NASCAR announced Monday that it would be implementing an in-season, bracketed tournament during the 2025 season.
The in-season tournament will take place between 32 drivers & teams going against each other in head-to-head finishes over the five races that are being broadcasted by TNT Sports as part of the series’ new media rights deal.
“With the launch of our new media rights partnerships in 2025, we were excited to partner with Prime Video and TNT Sports to collaborate on fan engagement concepts that drive story lines in our sport and innovation from a production perspective,” Brian Herbst, NASCAR SVP, media and productions, said in a press release. ““Having head-to-head driver matchups for each one of TNT’s NASCAR Cup Series races will add a compelling fan engagement element across media platforms like TNT, Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and NASCAR digital platforms.”
Every driver competing in the series will be eligible for the tournament, with the three races prior to it – each airing on Amazon’s Prime Video, will serve as seeding events.
“We’re excited to be part of NASCAR’s first in-season tournament next season,” said Charlie Neiman, head of sports partnerships, Prime Video. “This tournament will showcase the league’s ability to drive innovation and engage fans with increased competition during a key part of the NASCAR schedule.”
Tiebreakers will be settled by next-best finish and then season standing position.
The winner of the tournament will take home a $1 million prize.
The release did not mention Denny Hamlin, a team owner and driver in the Cup Series, who originally mentioned the idea and had a mock tournament on his podcast, Actions Detrimental last season.
“It’s never been a better time to be a fan of motorsports, and this new first-ever in-season tournament will bring a new competitive dynamic to NASCAR’s summer race weekends,” said Craig Barry, executive vice president and chief content officer, TNT Sports. “TNT Sports has always been at the forefront of creativity and innovation, and NASCAR is a perfect partner to bring this vision to life across our networks and platforms.”
