NASCAR's first-ever in-season tournament is in the books. Ty Gibbs is $1 million richer after surviving five head-to-head matchups in order to take the crown.
Let's be honest, the tournament didn't generate a massive amount of buzz and was somewhat of an afterthought on most TNT broadcasts.
And it was even more pushed to the back with Bubba Wallace's incredible Brickyard 400 victory, along with Gibbs only needing a 21st place finish to take the title.
Despite some of its shortcomings, I think the tournament is a good addition to the long NASCAR Cup season. Although some things could use a tweak.
What the NASCAR In-Season Tournament does right
Shaking up the long season
The NASCAR Cup season is a long one -- 36 points races, and 39 overall events (Twin 125s, Clash, All-Star Race).
While big fans can find intrigue in anything on a weekly basis, having something extra to root for, diehard fan or not, is always going to be a win for the sport.
Something more to root for
In a season where most of the time, your favorite driver won't win, having something to focus on when your driver might not go to victory lane is a great new element to add.
You'll be focused on where your guy is and the driver he's up against, even if that's a battle for 16th place.
New rivalries along the way
And what about the rivalry element for the drivers? Yes, most of the time, I don't think they are specifically seeking out where their opponent is, especially if they are someone on the playoff bubble and just need consisent results.
But Ty Dillon vs. Alex Bowman was a dream situation for the sport. Two drivers going head-to-head and right next to each other on the final lap. Dillon uses the bumper to move Bowman out of the way, and Dillon advances.
Just having the chance of a race within the race reaching a fever pitch like this is enough to see it as a positive addition.
Finally: Everyone loves a bracket and a bracket challenge. Getting to make picks and predictions and making it into a competition is a great thing. More on that in a second.
Where the NASCAR In-Season Challenge needs some work
I say all of this positive commentary largely on the promise of where it could go. Because there definitely is a lot to be desired still.
TNT needs to make it a bigger fixture
Is there room in a NASCAR broadcast for the bracket challenge in more than a passing reference? Let's look at Chicago, already a chaotic race with so much going on. Is there time to really dig into how each matchup is unfolding?
Yes, TNT made a point to flash who was where in the field whenever they could, but is that going to make fans pay attention to it?
In a word, I don't think it'll be easy to make this something fans care about too much. That's fine, but NASCAR either has to be OK with that, or take extra measures to push it into the forefront.
The challenge needs its biggest talents to make it
Ty Dillon, one of the sport's smallest talents, got some coverage for his unprecedented run to the final round. And that was great and interesting!
But realistically, this was another thing that only caught fans' attention for a few seconds and then moved on from it. Just like Ty Gibbs' awkward championship ceremont after the Brickyard 400 -- no one really cared that much.
So what do we do about that? Well, as much as America loves a Cinderella, I think if you want more coverage of this, you will need your biggest talents to be on display.
John Hunter Nemechek vs. Ty Dillon isn't going to put eyes on the prize. But Denny Hamlin vs. Kyle Larson will, Chase Elliott vs. Ryan Blaney will.
Drop the seeding races
First, you need to get rid of the "seeding" races and just go on pure standings. Fans were completely lost by NASCAR's decision to base seeds on the results of the three races before the tournament, which in turn made the seeding basically meaningless.
Ty Gibbs a #6 and Tyler Reddick a #23? William Byron an #18 with Nemechek at #12? Weird and doesn't accurately present who the supreme talents are.
Move Atlanta out of the first round
Next, let's maybe not lead the tournament off with a drafting track. That's a surefire way to kick out top talents who happen to be in the wrong place at the right time (i.e. Hamlin).
I understand that this window for TNT might not be as flexible to just change the schedule, but I certainly don't see the harm in just moving some tracks around.
Especially with Chicago out and San Diego in next year, why not making some switches?
Ultimately, just like the NBA In-Season Tournament, I don't think this will ever be a major addition to the annual schedule. But there is room for more conversation and interest come 2026.