North Wilkesboro Speedway is the site for the semifinal round of the 2026 NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Four drivers remain in contention for a shot at the $1 million prize, which will be settled in next week’s Brickyard 400.
As the dust settled in Atlanta, a few of the key favorites stayed alive in the bracket. Meanwhile, there is one driver who is aiming to pull off a massive upset in this year’s tournament.
Here, we will take a look at who was eliminated at EchoPark Speedway and who kept their In-Season Challenge hopes alive.
Four drivers left standing in NASCAR In-Season Challenge
With his dominant victory in last Sunday’s Quaker State 400, a race that stretched into early Monday morning due to a 3-hour weather delay, Ryan Blaney is set to compete in this Sunday’s semifinals.
The driver of the No. 12 entered the tournament as the third seed. Blaney defeated 11th-seeded William Byron at Atlanta to advance.
The 2023 Cup Series champion will take on Christopher Bell in the semifinal round at North Wilkesboro. Bell, who entered the In-Season Challenge as 10th seed, upset top-seeded Denny Hamlin last Sunday at EchoPark Speedway.
On the other side of the bracket, Chase Elliott kept his In-Season Challenge hopes alive last Sunday at Atlanta. The driver of the No. 9, who entered as the fourth seed, topped 12th-seeded Chase Briscoe in their head-to-head battle in the Quaker State 400.
Looking to pull off a massive upset in this year’s In-Season Challenge is Todd Gilliland. Despite entering as the 25th seed, the driver of the No. 34 will battle Elliott in this Sunday’s semifinals. Gilliland took down Alex Bowman, the 32nd seed, last Sunday in Atlanta.
The winners of the two semifinal matchups will advance to the final round, which takes place on Sunday, July 26 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The highest finisher of the two finalists in the Brickyard 400 will be the 2026 In-Season Challenge champion.
Like last year’s inaugural In-Season Challenge, the winner will receive $1 million.
Betting odds for In-Season Challenge semifinal round
For NASCAR fans who enjoy betting on races, they will want to take a look at the odds for the In-Season Challenge matchups.
In the odds released by DraftKings Sportsbooks, as of Friday night Eastern time, Chase Elliott is a heavy favorite to win his matchup over Todd Gilliland. At -500, Elliott has a short track victory in 2026, which came at Martinsville in March.
In last year’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, Elliott recorded a fifth-place finish.
Gilliland, entering as a +320 underdog, showed strength on a short track earlier this season by posting a sixth-place result last April at Bristol.
In turn, it is a pick ‘em matchup between Ryan Blaney and Christopher Bell, who both sit at -115 odds to win the battle. Bell won last year’s All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro, which could give him the edge this Sunday.
Meanwhile, Blaney has two short track victories in the Cup Series, both coming at Martinsville. Earlier this season, the Team Penske star led 190 laps and finished runner-up on the 0.5-mile Bristol short track.
NASCAR In-Season Challenge Heats Up Ahead of North Wilkesboro