Five most intriguing matchups in first race of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge

NASCAR's inaugural In-Season Challenge will begin Saturday with the Quaker State 400 at EchoPark Speedway (formerly Atlanta Motor Speedway). 

The challenge will pit 32 Cup Series drivers against each other in a head-to-head, March Madness-esque bracket. The final race of the Challenge is at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27. 

Drivers were seeded by their best finish over the past three races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. The winner of the Challenge will receive $1 million. 

Going into Saturday's race, here are the five most intriguing matchups in the first round. (The complete bracket is on NASCAR.com.)

(16) Kyle Busch vs (17) Brad Keselowski 

These former Cup Series champions and grizzled veterans will have to go through each other to advance. Busch and Keselowski are in the twilight of their careers, but they're still capable of turning back the clock. 

Given that Atlanta is a drafting track where anyone can win, the stakes are even higher for Busch and Keselowski, who each need a win to make the Cup Series playoffs. This matchup may not carry as much firepower as it would have five years ago, but a battle between future Hall of Famers will be fun regardless. 

(10) Kyle Larson vs (23) Tyler Reddick 

Neither Larson nor Reddick are particularly good at superspeedway racing, which is part of the reason why this matchup is so intriguing. It will be interesting to see two of the better drivers in the Cup Series on their worst style of racetrack. 

(8) Alex Bowman vs (25) Joey Logano 

Bowman and Logano enter Saturday's race close to each other in the points standings — Logano is 10th, 33 points ahead of Bowman, who's 13th — but on different trajectories lately. Bowman has finishes of fourth and 11th over the past two races, while Logano finished 21st and 16th in those same events. Logano is the better driver at superspeedways, however, so this matchup will pit Bowman, who has momentum, against Logano, who's adept at drafting. 

(7) Ryan Blaney vs (26) Carson Hocevar 

Blaney, 31, has consistently been one of the faster drivers in the field this season, while Hocevar has found his footing over the past month. Hocevar, 22, finished second at Atlanta in the spring, but that finish came after he made contact with Blaney and several other drivers in the closing laps. If this matchup comes down to the waning moments of the race, Blaney will drive aggressively against his younger contemporary. 

(9) Bubba Wallace vs (24) Daniel Suarez

This is a matchup of drivers who have had their fair share of success at the reconfigured version of Atlanta. Suarez won at the track in February 2024, while Wallace, who is always good in the draft, has four top-15 finishes in seven starts since Atlanta's reconfiguration, including two top-10 finishes over the past three races. Add in the pressure stemming from both drivers' current playoff outlook — Wallace sits just above the cut line while Suarez desperately needs a win — and you have the making of a Saturday night showdown that could have ramifications for more than just the In-Season Challenge. 

The Quaker State 400 will go green shortly after 7 p.m. ET on Saturday (TNT Sports, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).