NASCAR drivers have shared their excitement at the new in-season tournament set to begin from the next race, especially considering the impressive $1 million prize money.
The upcoming five races in the Cup Series will be treated as a tournament, and the seedings have been set after the race at Pocono. With a 32-driver field, each one will be slotted according to their best finish in Michigan, Mexico, and Pocono.
NASCAR drivers compete in five head-to-head races starting from the next round. Each winner will advance to the following round, with the field narrowing until the tournament winner is declared. After the race in Atlanta, the field will narrow down to 16 drivers, then to 8 following the race in Chicago.
After the race at Sonoma, only 4 drivers will remain, and after the round at Dover, two drivers will battle at Indianapolis for the grand prize. These races will be separate from the regular Cup Series races.
Joey Logano loved the idea of a mid-season tournament, given the extra bit of excitement it would bring to a regular NASCAR season. He said:
“Yeah, I love it. I think it’s great. I think it’s placed perfectly where it is in the season. This is kind of that moment where the newness has worn off, right? Like we’re into the rhythm. We’re racing every week.”
He added:
“It’s not like really the main story quite yet. So this really spices up the mid part of the season. We have a long season, so just kind of changing it up and adding something to it is great, and the in-season tournament, it’s cool.”
Chase Elliott said the idea was a great way to spice things up and welcomed the initiative to make the sport more exciting. He said:
“The season is so long, and anyway, you can spice up the year and have something else going on within our season is ultimately good not only for the fans but also for us.
“I think it’s exciting for us to have something else going on in any given weekend. It’s the first time we’ve done it, and I’m curious to see how it plays out. I think it’s a good addition, and I’m glad to see us try new things.”
Ryan Blaney admitted that the tournament was a unique concept to have mid-season. He said ahead of the race in Michigan:
“I think it’s a unique thing to have in the middle of the year. It’s definitely going to be something on people’s minds starting this week.
“Qualifiers are this week and it goes for three weeks, and then we get going. So, I think it’s in the back of people’s minds. I wasn’t sitting around this week like, ‘Alright, in-season tournament time.’ You just try to run the best you can, and then I think when you get into that five-week stretch of the tournament, you’re going to be aware of who you’re racing — like, who am I up against this week?
“You’re definitely going to be aware of that because there is a lot of money and pride if you win the thing. So, it’s like a five-week all-star race, kind of. You’re always going to be thinking about that.
“You can go the easy route and say, ‘Well, if I just win all five races, I’m going to beat everybody and win the deal.’ And I guess that’s a mindset you can have, for sure.”
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