to an upset, as No. 32 seed Alex Bowman advanced with a 10th-place finish. No. 25 seed Todd Gilliland also pulled an upset over No. 8 Daniel Suárez, creating bedlam in the top-left quadrant of the bracket. Round 1 recap: Read here.
Round 2: Chicagoland Speedway
Race winner: Chase Briscoe Race recap: Chase Briscoe holds off late charge from Bell to win Cup Series race at Chicagoland Notable: We officially have our Cinderella story. No. 32 seed Alex Bowman continued into Round 3 by knocking off No. 16 Austin Cindric with his third top-five finish of the 2026 season. No. 25 seed Todd Gilliland also moved on, utilizing a 16th-place finish to beat No. 9 seed Carson Hocevar. With Briscoe's race win, No. 5 seed Ty Gibbs suffered his first-ever In-Season Challenge loss after winning the tournament last year. No. 6 seed Kyle Larson went for a Stage 2 spin and never recovered, losing to No. 11 seed William Byron, who finished fourth. Round 2 recap: Read here.
Round 3: EchoPark Speedway
Round 3 preview: Round 3 of the 2026 In-Season Challenge at EchoPark Speedway Race winner: Race recap: Notable: Round 3 recap:
Round 4: North Wilkesboro Speedway
Race winner: Race recap: Notable: Round 4 recap:
Champions Round: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Race winner: Race recap: Champions Round recap: