Top 5 winners from NASCAR’s $1,000,000 challenge feat. Chase Elliott 

Chase Elliott won the opening round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge after most top drivers got wrecked in an unforeseen ending on Saturday, June 28. This gave underdogs an opportunity for a strong finish, including Chase Elliott, who won his first race of the 2025 season.

The In-Season Challenge is a 32-driver, single-elimination tournament introduced to add excitement midway through the season. The overall winner is going home with $1 million after five races, starting at EchoPark Speedway and concluding at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Who were the top five winners from the unprecedented mid-season tournament on Saturday? Let's find out.

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#1 Chase Elliott

Chase Elliott emerged victorious despite starting his home race at EchoPark Speedway in 15th. He took his time following race leader Brad Keselowski before passing him on the final lap to secure one of the 16 spots in the playoffs.

Chase Elliott won the 2025 Quaker State 400 for Hendrick Motorsports - Source: Getty

The #9 Hendrick Motorsports driver beat Austin Dillon in the first round of the In-Season Challenge. He advanced to the next round, where he will face John Hunter Nemechek on the streets of Chicago.

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#2 Brad Keselowski

After leading the most laps in the Quaker State 400, Brad Keselowski bagged his best finish of the year in second place. Despite falling short to Chase Elliott, the RFK Racing driver and co-owner sent his In-Season Challenge opponent, Kyle Busch, out of contention.

Brad Keselowski during the 2025 Quaker State 400 - Source: Getty

In the second round, Keselowski is matched up with Ty Dillon, who had the biggest upset after beating the top-seeded Denny Hamlin. If the veteran NASCAR driver wins next week, he will either face Alex Bowman or Bubba Wallace in the third round.

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#3 Alex Bowman

Alex Bowman finished third to bounce reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Joey Logano out of the mid-season tournament. He helped his HMS teammate Chase Elliott by pushing the #9 Chevy to the front and fighting Brad Keselowski instead of working together for a chance to win.

Alex Bowman drives the #48 Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports - Source: Imagn

Bowman, who has yet to secure his first win of the year, is set to battle Bubba Wallace in the second round. The Arizona native will enter the Grant Park 165 (Chicago street race) next week as the defending winner.

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#4 Tyler Reddick

Tyler Reddick started the Atlanta summer race in 23rd and survived the multi-car wrecks to finish fourth. He won stage two ahead of Chase Elliott to earn 43 points, moving up the standings to take the sixth spot away from Ryan Blaney.

Tyler Reddick drives the #45 Toyota Camry for 23XI Racing - Source: Imagn

In the In-Season Challenge, Reddick, who is seeded 23rd, beat the 10th-seeded Kyle Larson to advance to the next round. He will face Carson Hocevar, who also had a huge upset after winning the first round against Blaney, the first retiree on Saturday.

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#5 Erik Jones

Erik Jones rounded off the top five finishing list from EchoPark Speedway after starting the race in 26th place. His fifth-place finish put Ross Chastain out of contention for the mid-season tournament.

Erik Jones drives the #43 Toyota Camry for Legacy Motor Club - Source: Imagn

The 29-year-old is facing another underdog, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., in the second round. Hyak Motorsports driver defeated the fourth-seeded Christopher Bell in the first round as the former finished the race sixth after starting from 37th position on the grid.