Matt Johnson
The NASCAR schedule this week takes us to EchoPark Speedway, also known as Atlanta Motor Speedway, for Sunday night’s Quaker State 400. Not only are Cup Series drivers battling for spots in The Chase as the regular season winds down, but we’ve also reached the third round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge with eight drivers left.
Let’s dive right into our NASCAR In-Season Challenge Predictions this weekend for the Quaker State 400 in Georgia. All statistics are via DriverAverages.com
(32) Alex Bowman vs (25) Todd Gilliland
Alex Bowman‘s Cinderella story in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge continues. Now, it’s not quite like what happened with Ty Dillon in 2025 considering that Bowman earned the 32-seed as a result of missing races due to vertigo, but it’s still fun to see. He’s already knocked out Tyler Reddick and Austin Cindric, with a Round 3 matchup against Todd Gilliland that certainly looks favorable to the No. 48 car on paper. Will this run continue? Given that Bowman (17.7 average finishing position) has been significantly better than Gilliland (21.6 avg. finishing position) at EchoPark and he’s even more superior on drafting tracks (16.0 avg. finish in last 21 races vs 20.3), we’re inclined to say yes.
- Advancing: Alex Bowman
Read More: Winners and Losers from eero 400, including Alex Bowman
(12) Chase Briscoe vs (4) Chase Elliott
It’s the battle of the Chases in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. Chase Briscoe is coming off his first win of the season on Sunday night at Chicagoland and he’s finished top-two in each of the last three races. Just as notable, the No. 19 team has the best average finishing position (7.5) in the Cup Series over the last six races, whereas Chase Elliott ranks 11th (15.0). We’d also note that Briscoe finished second at EchoPark back in February with Elliott in 11th, though, Elliott does have the better finish at this track (11.3 vs 24.7). We’re picking the driver who has been more consistent as of late, especially with how dominant the Toyota cars have been this season.
- Advancing: Chase Briscoe
(2) Denny Hamlin vs (10) Christopher Bell
One theme of the In-Season Tournament in these past two rounds has been teammates going head-to-head. In this case, Joe Gibbs Racing standouts Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell will battle it out for a spot in the final four. Hamlin has been dominant this year, but his success is largely coming on intermediate tracks. In the last 21 races on drafting tracks, Hamlin has a 20.2 average finishing position versus Bell’s 16.5 mark. Fittingly, Bell (16.6 avg. finish) and Hamlin (16.7) have been neck-and-neck at Atlanta in the last seven races. We’d expect it to be tight again, but our gut says to pick Hamlin.
Read More: NASCAR Standings Right Now Before EchoPark
(11) William Byron vs (3) Ryan Blaney
It feels right to see many of the best NASCAR drivers in the “Elite Eight” of the In-Season Challenge. William Byron versus Ryan Blaney should be a great battle on Sunday night, even if they might be more focused on the win and battling for seeding in The Chase than this tournament. Byron has been the third-best driver on drafting tracks (16.0 avg. finish) since 2023, whereas Blaney (17.7) ranks 12th. More specific to EchoPark, however, Blaney (10.7 with six top-10 finishes) has outshined Byron (21.6 with two top-10 finishes). We’re picking Blaney, as the No. 12 team has shown far more consistency throughout the year.
- Advancing: Ryan Blaney
