EchoPark Speedway, Atlanta, GA — June 28, 2025
Tonight at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the track will kick off a new era with a corporate sponsor rename. Now, EchoPark Speedway christens the facility built in 1959-60 with its first-ever Saturday night race under the lights.
It also introduces a new feature to NASCAR’s Premier Cup Series, as the first In-Season Challenge begins its 32-driver bracket-style elimination tournament, which will span the next five races.
Understanding the In-Season Challenge
- The top 32 in driver points following the Nashville race were eligible to compete in the Challenge. Shane van Gisbergen, Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, and Cody Ware failed to qualify among full-time drivers.
- Three next three races (Michigan, Mexico City, Pocono) established the seeding for the challenge based on the best driver finishing positions over those races. Tiebreakers were decided by the second-best finish and then the third-best finish among those races. If needed, the final tiebreaker was points standings after Pocono.
- The first of five races for the In-Season Challenge is tonight in Atlanta, with drivers competing one-on-one in the bracket-style tournament until the final two drivers face off in the finale at Indianapolis. The best-finishing driver wins $1 million.
Here is how the Bracket sets up for Round 1:
Seeds are listed in yellow and car numbers appear next to driver names.
Remarkably, no teammates are matched against each other in the first round. One of the most interesting pairings is right in the middle of the tournament. The veteran contest between Kyle Busch the 16th seed and Brad Keselowski seeded in 17th. One will advance, one will be eliminated.
Fans can play along with a chance to win a $1 million dollar prize if they make the right picks. Enter your bracket at https://www.nascar.com/in-season-challenge/.
