Álex Palou beat the stuffing out of the competition at Laguna Seca. People forgot how the marine layer works. Rain caused a few problems at Spa-Francorchamps, but it didn't fully ruin the day. There were two infractions in Formula Two that led to the feature race winner changing twice post-race. For being insufferable, Nico Rosberg at least asks the hard questions. It was a weekend of sweeps. A new circuit made its international debut. Formula E's season ended. It was Brickyard 400 weekend, which meant one thing.
The In-Season Tournament... How Did It Do?
For the last five weeks, we kept our eyes on a bonus prize that paid $1 million to a tournament champion based on head-to-head matchups in the NASCAR Cup Series. NASCAR's In-Season Challenge was meant to add another layer of competition during the long summer period before the playoff intensity ramps up.
This weekend's Brickyard 400 hosted the tournament's championship race, and after its first iteration, I think the biggest draw we can take from the tournament is it was fine.
Yep. That's all. It was fine.
I don't think it changed the world. It didn't lead to five or six million more people watching each week. The country's bated breath was not held over the outcome between who could finish better, Tyler Dillon or Ty Gibbs? It was never going to draw that level of attention.
The conclusion was likely one of NASCAR's least desired outcomes. Dillon spent most of the race off the lead lap. As long as Gibbs did not get into an accident or suffer a mechanical issue, he had it locked up. It was a non-factor for the entire race at Indianapolis. Gibbs coasted to a 21st-place finish while Dillon was 28th, but three laps down.
When it came to something on the side of the actual championship and what those race results meant in the points system and playoff system. The tournament was at least there to keep an eye on.
It wasn't every week but in a few of the weeks you had drivers running within a few positions of one another on the track, and that battle for 17th was something worth keeping an eye on in the closing laps. At Dover, a late caution and the free pass going to Dillon essentially decided his matchup and put him into the final. It wasn't directly in front of us. It wasn't the story of the race. It didn't take over for the battle for the race victory, but it was something to keep in mind.
There is nothing wrong with NASCAR adding a layer to its races. They are pretty layered as it is, but this was easy to follow. Two drivers are paired together, who can finish better?
It didn't involve stage points or playoff points. Fastest lap or fastest pit stop was irrelevant. Who finished better at the checkered flag? That decided who advanced to the next round. If you were 15th, you would advance as long as your opponent was 16th or worse. Sometimes 15th is enough. Other days, you might finish sixth and fall short. It happens.
The tournament was not the most compelling competition, and that mostly stems from the opening weekend. With Atlanta as the first race, we knew the likelihood for upsets to occur was rather high. I don't think anyone expected the level we saw. Half of the first round matchups saw worse seeds advance. The top two seeds and three of the top four were each eliminated in the first race.
That level of chaos was always possible with Atlanta being the opening race. It also meant drivers were advancing without really beating anyone. They were surviving, being in the right place at the right time. Some results do come down to missing an accident, but I don't know if you want that for a bracket competition. If that is the case, what is the point of seedings? Why not just make it a random draw? There was no advantage to being the #1 seed the same way there was not disincentive of being the #32 seed. At Atlanta, each matchup is a coin flip. No one feels like they have to do something to beat an opponent. They just have to avoid the mess.
NASCAR does have a complicated relationship with letting talent shine. They will say they have the greatest drivers in the world, but the moment a few of them try to show how their talent stands above others, they will change the point system, change the cars or make it so every driver is standing on the gas pedal for every lap and no one can drive away from the others.
A tournament should lean more to results decided on skill than chance.
Motorsports will always have chance involved. Engine failures, blown tires, accident in front of you. The fastest driver will always be a split-second away from something completely out of their control ruining their day, but the racetracks and regulations that multiply that by 100 shouldn't be the opening race for a head-to-head tournament. There should be a race where the results are mostly down to how good the drivers are. If you want to advance to the next round, you will likely need to beat your opponent square up on the racetrack.
With how the tournament was scheduled, you could make an argument the first two, if not three, races were wild card events. Atlanta, Chicago and Sonoma. With its current configuration and regulations, Atlanta is meant to replicate Daytona and Talladega where the pack cannot separate. The Chicago street course is a little more straightforward, but the walls are tight and you can easily become an innocent bystander. We saw that in the opening laps in this year's race. Sonoma is a traditional road course, and one all the teams have been visiting for close to 40 years. It is not fully a wild card, but there are wild card moments. Caught out in a pit cycle, knocked off the road, spun in the hairpin because your teammate is trying to make a move from eight car lengths back? Those can all happen at Sonoma.
By the time we got to the first drivers' race, it was Dover and only four drivers were left.
NASCAR is more flexible to changing its schedule, and we already know Chicago will not be returning in 2026. At least one race will be different in next year's tournament, but this tournament likely needs at least two races to be different than this year to get the most out of this concept.
It is one thing if the top seed Denny Hamlin loses because he had a bad day or he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but when Hamlin and the #2 seed Chase Briscoe and the #4 seed Christopher Bell are all out because they were all caught in the same early accident at Atlanta, it really sours the entire tournament in one moment.
With one accident, almost half of the first round matchups were decided before we had even reach halfway of the Atlanta race. In that opening race, you need most of those matchups to be still hanging in the balance in the final quarter of the race when a bad pit stop could drop a top five runner to 21st and suddenly flip a head-to-head result because the opponent was running 18th all race and now is up to 17th with each passing lap getting a little closer to the next round.
We also need to fix the seeding. It was ridiculous that Chase Briscoe was the #2 seed and Tyler Reddick was the #23 seed when entering the first tournament race they were tenth and sixth in the championship respectively. I know what NASCAR attempted, but it didn't help the tournament. Take the top 32 drivers through 17 races and call it a day.
No matter what, Chicago is gone. The wild card race can remain in the tournament, but it can be a later round when the field has thinned itself out. I am fine with a road course being in the tournament. Two might have been a little much when you consider the other three tracks all differ from one another. Chicago's absence also means NASCAR's Independence Day weekend is open.
There is only one place NASCAR should be to open the month of July: Move Daytona back to Independence Day weekend, have it be the second round race of the tournament, and give Atlanta the regular season finale spot if you need a wild card race where anyone can win and make the playoffs.
As for that open weekend for the first round of the tournament? There have been some rumblings that Chicagoland Speedway could be returning next season. Another race will need to fall off the calendar as we know San Diego's street race will be swapping in for Chicago. The Mexico City race sounds like it is on the fence for a return in 2026. That could be the domino that falls to bring Chicagoland back. If that is the case, would anyone say no to Chicagoland opening the tournament in late June? I don't think so.
It would at least be a regular 1.5-mile oval where you need to drive the car. The best drivers will advance from that round. If it is not Chicago, why not rotate Michigan in that weekend or Iowa and put a short track into the tournament? There are plenty of regular tracks that fit the criteria for hosting the opening race.
Daytona can be the second round site and be the wild card, but it could be the wild card event with ten of the top 16 seeds remaining. There could be some upsets, but no matter what big names will still be on the board even after Daytona if the opening race has more to do on driver skill than dumb luck. The tournament can still end with Sonoma, Dover and Indianapolis. That is fine mix of variety.
Enough people were vocally opposed to the In-Season Tournament to be obnoxious about it. In motorsports, more than any other sport, there will be people who are against everything new and different. Fine. This didn't change the racing at all. What was the worst thing that happened? Tyler Dillon was a little more aggressive for 17th at Sonoma against Alex Bowman? That's not a problem, nor does it hurt the actual race. Those with their heads in the sand are going to live with their heads in the sand.
For those of us breathing oxygen, there is nothing to lose doing it again, but with a few tweaks. Seeding should be straightforward. I understand what NASCAR was trying with those seeding races. If NASCAR wants to drum up interest in the weeks leading up to the tournament, then just drum up interest. That fight for 32nd will matter. Each week, there would be a different mock bracket that could be promoted with different pairings teased. It can easily promote itself if you do it right.
The In-Season Tourmanet comes down to scheduling and what tracks make up the tournament. The tournament doesn't need an excess of wild cards, nor does it benefit from an excessive number of toss ups. NASCAR should want to showcase its best drivers and it will need its best drivers to succeed for this tournament to catch up and gain popularity. If there is an underdog story and a driver making a run, it needs to feel authentic. That driver must be scoring good results and feel like he is overcoming the odds rather than looking like a lucky son-of-a-bitch four weeks on the spin.
We also might need a prize that goes beyond money to make the drivers care. Why NASCAR cannot give drivers a prize directly is a discussion for another day, but $1 million does nothing for these guys. Playoff points though, that would get their attention.
With a few tweaks, the In-Season Tournament will likely be better in 2026.
Champions From the Weekend
You know about Ty Gibbs, but did you know...
Porsche won the Formula E teams' championship and manufacturers' championship after the London ePrix weekend.
Winners From the Weekend
You know about Álex Palou, but did you know...
Oscar Piastri won the Belgian Grand Prix, his fifth victory of the season. Max Verstappen won the sprint race.
Leonardo Fornaroli (sprint) and Roman Stanek (feature) split the Formula Two races from Spa-Francorchamps. Stanek was elevated from third after Alex Dunne was penalized for a breach in relation to the start-up procedure, and Arvid Lindblad was disqualified for tire pressures below the legal limit.
Noah Strømsted (sprint) and Brad Benavides (feature) split the Formula Three races, but no points were awarded for the feature race because it only completed two laps behind the safety car.
Bubba Wallace won the Brickyard 400, his first victory in 100 starts. Connor Zilisch won the Grand National Series race, his third consecutive victory and his fifth of the season. Layne Riggs won Truck race from Indianapolis Raceway Park, his second victory of the season.
Nick Cassidy swept the London ePrix, and Cassidy ends the season with three consecutive victories while Jaguar ends with four consecutive victories.
Toprak Razgatlioglu swept the World Superbike races from Baloton Park. Stefano Manzi swept World Supersport races.
Caio Collet swept the Indy Lights races from Laguna Seca.
Coming Up This Weekend
Formula One has its final race before the summer break in Hungary.
NASCAR will race in Iowa.
IMSA has all the classes together at Road America.
Rally Finland will take place.
SUper GT is at Fuji.
GT World Challenge Europe will run a sprint weekend at Many-Cours.
