Seeding set for NASCAR's second In-Season Challenge

NASCAR Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) leads driver William Byron (24) during The Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono Raceway. Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Seeding set for NASCAR's second In-Season Challenge

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Jun 14, 2026 9:00 PM ET

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Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway set the seeding for the first-round matchups of the 2026 In-Season Challenge, which begins June 28 at Sonoma Raceway.

The five-race, knockout-style tournament begins with 32 drivers in head-to-head matchups, with the field being whittled in half each week until only one driver is left standing at the end of the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis on July 26. The winner will receive $1 million.

The seeding was determined by the top 32 drivers in the Cup Series points standings following Sunday's race. Alex Bowman snagged the 32nd and final spot over Cole Custer via a tiebreaker, since the two have each earned 188 points through the first 16 races of the season.

Custer, rookie Connor Zilisch and Cody Ware were the three drivers to miss out on the challenge. The full bracket can be seen below.

32 drivers. Five races. $1,000,000 on the line.

The stage is set for the 2026 In-Season Challenge beginning at @RaceSonoma! pic.twitter.com/UDLRTe2bqv
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 14, 2026

Breaking down the NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket

Points leader Tyler Reddick will be matched up with Bowman at Sonoma, while the 2-31 matchup is a rematch of last year's 1-32 tussle between Denny Hamlin and Ty Dillon. Dillon stunned Hamlin by finishing eighth in the 2025 In-Season Challenge opener at Atlanta, a race Hamlin finished 31st in after being caught up in a massive crash.

Dillon went on to make a Cinderella run to the tournament final, losing the $1 million prize to Ty Gibbs in the Brickyard 400.

Hamlin, who won Sunday's Cup race at Pocono, was informed in his post-race news conference that he would be matched up with Dillon at Sonoma.

"My kryptonite," Hamlin said, laughing.

When he was informed that Sonoma was the race in which he and Dillon would face off in, he was less than optimistic.

"I'm cooked," Hamlin joked.

Road course ace and No. 14 seed Shane van Gisbergen, who dominated Sonoma a season ago, arguably has the easiest path to Round 2 at Chicagoland. He'll take on No. 19 seed Ryan Preece at the California road course.

If Hamlin and Reddick can survive at Sonoma, they'd be the presumptive favorites to win the In-Season Challenge as they battle for the Cup Series points lead and the No. 1 seed in the Chase. But don't count out Kyle Larson, who is matched up with Riley Herbst at Sonoma, or Chase Elliott, who is matched up with Noah Gragson, as potential In-Season Challenge winners.

Quotes provided by NASCAR Media.

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

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