NASCAR Shifts Gears with In-Season Challenge

Key art for NASCAR Racing on TNT

Published On: June 22, 2026

Author: Mark Schiff

The countdown is officially on, and the ultimate summer tournament on wheels is about to explode off the starting line. The 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge gets underway on Sunday, June 28, bringing five weeks of bracket-style, head-to-head chaos to the track, all concluding with a massive $1 million grand prize. TNT (Channel 138) will have all five weeks of the action.

Before the green flag drops at Sonoma Raceway, make sure your racing setup is fully locked down. To subscribe to DISH, follow this link to find the best package for you!

 

The Bracket: March Madness at 200 MPH

The format here is beautifully simple: it is March Madness meets pure horsepower. Seeding was locked in based on the regular season points standings right after the Pocono race, matching the top 32 drivers in single-elimination battles where the higher finisher on Sunday moves on.

Mark your calendar for the full five-week schedule:

  • Round 1 (Round of 32): Sunday, June 28 at 3:30 PM ET – Sonoma Raceway

  • Round 2 (Round of 16): Sunday, July 5 at 6:00 PM ET – Chicagoland Speedway

  • Round 3 (Elite Eight): Sunday, July 12 at 7:00 PM ET – EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta

  • Round 4 (Final Four): Sunday, July 19 at 7:00 PM ET – North Wilkesboro Speedway

  • Championship: Sunday, July 26 at 2:00 PM ET – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

     

Because there is zero reseeding between rounds, the bracket path is set in stone. Here are the heavy-hitting matchups for the opening round:

  • No. 1 Tyler Reddick vs. No. 32 Alex Bowman

  • No. 2 Denny Hamlin vs. No. 31 Ty Dillon

  • No. 3 Ryan Blaney vs. No. 30 Josh Berry

  • No. 4 Chase Elliott vs. No. 29 Noah Gragson

  • No. 5 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 28 Austin Dillon

  • No. 6 Kyle Larson vs. No. 27 Riley Herbst

  • No. 7 Chris Buescher vs. No. 26 John Hunter Nemechek

  • No. 8 Daniel Suárez vs. No. 25 Todd Gilliland

  • No. 9 Carson Hocevar vs. No. 24 Zane Smith

  • No. 10 Christopher Bell vs. No. 23 Ross Chastain

  • No. 11 William Byron vs. No. 22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

  • No. 12 Chase Briscoe vs. No. 21 AJ Allmendinger

  • No. 13 Bubba Wallace vs. No. 20 Michael McDowell

  • No. 14 Shane van Gisbergen vs. No. 19 Ryan Preece

  • No. 15 Erik Jones vs. No. 18 Joey Logano

  • No. 16 Austin Cindric vs. No. 17 Brad Keselowski

     

Echoes of 2025: The Inaugural Crown

If you think a low seed can't make noise, look no further than last year's inaugural tournament. The 2025 challenge was defined by a classic Cinderella run when Ty Dillon, sitting dead last as the No. 32 seed, shocked the field to make it all the way to the final match. Ultimately, his magic run was cut short at Indianapolis by Ty Gibbs, who secured the very first In-Season Challenge trophy.

Relive the drama of that first historic tournament finish right here:

Fresh Asphalt: Changes for the 2026 Grid

NASCAR didn't just copy-paste last year's blueprint; they made a few critical updates to raise the stakes. First, they streamlined the seeding process by using overall regular season points standings through Pocono, ignoring the exhibition street race in San Diego.

Second, the schedule received a major facelift to test drivers across completely different track styles:

  • The Road Test: Round 1 moves to Sonoma, forcing drivers straight into a twisting road course right out of the gate.

  • The Oval Return: Round 2 heads to Chicagoland Speedway, marking a highly anticipated return to the Joliet oval for the first time since 2019.

  • The Shakeup: Atlanta's EchoPark Speedway moves back to host the high-speed Elite Eight, while the historic short track at North Wilkesboro Speedway steps in to host the Final Four.

Every single matchup matters, and the regular season playoff implications remain completely active throughout the bracket. For more information on how to watch NASCAR racing with DISH, follow the link.