NASCAR will find out soon enough if its first in-season tournament is a success with drivers and fans as it “strives to boost engagement and build buzz in the staid regular season,” according to Dan Gelston of the AP. The concept has “already juiced enthusiasm in NASCAR to levels not seen since the halcyon days.” NASCAR is set to start the engines on a five-race, bracket-style tournament called the In-Season Challenge “in the midst of the summer slate,” which comes with a $1M prize to the winner. The final 32-driver field was set by results of the last three races at Michigan, Mexico City and Pocono. The drivers are “paired in head-to-head matchups based on seeding,” with the winners advancing to the next round in a bracket format that “mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.” The format is single elimination with the field cut to 16 at the street race in Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four in the series at Dover and the final two over the yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Challenge is part of NASCAR’s media rights deal that includes TNT, and the Atlanta-based cable network “will broadcast all five races in the tournament, starting with the 400-miler in Atlanta.” Aside from “a shrug” from driver Chase Elliott and a few others, drivers are “intrigued by the idea of increasing the stakes in each race beyond a playoff berth, trophy and the winner’s purse.” NASCAR will present the tournament winner at Indianapolis with a “ring, jackets, trophy and -- oh yeah, a million bucks” (AP, 6/23).
NASCAR sets summer March-Madness style tournament
