Bubba Wallace, driver for 23XI Racing, showed a casual attitude toward NASCAR’s new in-season tournament, which offers a winner-takes-all prize of $1 million. As the seeding rounds approach, Wallace and his team are concentrating on performing well throughout the summer stretch rather than focusing specifically on the tournament.
The last three races broadcast on Prime—taking place at Michigan International Speedway, Mexico City, and Pocono—will determine the 32 drivers who qualify for the tournament. The competition will then be covered in five TNT-broadcast races, beginning with the Round of 32 at Atlanta Motor Speedway, followed by Chicago, Sonoma, Dover, and culminating with the final head-to-head race at the Brickyard 400 on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Wallace appeared to downplay the tournament‘s importance, framing it as no different from any other race weekend. When asked about the $1 million prize, he likened the event to just another All-Star Race while emphasizing that accumulating points remains his team‘s priority.
“Screw whoever made that. We haven’t talked about that. What’s the prize? A million. It’s basically an All-Star Race, but points matter.” Wallace said [via altdriver.com].
“…I don’t know enough about it to give you that much. Clearly, I’m asking questions, but I think we treat it like another race. Execute on pit road, stay out of the mess. Our speed is well capable of having a good in-season tournament, but to me, it’s just having a good summer stretch,” he added.
Format and Timeline of the In-Season Tournament
The tournament structure begins with the seeding rounds, where race winners from these three preliminary events at Michigan, Mexico City, and Pocono automatically qualify for the 32-driver bracket. Remaining spots will be allocated based on finishing positions throughout these races. The elimination-style format will reduce the field over five subsequent races, ultimately leading to a one-on-one final battle at Indianapolis for the major prize.
The first seeding round occurs during the FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway on June 8. The head-to-head tournament starts on June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway and wraps up on July 27 at the Brickyard 400.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Challenges Drivers’ Downplaying of the Prize
Contradicting Bubba Wallace and other Cup drivers who seemed indifferent about the tournament, Dale Earnhardt Jr., a NASCAR Hall of Famer, openly rejected the notion that drivers are not interested in the $1 million prize. In the latest episode of Dale Jr. Download, Earnhardt Jr. emphasized that every driver would be eager to secure such an opportunity, calling it the easiest way to win a million dollars during the season.
When co-host Jordan Bianchi mentioned that drivers might not be changing their strategies for the tournament, Earnhardt Jr. disagreed strongly.
“Bullsh*t! It might not change exactly how they strategize to win races or approach the races, but they are thinking about it. They are lying if they are saying otherwise, because everyone of them would love to pocket that money. It’s like the easiest $1 million to win, of anything else in the season.” [31:55 onwards]
Wallace’s Road Ahead and Current Standing
After missing out on the All-Star Race recently, Bubba Wallace now has another chance to claim the $1 million prize through this in-season tournament. However, advancing will require him to perform well in the street race and the challenging road course event, which could present significant obstacles.
At the midpoint of the regular season, Wallace holds 12th place in the championship standings. His team remains focused on steady execution throughout the summer to secure a strong position and potentially compete deep into the tournament.
