NASCAR is taking a page from the NBA next year and holding an In-Season Tournament across a stretch of eight summer races.
The first three will seed 32 cars into a five-round knockout bracket that will end with one driver winning $1 million. The bracket will pair drivers against each other and the ones that finish higher in the race move to the next round. The races are otherwise regular season events with all of the normal stages and points intact.
The first seeding race will be at Michigan on June 8, followed by Mexico City on June 15 and Pocono on June 22.
Yes, the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series will race in Mexico City at the Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez that is also used by Formula One. It will be the first Cup Series points race held outside of the United States since 1958, although the Xfinity Series raced at the venue from 2005 through 2008.
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The knockout bracket then kicks off June 28, Atlanta and includes the Chicago Street Race on July 6, Sonoma on July 13, Dover on July 20 and the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis, where the $1 million prize will be awarded to the winner.
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After that the drivers will have four regular season races left to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Coke Zero Sugar 400 is moving back to the cutoff spot with the playoffs once again beginning at Darlington with the Southern 500.