Yardbarker
x
Here's who advanced to third round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge
NASCAR Cup Series driver Alex Bowman (48) is introduced before the start of the Wurth 400 race at Texas Motor Speedway. Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Here's who advanced to third round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge after Chicago

The second race of NASCAR's inaugural In-Season Challenge took place on Sunday at the Chicago Street Course. Here's who advanced out of all eight matchups. 

(32) Ty Dillon vs (17) Brad Keselowski 

Advanced: Dillon 

Eliminated: Keselowski 

An early crash took Keselowski out of the race, which paved the way for Dillon to advance to the third round. 

(8) Alex Bowman vs (9) Bubba Wallace 

Advanced: Bowman 

Eliminated: Wallace 

Bowman and Wallace were fighting tooth and nail inside the top-10 in the race's closing laps. After several instances of contact, Bowman turned Wallace and drove away to advance to the third round. 

(12) John Hunter Nemechek vs (5) Chase Elliott 

Advanced: Nemechek 

Eliminated: Elliott 

In26 a shocking upset, Nemechek bested Elliott by one position, finsishing 15th to Elliott's 16th. It's a missed opportunity for Elliott, who likely would be favored in any matchup next week at Sonoma. 

(20) Erik Jones vs (29) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. 

Advanced: Jones

Eliminated: Stenhouse Jr. 

Jones finished a lap down in 25th, but Stenhouse Jr. crashed late in the race and finished 31st. Both full-time LEGACY Motor Club cars have advanced to the third round between Jones and Nemechek. 

(14) Zane Smith vs (3) Chris Buescher 

Advanced: Smith 

Eliminated: Buescher 

Mechanical issues early in the race hurt Buescher, who finished 18th, four spots behind Smith. In what will be an underdog-filled third round at Sonoma, Smith has an excellent opportunity to advance to Round 4. 

(22) AJ Allmendinger vs (6) Ty Gibbs 

Advanced: Gibbs 

Eliminated: Allmendinger 

In what was the most intriguing matchup of the day, Gibbs barely bested Allmendinger. Both drivers finished top-10, but a poor pit stop late in the race took Allmendinger from running second to finishing sixth. 

(26) Carson Hocevar vs (23) Tyler Reddick 

In a similar vein to the Dillon-Keselowski matchup, the Lap 3 crash that took out Hocevar ensured Reddick a place in Round 3. Reddick came up two spots shy of winning the race, but he can still win the $1 million prize for winning the tournament. 

(31) Noah Gragson vs (15) Ryan Preece 

Advanced: Preece 

Eliminated: Gragson 

Preece took care of business in this matchup, finishing seventh to Gragson's 30th. With another road course on tap next week, Preece might be one of the favorites to advance to Round 4. 

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!