Two finalists selected for NASCAR’s $1 million In-Season Challenge

Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon have emerged as the finalists for NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge following Sunday’s race at Dover.

The pair will now go head-to-head for a $1 million prize in the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on 27 July.

Kaulig Racing’s Dillon, seeded 32nd based on results from the three races preceding the Challenge, advanced after passing John Hunter Nemechek during a late overtime restart.

Gibbs also booked his place in the final in the closing laps at Dover, overtaking Tyler Reddick en route to a fifth-place finish.

Remarkably, neither driver has won a Cup Series race since stepping up to NASCAR’s top level - Dillon in 2017 and Gibbs in 2022.

Dillon’s best result remains a third-place finish at Talladega in 2020, while Gibbs has come close with runner-up finishes at Darlington in 2024 and Chicago earlier this year.

However, history favours Dillon at Darlington, having finished 19th at the Penske-owned oval last year, four spots ahead of Gibbs.

How NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge works

NASCAR introduced a new single-elimination tournament format this year, featuring 32 drivers competing across five races from Atlanta to Indianapolis. Seedings were determined based on results from the three events prior to the Challenge: Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono.

Four full-time drivers—Shane van Gisbergen, Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, and Cody Ware—did not make the cut for the bracket.

Each round matched drivers in head-to-head duels, with the higher finisher advancing to the next stage.

After four of the five races, Dillon and Gibbs are the last two drivers standing. Whoever finishes ahead in the Brickyard 400 will claim the $1 million prize.