Ty Dillon vs. Ty Gibbs at the Brickyard: Who’s better positioned for NASCAR’s $1M In-Season Challenge crown?

The inaugural edition of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge comes down to two names few expected heading to the 'Racing Capital of the World'. The $1 million showdown at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 27 will pit Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs against Kaulig Racing's Ty Dillon - the No. 6 and No. 32 seeds, respectively.

Born as a midseason twist to energize the Cup Series calendar, the Challenge has delivered on unpredictability, rewarding consistency, savvy, and in Dillon's case, just enough luck to go with it. The final will be decided on the 2.5-mile rectangular oval of the Brickyard amid NASCAR's five-race summer push toward the playoffs.

Gibbs enters with form and a surge in momentum, while Dillon walks in as the underdog again. But both are just 160 laps away from a career-altering payday.

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Track record for Ty Dillon and Ty Gibbs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Ty Dillon (33) during the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series Brickyard 400 at Brickyard. Source: Getty

There's not much to go on for either finalist when it comes to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in its current layout. With NASCAR returning to the oval only last year after a three-year stint on the road course, both Tys have just a single race under their belts on the famed 2.5-mile rectangle in the Next Gen Car.

Ty Gibbs impressed in the 2024 edition, qualifying sixth in his first Cup start on the oval layout. But the result didn't match the promise as he faded late and finished outside the top 20. Still, there was raw speed, and Gibbs' Indianapolis pedigree from the Xfinity Series (including a win on the road course in 2022) suggests comfort with the grandeur of the Brickyard.

Ty Gibbs on the yard of bricks following his win in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Pennzoil 150. Source: Imagn

Ty Dillon's track record at IMS is uninspiring. In his five Cup starts on the oval, dating back to his Germain Racing days, he's never finished inside the top 10 or qualified better than 20th. His last five finishes are 19th, 14th, 13th, 21st and 19th. But the NASCAR In-Season Challenge is about timing, and few have timed a rise like Dillon in 2025.

When the format was introduced, the expectation was that the $1 million payout would go straight to the driver. But NASCAR clarified that it will follow traditional prize structure, as reported by FOX's Bob Pockrass on X:

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

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I believe when the in-season tournament was first announced, the understanding of many in the garage was that the $1 million would go directly to the driver. But NASCAR says it will be paid to owner just like the purse (and depends on driver contract on how much driver gets).

The concept was floated by Denny Hamlin in 2023 and finally implemented by the sanctioning body this season. With the Challenge finale falling one month before the playoffs begin, it has succeeded in creating a buzz and now ends where all great American racing stories do - at Indy.

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Road to the NASCAR In-Season Challenge final: How Ty Gibbs and Ty Dillon got here

NASCAR Cup Series drivers Ty Gibbs (54) and Ty Dillon (10) during the Goodyear 400. Source: Imagn

Fans were skeptical when NASCAR rolled out its NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket in April, with a seeding structure that began on superspeedways, and early rounds staged at road courses. But that very formula is what gave the tournament an edge.

Ty Dillon (33), the final seed in the 32-driver bracket, is on a Cinderella run that defies numbers. But it's no accident. In Round 1 at EchoPark Speedway, Dillon stunned top-seeded Denny Hamlin, escaping a 22-car wreck due to a speeding penalty. While others crashed, Ty's misstep kept him out of the carnage and alive.

Round 2 brought another fortune-favoring twist at the Chicago Street Course, where Brad Keselowski suffered a race-ending incident just two laps in. Dillon simply had to finish, and he did. At Sonoma Raceway, Dillon was running behind Alex Bowman on the final lap when he muscled through in the final corner with a bump-and-run to seal his place in the Final Four.

Running mid-pack all day at Dover, he caught a break in the form of a late-race free pass during a double-overtime restart, putting him back on the lead lap. He finished 20th, edging John Hunter Nemechek, who finished just behind at 21st.

Ty Gibbs (6), on the other hand, has had no such need for magic. His run to the final has been built on speed since the seeding races began. In Round 1, Gibbs beat Justin Haley with ease. In Chicago, he survived a late restart surge to beat AJ Allmendinger, who finished sixth while Gibbs ran second. At Sonoma, it was Zane Smith who fell, as Gibbs logged another top-ten.

NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Gibbs (54) during the Grant Park 165 at Chicago. Source: Imagn

By Dover, the 22-year-old was already trending upward in the broader championship picture. He finished fifth, while his semifinal opponent, Tyler Reddick, was swallowed up on the final restarts, slipping back to 12th.

Since the NASCAR In-Season Challenge began at Michigan seven weeks ago, Gibbs has not finished worse than 14th. He's jumped 11 spots in the regular season standings - from 27th after Nashville to 16th post-Dover - and remains just 52 points below the playoff cutline. And yet, Dillon has proven unkillable.