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USA Today
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket: Drivers, seedings, matchups, races, dates
The NASCAR Cup Series is set to debut its inaugural In-Season Challenge, in which 32 drivers are seeded and bracketed into a tournament, like March Madness or a tennis draw. The In-Season Challenge, which will run for five weeks, is actually a series of individual races within five larger races. The drivers will not only be competing to win the weekly race as they normally would, but they will also be facing off in head-to-head matchups with the goal of finishing better than their opponent in the race and advancing to the next round. The drivers were seeded based on their finishes at three previous races – at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono – with the bracket placing the top two seeds on opposite halves of the draw. That means if the tournament holds to form, the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds would not meet up until the final, presuming they both advanced through each round. The winner of the inaugural In-Season Challenge will take home $1 million. The first round begins Saturday, June 28 at Echo Park Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) and features 16 head-to-head matchups among the 32 drivers. Beat your head-to-head opponent and you advance to the second round. Sixteen drivers will be eliminated after the first round. Does that sound complicated? If so, we have you covered with the list of seeds, how the rounds work, every first-round matchup and where and when each of the five In-Season Challenge races will take place. NASCAR In-Season Challenge seedings Denny Hamlin, No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Chris Buescher, No. 17 RFK Racing Ford Christopher Bell, No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Ty Gibbs, No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford Alex Bowman, No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Bubba Wallace, No. 23 23XI Racing Toyota Kyle Larson, No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Michael McDowell, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet John Hunter Nemechek, No. 42 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Ross Chastain, No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Zane Smith, No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford Ryan Preece, No. 60 RFK Racing Ford Kyle Busch, No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Austin Cindric, No. 2 Team Penske Ford Erik Jones, No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota Josh Berry, No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford AJ Allmendinger, No. 16 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet Tyler Reddick, No. 45 23XI Racing Toyota Daniel Suarez, No. 99 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet Joey Logano, No. 22 Team Penske Ford Carson Hocevar, No. 77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Justin Haley, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Austin Dillon, No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Ricky Stenhouse Jr., No. 47 Hyak Motorsports Chevrolet Todd Gilliland, No. 34 Front Row Motorsports Ford Noah Gragson, No. 4 Front Row Motorsports Ford Ty Dillon, No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet NASCAR In-Season Challenge matchups, rounds The NASCAR In-Season Challenge puts the 32 drivers in a bracket, which begins with 16 first-round matchups. The No. 1 seed faces the No. 32 seed in the first round, the No. 2 seed takes on the No. 31 seed, No. 3 matches up with the. No. 30 seed, etc. The losers of the head-to-head matchups will be eliminated, and the 16 winners will advance to the second round, where the winner of the No. 1 vs. No. 32 matchup will face the winner of the No. 16 vs. No. 17 matchup, the winner of the No. 2 vs. No. 31 matchup takes on the winner of the No. 15 vs. No. 18 matchup, etc. Like March Madness, the tournament will move from a Round of 32 to a Sweet 16 to an Elite Eight to a Final Four and finally a championship race. First round: 32 drivers in 16 head-to-head matchups; 16 drivers eliminated at end of race. Second round: 16 drivers in eight head-to-head matchups; eight drivers eliminated at end of race. Third round: Eight drivers in four head-to-head matchups; four drivers eliminated at end of race. Fourth round: Four drivers in two head-to-head matchups; two drivers eliminated at end of race. Fifth round: Two drivers in a head-to-head matchup; winner wins the in-season challenge. NASCAR In-Season Challenge first-round pairings Here are the pairings for the first-round race at Echo Park Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) on Saturday, June 28. The winner of each head-to-head matchup advances to the next round. Top half of draw No. 1 Denny Hamlin vs. No. 32 Ty Dillon No. 16 Kyle Busch vs. No. 17 Brad Keselowski No. 8 Alex Bowman vs. No. 25 Joey Logano No. 9 Bubba Wallace vs. No. 24 Daniel Suarez No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek vs. No. 21 Josh Berry No. 5 Chase Elliott vs. No. 28 Austin Dillon No. 13 Ross Chastain vs. No. 20 Erik Jones No. 4 Christopher Bell vs. No. 29 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Bottom half of draw No. 2 Chase Briscoe vs. No. 31 Noah Gragson No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. No. 18 William Byron No. 7 Ryan Blaney vs. No. 26 Carson Hocevar No. 10 Kyle Larson vs. No. 23 Tyler Reddick No. 11 Michael McDowell vs. No. 22 AJ Allmendinger No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 27 Justin Haley No. 14 Zane Smith vs. No. 19 Austin Cindric NASCAR In-Season Challenge races All times Eastern Round 1 — 32 drivers Echo Park Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway) Saturday, June 28 | 7 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast Round 2 — 16 drivers Chicago street race Sunday, July 6 | 2 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast Round 3 — 8 drivers Sonoma Raceway Sunday, July 13 | 3:30 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast Round 4 — 4 drivers Dover Motor Speedway Sunday, July 20 | 2 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast Round 5 championship — 2 drivers Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sunday, July 27 | 2 p.m. | TNT, truTV altcast
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ryan Preece Explodes After Invisible Cone Penalty Wrecks All-Star Bid
Ryan Preece was one restart away from a shot at NASCAR's $1 million All-Star Race when a barely visible track marking wiped it all away — and his response left no doubt how he felt. Preece, driving the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, surged to second late in the All-Star Open at North Wilkesboro Speedway, poised to race his way into the main event. Advertisement But NASCAR hit him with a penalty for crossing the 'Choose Cone' commitment line — a painted V on the track nearly obscured by rubber from earlier events. The result: he was sent to the back, ending his chances and setting off a dramatic meltdown. 'Ultimately, we had a fast… Ford Mustang,' Preece said in a raw post-race interview. 'Sorry, I'm just really, really [expletive] pissed. So, I mean that, at least we could, a rule's a rule, but… I don't know.' Ryan Preece before the Wurth 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images The incident became the flashpoint of the night. Preece, visibly furious, marched to pit road, grabbed an orange traffic cone, and slammed it on the inside wall — a silent protest that quickly went viral. Advertisement NASCAR responded by repainting the Choose Cone marking before the All-Star Race, but for Preece, the damage was already done. 'You can't see it,' he explained. 'So I just hooked a hard left going across the line, figuring it's in that area. If you have a situation like that, put a cone out there so we can see it.' The penalty reignited criticism of NASCAR's officiating, especially regarding track visibility and rule enforcement. Preece's crew and fans argued the call was avoidable — and that NASCAR's reactive fix came too late. Now 15th in points, Preece leaves Wilkesboro with more questions than answers. But his fire — and frustration — may have just forced NASCAR to take another look at how it draws the lines that define a driver's fate. Related: Joey Logano Sends Blunt Message After NASCAR All-Star Caution Costs Him the Win
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Texas predictions 2025: Expert picks for Cup Series race
The NASCAR Cup Series takes on the Texas Motor Speedway for the only time in 2025 with the Wurth 400 on May 4. Chase Elliott is the defending race winner, with the Texas win on April 14, 2024 currently standing as his last Cup Series victory. Advertisement Kyle Busch leads all active drivers with four career wins at Texas, the last coming in the 2020 fall race. Here are The Tennessean's expert picks for Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Texas: NASCAR predictions for Cup Series Texas race: Here's who wins the Wurth 400 Mike Organ's pick: Brad Keselowski, No. 6 RFK Racing Ford I am well aware Keselowski hasn't won a race since last May when he ended a 110-winless streak and that he had a DNF last week at Talladega after being involved in a crash while trying to enter pit lane. But he was second last year at Texas and has enormous pressure to do something big to keep his 2025 playoff hopes alive. Nick Gray's pick: Chase Briscoe, No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Briscoe has a good track record at Texas in cars that are a step below JGR. He has finished in the top-10 in the last three Texas races and finished 4th at Homestead earlier this year. Austin Chastain's pick: Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Chase Elliott won last year's NASCAR Texas race, and he simply races well at these 1.5-mile tracks. Elliott gets the job done again in Texas and locks himself into the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs. Tom Kreager's pick: William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Byron has two top fives in the last three trips to Texas Motor Speedway. The points leader has one win and five top-5 finishes in 2025. Time for win No. 2. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: NASCAR Texas predictions 2025: Expert picks for Cup Series race
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Newsweek
Ryan Blaney Has Painfully Honest Four Word Talladega Reaction
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. NASCAR Cup Series Champion Ryan Blaney delivered a brutally honest assessment of his day in Talladega on Sunday as he responded to Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s X post. Earnhardt, not able to watch the race, asked his followers to fill him in: "I'm on a plane and I cannot see the race. Care to reply with a description of the event so far?" he asked. Blaney, who had his fourth DNF of the season yesterday, responded with only four words: "I didn't have fun." A multi-car wreck saw Brad Keselowski's No. 6 RFK Racing Ford clash with Kyle Busch's No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet. Both cars pushed up the track, eventually collecting Alex Bowman's No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet and Ryan Blaney's No. 12 Team Penske Ford in the process. Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, greets fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025... Ryan Blaney, driver of the #12 Advance Auto Parts Ford, greets fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama. More"It was just a stack of guys trying to come to pit road as fast as they could, and we were kind of the ham in the sandwich that got squeezed," Keselowski admitted after the race via "I waved down the backstretch to let everybody know I was gonna pit, and I came off of four, and everybody was so tight behind me that I didn't even have a chance to turn left. I hate that it ruined not just our day, but several other people's day. I don't think I could do anything different." Blaney commented on what led up to the incident. "It looked like a group of guys trying to get to pit road and maybe some guys not knowing that they were coming to pit road and not giving them any room," Blaney said. "I saw the 8 and 6 kind of get hooked together, and they were going up the track, so I kind of picked the bottom and tried to get out of there, and I think they clipped someone outside of them, and the 6 came back into me, and I got clipped in the right-rear. "Oh gosh, man, another DNF. It just sucks. Just when we were kind of getting our momentum and didn't even get to race today. We'll just move on to Texas." The post from the driver quickly became popular with it amassing 7,700 likes, almost 400 reposts, and a reach of 226,000.
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
What Goes Through a NASCAR Driver's Mind When His Car Goes Airborne
Daytona International Speedway hasn't been kind to Ryan Preece. In 11 races at the 2.5-mile track, Preece has crashed in six of them. This year's Daytona 500 produced Preece's latest unscheduled flight. Ryan Preece knows there's a chance one can flip in a race car, that it's been a part of motorsports for decades, but this time as his RFK Racing Ford lifted off from a wheelie and took flight in the Daytona 500 his mind darted to his 18-month-old daughter. 'The way the car took off … is why I immediately thought of my daughter,' Preece said. 'I know my wife and her rely on me to provide. I didn't want to get hurt because I can't miss a week. If I miss a week, you aren't making money as a race car driver. That's the reality of it.' Rebecca Marie was sleeping at the time, unaware of the danger facing her father. It's a conversation he'll have with her later in her life. His wife, Heather, had turned off the television since their daughter was sleeping. She preferred to listen to her husband's spotter. Preece said she told him that she heard the spotter say, 'They're wrecking. We're in it. You're flipping.' Heather scrambled to find a photo or video of the crash even though she knew her husband was okay because she was listening to the radio. Daytona International Speedway hasn't been kind to Preece. In 11 races at the 2.5-mile track, Preece has crashed in six of them. In August 2023, he barrel-rolled at least four times in mid-air. Before the car stopped on its wheels in that crash, it flipped, and barrel rolled at least a dozen times. At the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in April 2023, Preece torpedoed Kyle Larson's car with such force that it ripped open a portion of Larson's passenger door and the visor on Preece's full-face helmet flew up. 'I joked with my wife that I'm like a cat with nine lives right now,' Preece said. 'You don't want to use all nine up. 'My wife raced, so she understands. That's how I met her. I actually raced against her. She understands there's risks and she jokes with me all the time you don't have to do this, but I love doing this. This is what I do for a living. This is how I provide for my family. I've grown up doing this all my life.' Four times a year, NASCAR drivers face the dangers of Daytona and Talladega. In the last three races at those tracks, Preece has crashed in two of them and been sidelined by the damaged vehicle policy in the third. He says he's 'numb' to the wrecks. However, how does he deal psychologically with racing at those tracks? 'I think we're all crazy to be honest with you,' Preece said. 'We're all a little crazy, and that's because we've done this all our lives. We're programmed to not worry about the outcome, not worry about what could happen. We're just worried about trying to win. That's the only thing we're focused on. So, for me, it's not a problem. As a race car driver, you need to be tough.' Click here to see Preece's crash from the 2025 Daytona 500.
