NASCAR Shifts Gears with In-Season Challenge

Published On: June 27, 2025

Author: Mark Schiff

The first half of the 2025 NASCAR season featured plenty of excitement and drama. Entering the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 28, Dayton 500 winner William Bryon sits atop the standings with 623 points. His Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson (2nd), Chase Elliott (5th) and Alex Bowman (13th) are also having strong seasons. Three drivers are tied with three wins each: Larson, Denny Hamlin (3rd), and Christopher Bell (4th). Other drivers who have already qualified for the Playoffs by winning at least one race include Ryan Blaney (6th), Ross Chastain (8th), Chase Briscoe (9th), and Joey Logano (10th). 

With NASCAR changing lanes for five races on TNT followed by the season-ending races on NBC and USA Network, here’s a look at the new In-Season Challenge and how to watch the remaining NASCAR races live with DISH. Not a DISH subscriber? Follow this link to find the best offer and subscribe to DISH today!

 

🏁 NASCAR’s In‑Season Challenge: A New Mid‑Season Thriller

Kicking off on June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (EchoPark), NASCAR’s inaugural In‑Season Challenge introduces a knockout-style, bracket-format twist to the summer months. Thirty-two drivers—selected based on their standings after Nashville—will face-off head-to-head over five single-elimination races, battling not only for bragging rights but a $1 million prize. 

The first bracket round at Atlanta narrows the field to 16 at the Chicago Street Course (July 6), eight at Sonoma Raceway (July 13), and the final four at Dover (July 20), culminating with the final two at Indianapolis (Brickyard 400) on July 27.

Here’s a closer look at both the In-Season Challenge and a preview of the second half of the NASCAR season.

 

What is the Bracket for the NASCAR In-Season Challenge?

Like the NCAA Basketball Tournaments, the NASCAR In-Season Challenge features the top-ranked drivers taking on the lower-ranked seeds. That means the No. 1 overall driver Denny Hamlin will face-off against No. 32 Ty Dillon, with No. 2 Chase Briscoe facing No. 31 Noah Gragson, No. 3 Chris Buescher competing against No. 30 Todd Gilliand, and so forth. As with college basketball, the more intriguing matchups in the first round feature closely-seeded drivers, like No. 16 Kyle Busch against No. 17 Brad Keselowski and No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. William Bryon, who has finished ahead of Keselowski 69 times since 2022, compared to Keselowski’s 22 head-to-head wins.

With the bracket structure, the top-seeded driver does not race against the lowest-seeded remaining driver after each round. For example, if Hamlin wins at EchoPark Speedway, he’ll next face the winner of Busch-Keselowski. For a complete look at the bracket and to submit your own entry in the $1 million NASCAR Bracket Challenge, follow this link.

 

🚗 Early Playoff Hopefuls: Who's Poised to Win Even if They’re Not in Yet?

Several standout drivers remain without a win —but they’re primed to strike soon:

  • Chase Elliott has strong past success at Watkins Glen and is primed for a breakout on road courses.

  • Tyler Reddick, underperforming this season, looks solid on the Chicago Street Course, where he placed second last year.

  • Kyle Busch, enduring a two-year drought, remains a threat—Daytona offers his best shot given recent form.

Look for those names to inject drama into upcoming races, potentially disrupting the playoff picture.

 

What is the Remaining NASCAR Schedule?

📺 NASCAR on TNT (June 28 – July 27)

  • June 28 – Quaker State 400 (Atlanta) – 7:00 PM ET

  • July 6 – Street Race (Chicago) – 4:30 PM ET

  • July 13 – Sonoma Raceway – 5:00 PM ET

  • July 20 – Dover Motor Speedway – 3:00 PM ET

  • July 27 – Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis) – 2:30 PM ET

📺 NASCAR on NBC / USA Network (August 3 – November 2)

NBC takes over late in the season and covers the final regular-season race and all 10 playoff races.

 

Key NBC Broadcasts:

  • August 23 – Regular Season Finale (Daytona) – 7:30 PM ET

  • October 19 – Talladega Playoff Race – 2:00 PM ET

  • October 26 – Martinsville Playoff Race – 2:00 PM ET

  • November 2 – Championship Race (Phoenix) – 3:00 PM ET

Remaining 2025 NASCAR Races:

  • Saturday, June 28: Quaker State 400 – Atlanta Motor Speedway – TNT
  • Sunday, July 6: Grant Park 165 – Chicago Street Course – TNT
  • Sunday, July 13: Toyota/ Save Mart 350 – Sonoma Raceway – TNT
  • Sunday, July 20: Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 – Dover Motor Speedway – TNT
  • Sunday, July 27: Brickyard 400 – Indianapolis Motor Speedway – TNT
  • Sunday, Aug. 3: Iowa Corn 350 – Iowa Raceway – USA Network
  • Sunday, Aug. 10: Go Bowling at The Glen – Watkins Glen International – USA Network
  • Saturday, Aug. 16: Cook Out 400 – Richmond Raceway – USA Network
  • Saturday, Aug. 23: Coke Zero Sugar 400 – Daytona International Speedway – NBC

Playoffs: Round of 16

  • Sunday, Aug. 31: Southern 500 – Darlington Raceway – USA Network
  • Sunday, Sept. 7: Enjoy Illinois 300 – World Wide Technology Raceway – USA Network
  • Saturday, Sept. 13: Bass Pro Shops Night Race – Bristol Motor Speedway – USA Network

Playoffs: Round of 12

  • Sunday, Sept. 21: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at New Hampshire – New Hampshire Motor Speedway – USA Network
  • Sunday, Sept. 28: Hollywood Casino 400 – Kansas Motor Speedway – USA Network
  • Sunday, Oct. 5: Bank of America ROVAL 400 – Charlotte Roval – USA Network

Playoffs: Round of 8

  • Sunday, Oct. 12: South Point 400 – Las Vegas Motor Speedway – USA Network
  • Sunday, Oct. 19: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at Talladega – Talladega Superspeedway – NBC
  • Sunday, Oct. 26: NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at Martinsville – Martinsville Speedway – NBC

Championship

  • Sunday, Nov. 2: NASCAR Cup Series Championship – Phoenix Raceway – NBC