Denny Hamlin and Chase Briscoe have been knocked out of NASCAR’s first-ever In-Season Bracket Challenge after both drivers were collected in a massive crash at EchoPark Speedway, formerly known as the Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The multi-car wreck on lap 69 during the Quaker State 400 ended the day for several top drivers, including Hamlin and Briscoe, the top two seeds in the tournament.
Chaotic Second-Round Pairings of the In-Season Tournament After Massive Wreck in Atlanta
Hamlin’s race ended after contact with John Hunter Nemechek during a Stage 2 restart that sent him spinning into Noah Gragson. That incident triggered an 18-car pile-up that also took out Briscoe and polesitter Joey Logano.
While Hamlin and Briscoe were both eliminated due to DNFs, their opponents advanced. Ty Dillon, who was paired with Hamlin, finished 8th and safely moved into the next round. Gragson, despite finishing 25th and nine laps down, advanced past Briscoe due to the latter’s early exit.
The first round of the $1 million In-Season Challenge was marked by chaos. Reports suggest more than 30 of the 40 drivers were involved in some form of accident or caution. Several key matchups were decided due to crashes, reshaping the bracket ahead of the Chicago Street Race.
Alex Bowman and Erik Jones both finished in the top 10 and beat their respective opponents, Joey Logano and Ross Chastain. Race winner Chase Elliott and runner-up Brad Keselowski also beat their pairing to advance into the second round.
NASCAR pundit Jeff Gluck shared the pairing for the second round on X, writing: “In-season tournament Round 2 pairings for Chicago. You ready for these?”
In-season tournament Round 2 pairings for Chicago. You ready for these?
No. 3 Chris Buescher vs. No. 14 Zane Smith
No. 5 Chase Elliott vs. No. 12 John Hunter Nemechek
No. 6 Ty Gibbs vs. No. 22 AJ Allmendinger
No. 8 Alex Bowman vs. No. 9 Bubba Wallace
No. 15 Ryan Preece vs.…
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) June 29, 2025
The matchups for Chicago are as follows:
- Chris Buescher (3) vs. Zane Smith (14)
- Chase Elliott (5) vs. John Hunter Nemechek (12)
- Ty Gibbs (6) vs. AJ Allmendinger (22)
- Alex Bowman (8) vs. Bubba Wallace (9)
- Ryan Preece (15) vs. Noah Gragson (31)
- Brad Keselowski (17) vs. Ty Dillon (32)
- Erik Jones (20) vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (29)
- Tyler Reddick (23) vs. Carson Hocevar (26)
Other notable exits in Round 1 include Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric, and Josh Berry, each forced out due to the massive wreck in Stage 2.
Read More: Quaker State 400 Results: Chase Elliott Stuns Keselowski With Last-Minute Victory in Atlanta Cup Thriller at Echo Park
Denny Hamlin Speaks Out About the Wreck That Took Him Out of the Race
Hamlin’s hopes of winning the $1 million In-Season Challenge came to a sudden stop at Atlanta. And this is something he had predicted earlier on his podcast. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver said last week that despite holding a significant edge over Ty Dillon in the past races in Atlanta, it’s not a given that he would come out on top at a Speedway.
Hamlin was caught up in a chain reaction of bump-drafting on the top lane. His contact with John Hunter Nemechek triggered a spin that set off the 18-car pile-up. Speaking during the race after getting knocked out, Hamlin shared his view on how the crash unfolded:
“All of us were in the top line pushing off Turn 2, and some zigged, some zagged, most crashed. I don’t know. I was on the bumper of (Nemechek), and he was on the bumper of somebody else. We all were just pushing and speedway zigging and zagging, and we all crashed, so part of it. Now we go watch the rest of the race.”
A MASSIVE WRECK TAKES OUT MANY IN THE FIELD! MY GOODNESS! #NASCAR #Atlanta #QS400 pic.twitter.com/O30wzMiWkW
— Bleacher Brothers (@BleacherBrother) June 29, 2025
The second round of the in-season challenge will resume on Sunday, July 6, in the Grant Park 165 at the Chicago Street Course. The race is scheduled to start at 2:00 p.m. ET.
