NASCAR Cup Chicago

The eight remaining drivers in NASCAR's $1 million bracket challenge

With the first two rounds behind us, there are now just eight drivers left to fight for the $1 million prize

Nick DeGroot

Published: Jul 7, 2025, 1:05 PM

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Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: James Gilbert / Getty Images

The improbable march of Ty Dillon continues as the bottom seed in NASCAR's new $1 million in-season tournament advances once again. Dillon has now dispatched both Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski as he moves into Round 3 in the five-week challenge.

At Sonoma, Dillon will have another David vs. Goliath battle on his hands as he faces Alex Bowman, the lone remaining Hendrick Motorsports driver in the competition. Bowman advanced after a tense battle with Bubba Wallace on the streets of Chicago, which featured a lot of contact and ended with Wallace spinning into the wall.

However, the next matchup is potentially even more interesting as both John Hunter Nemechek and his Legacy Motor Club teammate Erik Jones have survived into Round 3. Nemechek beat Chase Elliott by one position on track at Chicago, narrowly avoiding elimination. And now, it will be a battle between the two LMC drivers at Sonoma.

John Hunter Nemechek, LEGACY MOTOR CLUB Toyota

Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images

Ryan Preece has been a surprise this season for RFK Racing, and that trend continues in this tournament as he is the last RFK Racing driver left in the fight. He will face Tyler Reddick at Sonoma, who didn't really have to worry at Chicago as his rival [Carson Hocevar] wrecked out of the Chicago race very early. Preece didn't have much of a fight either as Noah Gragson had some issues on track.

The final matchup will be Ty Gibbs and Zane Smith. Gibbs has been struggling in 2025, but he just earned an impressive runner-up finish this past weekend. Meanwhile, Smith has been facing his fellow Ford drivers in this challenge until now, beating Chris Buescher by four positions to advance into Round 3. He has been quietly consistent so far, making little noise and staying out of trouble.

Motorsport.com's bracket was completely busted in the opening round, but hey, we did manage to correctly predict the outcome for six of the eight matchups heading into Chicago.

Now, here's a complete rundown of the Round 3 matchups for Sonoma Raceway...

Round 3 -- Sonoma

Ty Dillon, Kaulig Racing Chevrolet

Photo by: Chris Graythen - Getty Images

Alex Bowman (No. 8 seed) vs. Ty Dillon (No. 32 seed)

John Hunter Nemechek (No. 12 seed) vs. Erik Jones (No. 20 seed)

Ryan Preece (No. 15 seed) vs. Tyler Reddick (No. 23 seed)

Ty Gibbs (No. 6 seed) vs. Zane Smith (No. 14 seed)

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