In 2024, Denny Hamlin dropped a bombshell on his Actions Detrimental podcast: What if NASCAR added a mid-season bracket-style tournament with a grand prize? Hamlin mused about “ bringing more storylines during the Midsummer part of the regular season,” explaining that it felt like there wasn’t much buzz until the playoffs approached.

The idea, fresh and unexpected, accords the thrill of March Madness and the NBA Cup, except on wheels. Fast forward to the 2025 season, and that seed of an idea has blossomed into an actual NASCAR in-season challenge, backed by a $1 million prize.

But as word hit the garage, insiders were left wondering, how did Hamlin‘s podcast become NASCAR’s hottest Midsummer attraction? As it turns out, the story behind the scenes is nearly as riveting as the races themselves, as a NASCAR insider reveals how it went down.

This move was long in the works. In a recent inside scoop from Hauler Talks with Brian Herbst, Herbst revealed that the first domino fell during 2023 media talks with TNT, when NASCAR leadership recognized TNT’s success with the NBA in-season tournament. He breaks it down for us, saying, ” So, when we were having a discussion with TNT on bringing them on board as a media rights partner again back in 2023, the timing of those conversations aligned very closely with the rollout of the NBA in-season tournament, which TNT was receiving some positive marks for.”

Inspired by the success of the NBA’s in-season tournament, TNT saw potential in a NASCAR version to energize the mid-season stretch. Their interests coincided with the growing industry business, and together with NASCAR, they embedded the challenge into their 2024 media deal. Now, TNT is all in, adding five dedicated races with unique bracket-themed broadcasts across TNT, truTV, and Max. The NASCAR in-season challenge Altcast, presented by DraftKings Sportsbook, will feature Jeff Burton, Larry McReynolds, and special guests on truTV and Max.

Herbst went on to credit Denny Hamlin, saying, “There’s also a fair amount of discussion in the industry, led by Denny Hamlin, on some sort of in-season challenge as well. So you had, like, the NASCAR industry conversation around a similar concept, TNT receiving positive marks on their NBA kind of concept—and so, when we were talking about the rights agreement with TNT, those two things kind of came together.”

Hamlin has long been a proponent of the idea. Last year, when it was announced, he came out in full support. “All it is is a competition within a competition. So you’re hopefully going to have the storylines, the things to talk about, the drama of a high seed beating a low seed, those things matter. In a sport where sometimes it’s news is tough on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, I think you’re going to have things to talk about. Certainly, in a world where I believe that football took off in many, many, many years ago is getting people involved in fantasy. All of a sudden, people cared about their fantasy teams, not their favorite teams. And this creates something like that, where you’re going to have a Chase Elliott fan rooting for Denny Hamlin one week because they’ve got me in their bracket. I mean, it’s going to create those storylines.” 

Not only did Hamlin hatch the idea, but his driving has backed it up. He secured the No. 1 seed with a runner-up at Pocono and a win at Michigan during the qualifying window. Positioned as the top dog, he’ll face the field’s lowest seed (Ty Dillon, No. 32) at EchoPark, placing all eyes squarely on him as the favorite to advance.

Herbst goes on to explain, “We included it as a part of our media rights discussions and then were able to roll it out last year—in 2024, ahead of the upfront season. So, upfronts are important for advertisers. And for what it’s worth, we rolled it out in 2024 with the hope that we would find a brand like DraftKings, who’s the presenting sponsor, to be the lead partner for the in-season challenge.”

Brian expects this to be a great hit, backing all the efforts put in by great entities. He goes on to say, “It’s just fun to do — like, I don’t think we have to overthink this one. It’s kind of fun to try to pick between these different driver matchups. And if you’re filling out your bracket, which I did earlier today, it’s very similar to March Madness. Kind of click, click, click—like, OK, then you’re like, “Ah, that driver is at Sonoma; they usually do well there. At Dover, they do well—they’re also taking, like, four rounds ahead—that driver’s not going to be there.” But it’s just kind of like a whole fan engagement tool for us as a sport and a nice way for TNT and Max to lean in as well.”

With brackets now live and fan engagement in full swing, even analysts are joining the frenzy, offering their own predictions on who could take home the $1 million prize. And Steve Letarte doesn’t waste time making his decision.

Steve Letarte backs Chase Elliott in 1 Million showdown

Steve Letarte has thrown his support behind Hendrick Motorsports driver Chase Elliott as a topic to win the $1 million NASCAR in-season tournament. Letarte faced a tough call, weighing Elliott against three other strong contenders in what has quickly become one of this sport’s most exciting new formats. Of course, it was designed by NASCAR to boost mid-season competitiveness, viewership, and fan engagement, and Steve is fully on board with this concept.

Steve, in a recent appearance on X, goes on to reveal his picks, saying, “So my championship for my final four drivers, Hamlin, Elliott, Byron, Gibbs at Dover, who moves forward to Indianapolis. Elliott and Byron and Byron, and then my champion. Mr. Consistent hasn’t been outside the top 20 all year long. You don’t have to win to advance. You just have to beat the guy you’re against, so I had Chase Elliot, it is my guy. ” 

Elliott recently competed in the Great American Getaway 400 at Pocono. He overcame a rough start from P15 in the 160-lap race to finish a solid fifth. Despite being winless so far in 2025, he snapped out of a drought with a crucial victory at Texas in 2024. However, it seems to resonate with his 2023 wellness streak. That momentum hasn’t fully carried over, and now he finds himself in a familiar spot, performing well but still chasing that elusive next win in the cup series. Could EchoPark be kind to Elliott and crown him one million dollars richer that day?