The NASCAR in-season challenge kicked off at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) with a surprising turn of events, as a 23-car pileup resulted in underdogs triumphing over top seeds No. 1 and No. 2. Despite the chaos, the remaining 16 drivers vie for the $1 million prize in the next round at the Chicago Street Course, amidst potential rain altering the dynamic.
Notably, Ty Dillon (No. 32 seed) is anticipated to outperform the seasoned Brad Keselowski (No. 17 seed) owing to his solid road racing skills and recent form, unlike Keselowski’s struggles on road courses in the Next Gen era. In another match-up, defending champion Alex Bowman (No. 8 seed) is favored to defeat Bubba Wallace (No. 9 seed) given his superior track record on road and street courses.
Chase Elliott, fresh off a victory at Atlanta, seems poised to beat Nemechek, while the match between Erik Jones and Stenhouse is expected to be closely contested, with a slight edge given to Jones. Lastly, Ryan Preece (No. 15 seed) is predicted to overcome Noah Gragson (No. 31 seed) due to Gragson’s struggles on road courses in the past.
