A $1 million prize awaits one driver Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
For the second consecutive year, the Brickyard 400 Presented by PPG serves as the championship round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge, with Ryan Blaney and Todd Gilliland racing head-to-head for the winner-take-all title.
Whichever driver crosses the Yard of Bricks first will claim the tournament championship and the $1 million prize.
Gilliland enters the finale as the tournament's Cinderella story.
The driver of the No. 34 Grillo’s Pickles Ford for Front Row Motorsports began the challenge as the No. 25 seed but has eliminated a series of higher-seeded opponents to reach the final. Gilliland defeated No. 8 seed Daniel Suarez, No. 9 seed Carson Hocevar, No. 32 seed Alex Bowman and No. 4 seed Chase Elliott to earn his spot in Sunday's race within a race.
Blaney's path to the championship included victories over No. 30 seed Josh Berry, No. 14 seed Shane van Gisbergen, No. 11 seed William Byron and No. 10 seed Christopher Bell. 2023 NASCAR Cup Series champion Blaney (photo, top) will drive the No. 12 Menards/Delta Ford in pursuit of the first tournament title for Team Penske.
Ty Gibbs captured the inaugural In-Season Challenge title in 2025 by finishing ahead of Ty Dillon in the championship matchup at Indianapolis. Gibbs crossed the finish line 21st in the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, five positions ahead of Dillon, who completed one of the tournament's biggest underdog runs as the No. 32 seed.
This year’s tournament, featuring a 32-driver single-elimination bracket, began June 28 at Sonoma Raceway before continuing through Chicagoland Speedway, EchoPark Speedway and North Wilkesboro Speedway. Drivers advanced by finishing ahead of their designated opponent in each race, leaving Blaney and Gilliland as the final two competitors.
Unlike last year's inaugural event, which used three seeding races, the 2026 field was set by the NASCAR Cup Series points standings following the June 14 race at Pocono Raceway. The top 32 drivers in points qualified and were seeded accordingly.
Blaney enters the weekend as one of the hottest drivers in the Cup Series with 11 consecutive top-11 finishes. He ranks third in the championship standings with two victories, four top-five finishes and 15 top-10 finishes through 21 races. Sunday also marks the 400th Cup Series start of his career for the 19-time race winner.
The 32-year-old also has enjoyed success at Indianapolis. In eight Brickyard 400 starts, Blaney has recorded a best finish of third in 2024. He led 14 laps before finishing seventh in last year's race.
But Gilliland has quietly built an impressive record at the Brickyard and isn’t one to count out.
The 26-year-old is winless in 165 Cup Series starts but finished sixth in the Brickyard 400 in each of the last two years. He enters the weekend 23rd in the standings, with two top-10 finishes this season, including eighth last Sunday at North Wilkesboro.
Sunday's championship also showcases a pair of second-generation drivers. Blaney is the son of former Cup Series driver Dave Blaney, who made 473 career starts, while Gilliland's father, David Gilliland, made 333 career Cup Series appearances.
This year's finale promises another contrast in styles: an established Cup Series contender in Blaney against an underdog in Gilliland, with $1 million and the In-Season Challenge trophy waiting at the Yard of Bricks.
