The second of five weeks of head-to-head battles has trimmed the In-Season Challenge field after Sunday night’s showdown at Chicagoland Speedway. Only eight drivers remain eligible for the $1 million prize entering this Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta (7 p.m. ET, TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, PRN Radio, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).
Here’s where things stand after Round 2 at Chicagoland:
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Chicagoland race winner: During the final pit cycle of the eero 400, crew chief James Small used the undercut strategy by calling Chase Briscoe’s No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to the pits earlier than his competitors battling up front. Briscoe cycled to the lead and sailed to his first Cup Series win of the 2026 season despite a late-race challenge from JGR teammate Christopher Bell. The Hoosier driver advanced to the third round of the In-Season Challenge over teammate Ty Gibbs, who earned a solid eighth-place finish at the 1.5-mile Joliet, Illinois, track.
Who advances to Round 3
Advancing with the 12th-seeded Briscoe to the next round are: (2) Denny Hamlin, (3) Ryan Blaney, (4) Chase Elliott, (10) Christopher Bell, (11) William Byron, (25) Todd Gilliland and (32) Alex Bowman.
When Bowman missed four Cup Series races earlier in the year while recovering from vertigo, it all but ended his hopes of making up the points deficit to earn a Chase berth this fall. However, the In-Season Challenge gives the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports driver some extra motivation, with something to fight for after the 32nd- and lowest-seeded competitor advanced to Round 3 by defeating 16th-seeded Austin Cindric at Chicagoland. Matching up against 25th-seeded Gilliland this Sunday at EchoPark Speedway near Atlanta, the unpredictable nature of a drafting-style track should give both Bowman and Gilliland an equal chance of advancing to the semifinal round. Both drivers may fit the bill for a “Cinderella story” in this year’s In-Season Challenge.
Matchup of the week
(No. 2) Denny Hamlin vs. (No. 10) Christopher Bell: In Round 3 of the In-Season Challenge, Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Hamlin and Bell will go head-to-head at EchoPark. Both drivers finished second and third at Chicagoland, respectively, with Bell beating seventh-seeded Chris Buescher and Hamlin topping 15th-seeded Erik Jones. With the third round taking place at the Georgia drafting-style track, Bell might be the early favorite, having won at EchoPark in 2025 and earning three top-five finishes. Plus, the driver of the No. 20 Toyota will have some extra motivation to earn a breakthrough trip to Victory Lane after expressing frustration over his fourth runner-up finish this year.
On the other hand, Hamlin has not found the same level of success on superspeedways in the Next Gen era, picking up only two top 10s in nine EchoPark races since the track was reconfigured. Nevertheless, the unpredictable nature of drafting-style tracks could shift the battle between teammates in either direction, as both drivers will need a little bit of luck to prevail in this matchup.
Who’s up
William Byron, No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. After getting up front and leading 94 of 267 laps, Byron’s No. 24 Hendrick Chevrolet showed glimpses of the team we saw last year that led 1,330 laps. In 2026, Byron has not had the same level of success, with only 136 laps led after Chicagoland. Although Byron faded to a fourth-place finish after the final pit cycle, it was good enough for the 11th-seeded driver to defeat sixth-seeded teammate Kyle Larson to advance to the third round of the In-Season Challenge. At EchoPark Speedway, Byron is set to face third-seeded Ryan Blaney.
MORE: Byron, 24 team on wrong side of Chicagoland strategy | Watch NASCAR video highlights
Who’s down
Chase Elliott, No. 9 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Sunday night in Illinois was relatively quiet for Elliott, who earned an 11th-place finish. He also finished 15th and seventh in both stages with no laps led. Still, the No. 9 Chevrolet driver bested 29th-place finisher and 20th-seeded driver Michael McDowell to move on to the third round of the In-Season Challenge. Although the performance at Chicagoland was not super flashy, the Georgia native and fourth-seeded driver has to be excited for his matchup against 12th-seeded Chase Briscoe at his home track. Elliott is the defending summer race winner at EchoPark Speedway.