NASCAR’s $1 million tournament returns for 2026 season

The summer stretch of the 2026 season will feature drivers trying to secure wins and contend for the championship in whatever format NASCAR introduces. It will also see the return of a $1 million tournament.

TNT Sports announced on Nov. 12 that the in-season tournament is back for its second season as drivers try to outlast each other and advance through the rounds, putting themselves in contention for the $1 million prize.

The first race of the in-season tournament will take place at Sonoma Raceway on June 28 (3:30 p.m. ET). This race marks the first event of the TNT Sports portion of the schedule. Thirty-two drivers will enter this race in contention for the $1 million prize, but only 16 will advance.

The second round will take place at Chicagoland Speedway on July 5 (6 p.m. ET). This race will cut the field down to eight drivers. The third round will take place at EchoPark Speedway on July 12 (7 p.m. ET). This race will cut the field to only four drivers.

The fourth round of the in-season tournament will take place at North Wilkesboro Speedway on July 19 (7 p.m. ET) as the short track hosts a points race for the first time since 1996. This race will determine which two drivers compete for the $1 million prize.

The final race of the in-season tournament — and TNT Sports’ final race of the season — will take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 26 (2 p.m. ET). Whichever driver finishes ahead of the other will lock up the tournament win.

Last season, the in-season tournament began with EchoPark Speedway and the streets of Chicago. These events created chaos as wrecks and mechanical issues collected the biggest names in the tournament. This included No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, and Christopher Bell.

The inaugural in-season tournament featured Cinderella stories advancing through the rounds. Drivers such as Erik Jones, John Hunter Nemechek, Ty Dillon, Ryan Preece, and Zane Smith all made deep runs. The same goes for Ty Gibbs, a driver who made the playoffs in 2024.

As no one expected, the final battle came down to Dillon vs. Gibbs. The two drivers entered Indianapolis Motor Speedway in contention for the $1 million prize. Gibbs secured it by finishing 21st. Dillon finished 28th after sustaining damage in an early restart stack-up.