The March Madness is over. Cup Chaos is on the horizon. Get those blank NCAA bracket forms out of the way. With the introduction of head-to-head racing to NASCAR, fans will have yet another opportunity to quarrel and potentially win some money. Or drop some pennies. Starting with the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 28, NASCAR’s first “in-season tournament” will take place over five races. There are further races in the series at Indianapolis, Dover, Sonoma, and Chicago. There will be thirty-two drivers in the field. Based on the outcomes of the three races held before the tournament—at Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono—they will be selected. The tournament competition will take place as part of the events, and drivers will be seeded from 1 to 32 and matched bracket-style across the five races. The motorist who posted the better race finish of the two will advance to the next round until the field is narrowed to two for the final race.
One million dollars will be awarded to the tournament winner. The Cup Series is being televised by TNT Sports, and the five-race run is probably going to be a major highlight of the shows. According to previous Cup champion Ryan Blaney, “winning that tournament is a million dollars.” Something is on the line, then. It will make the summer months a little more exciting. “With sports betting taking off like it has and getting invested in that,” Josh Berry stated, the tournament “should be really good for the sport.” It will most likely draw additional attention to the sport. And thus lies gambling, one of the main components of the competition. For gambling establishments, the bracket structure is perfect for setting odds on weekly driver bouts and might increase NASCAR’s percentage of the millions wagered on sports.
According to driver Denny Hamlin, a strong supporter of the competition, that is one of its benefits. In the off-season when only Major League Baseball is played, “you create these one-on-one matchups, and that really gets your sports bettor in the lull of the seasons,” Hamlin stated. “At that time of year, it gives them the juice they want.” Beyond that, I believe the narratives alone will make it worthwhile. It should attract more casual race viewers and is generating other narratives. Until the final few races, there most likely won’t be a significant strategic focus on the drivers. The primary objective of the day will continue to be winning each race, while teams will undoubtedly consider their position in relation to the tournament competitor of the week.
Joey Logano stated, “Winning a championship will always be the top priority, even though it’s real money.” “You don’t totally disregard everything else in order to concentrate on that, even if it’s a race inside a race. “Trying to beat one car won’t require you to risk everything.” You still want to win the race. But you’ll be thinking about it, especially when you’re at a superspeedway. Positioning yourself ahead of that other vehicle is something you should do.
