INDIANAPOLIS — TNT Sports will bring its NASCAR coverage to a high-profile conclusion this weekend with the championship round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Sunday’s Brickyard 400 not only marks the 30th running of one of NASCAR’s crown-jewel events, but also serves as the final showdown in the inaugural TNT Sports-backed in-season tournament. The championship matchup features No. 3 seed Ryan Blaney against No. 25 seed Todd Gilliland, setting up a battle between one of the sport’s established title contenders and one of the bracket’s biggest surprise stories.
Blaney enters the weekend as a perennial championship threat and currently sits among the NASCAR Cup Series’ top contenders. Gilliland, meanwhile, has emerged as the tournament’s Cinderella story, delivering a series of upset victories to reach the final round and put Front Row Motorsports in position for a marquee achievement.
Leading TNT Sports’ race coverage once again will be the broadcast booth trio of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte and Adam Alexander. The group has become a staple of the network’s NASCAR coverage throughout the summer and will guide viewers through the championship-deciding event from the famed 2.5-mile Indianapolis oval.
The network’s race-day coverage begins with NASCAR Nation Pre-Race presented by Nereus at 1 p.m. ET. Marty Smith will host alongside NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson, former Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray, Earnhardt Jr. and Letarte.
Coverage from pit road will be handled by Shannon Spake, Danielle Trotta and Marty Snider, while Bleacher Report Racing correspondent Mamba Smith will contribute reporting and features throughout the afternoon.
The Brickyard finale caps what has been a successful first season for the In-Season Challenge. According to TNT Sports, the tournament has reached a cumulative audience of 13.4 million viewers across its first four races, representing a 38% increase compared to comparable 2025 figures.
The growth has been fueled by dramatic bracket upsets, compelling storylines and the unlikely championship run by Gilliland, who now stands one race away from completing one of the most unexpected tournament victories in recent NASCAR history.
Sunday’s event also marks TNT Sports’ fifth and final NASCAR Cup Series race of the season under the current media rights agreement.
TNT Sports Indianapolis Weekend Tune-In Guide
Date
Time (ET)
Event
Talent
Network
Friday, July 24
1:00 p.m.
NASCAR Cup Series Practice
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte, Adam Alexander
truTV, HBO Max
Saturday, July 25
1:30 p.m.
NASCAR Cup Series Qualifying
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte, Adam Alexander
truTV, HBO Max
Sunday, July 26
1:00 p.m.
NASCAR Nation Pre-Race presented by Nereus
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Steve Letarte, Jamie McMurray, Marty Smith
TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Sunday, July 26
Approx. 1:30 p.m.
NASCAR Driver Cam presented by Straight Talk Wireless
Driver-focused coverage
HBO Max
Sunday, July 26
2:00 p.m.
Brickyard 400 / NASCAR In-Season Challenge Championship
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte, Adam Alexander; Pit Reporters: Shannon Spake, Danielle Trotta, Marty Snider, Mamba Smith
TNT, truTV, HBO Max
Sunday, July 26
Post-Race
NASCAR Nation Post-Race
Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Steve Letarte, Jamie McMurray, Marty Smith
TNT, truTV, HBO Max