Todd Gilliland finished the Atlanta NASCAR Cup race in 19th place, and Alex Bowman was right on his bumper as they crossed the checkered flag. However, Gilliland did just enough to stay ahead, vaulting himself into the semi-finals of the In-Season Challenge as one just four drivers left in the five-week tournament with a $1 million prize awarded to the winner.
Gilliland, the No. 25 seed in the 32-driver bracket challenge, advanced through Sonoma after besting Daniel Suarez, and then Carson Hocevar at Chicagoland. At Atlanta, he had to face Hendrick Motorsports driver Alex Bowman, but once again, narrowly prevailed.
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Gilliland will face another Hendrick driver in the penultimate race of this tournament, facing No. 4 seed Chase Elliott at North Wilkesboro. Now that will be a truly difficult challenge for the Front Row Motorsports driver.
“Somehow, someway,” said Gilliland of his advacement. “It was not our night tonight, but that is why I love this team. No matter what, we just don’t give up, whether that means we’re running well or just barely grinding out a top 20, sometimes you’ll have those days. We’ve been just barely skating by and two more rounds. Two more really good races stand between us and a million bucks. We were just saying, I didn’t have the best night, but in two weeks that would make me feel a lot better. We’ve got the best of the best still in it and it’s time to go beat them.”
No. 3 seed Ryan Blaney won the Atlanta race, and also advanced into the semi-finals, where he will face No. 10 seed Christopher Bell.
Along with Bowman, Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Chase Briscoe were all eliminated from the competition at Atlanta.
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North Wilkesboro is hosting a points-paying race for the first time since 1996, but these drivers do have experience there as it was the site of the All-Star Race from 2023 through 2025.
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