NASCAR’s second annual In-Season Challenge will begin at Sonoma Raceway in two weeks. The NASCAR Cup Series point standings after the race at Pocono Raceway determined the seedings. This is different than 2025, which used the average finish across three races.
The 32-driver bracket is whittled down each race over the course of five weekends, with the best finish in the matchup advancing to the next round. The winner of the In-Season Challenge will earn $1 million, which is equivalent to the prize for winning the NASCAR All-Star Race. In 2025, Ty Gibbs and the No. 54 team for Joe Gibbs Racing won the prize over Ty Dillon.
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Below, you can check out the In-Season Challenge matchups for the first round of 32 drivers at Sonoma Raceway in two weeks!
NASCAR In-Season Challenge: Sonoma Raceway (32 drivers)
(Left Side of Bracket)
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1) Tyler Reddick v. 32) Alex Bowman
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16) Austin Cindric v. 17) Brad Keselowski
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8) Daniel Suarez v. 25) Todd Gilliland
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9) Carson Hocevar v. 24) Zane Smith
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12) Chase Briscoe v. 21) A.J. Allmendinger
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5) Ty Gibbs v. 28) Austin Dillon
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13) Bubba Wallace v. 20) Michael McDowell
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4) Chase Elliott v. 29) Noah Gragson
(Right Side of Bracket)
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2) Denny Hamlin v. 31) Ty Dillon
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15) Erik Jones v. 18) Joey Logano
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7) Chris Buescher v. 26) John Hunter Nemechek
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10) Christopher Bell v. 23) Ross Chastain
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11) William Byron v. 22) Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
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6) Kyle Larson v. 27) Riley Herbst
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14) Shane van Gisbergen v. 19) Ryan Preece
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3) Ryan Blaney v. 30) Josh Berry
More: Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR Cup Series race at Pocono in June 2026
This article originally appeared on Motorsports Wire: NASCAR sets bracket matchups for In-Season Challenge in 2026
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