NASCAR Midseason Report: How to Watch the In‑Season Challenge and Remaining Races with Sling
This year, NASCAR is introducing an all-new In-Season tournament on TNT. Here’s a preview and how to watch all the remaining races live with Sling.
The first half of the 2025 NASCAR season featured plenty of excitement and drama. Entering the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway on June 28, Dayton 500 winner William Bryon sits atop the standings with 623 points. His Hendrick Motorsports teammates Kyle Larson (2nd), Chase Elliott (5th) and Alex Bowman (13th) are also having strong seasons. Three drivers are tied with three wins each: Larson, Denny Hamlin (3rd), and Christopher Bell (4th). Other drivers who have already qualified for the Playoffs by winning at least one race include Ryan Blaney (6th), Ross Chastain (8th), Chase Briscoe (9th), and Joey Logano (10th).
With NASCAR changing lanes for five races on TNT followed by the season-ending races on NBC and USA Network, here’s a look at the new In-Season Challenge and how to watch the remaining NASCAR races live with Sling.
How To Watch the Second Half of the 2025 NASCAR Season With Sling
Now that the FOX/ FS1 and Amazon Prime Video races have concluded, the rest of the 2025 NASCAR season will air on TNT (In-Season Challenge races from June 28 to July 27) then NBC/ USA Network (Iowa Corn 250 on Aug. 3 through the Championship on Nov. 2) for the remaining races and Playoffs.
Races on TNT are available on Sling with a subscription to Sling Orange, Blue or Orange + Blue. USA Network races are available with Sling Blue or Orange + Blue. NBC races are available with Sling Blue and Orange + Blue in the markets listed below. To watch the most NASCAR with Sling for the best price, use the link below to subscribe to Sling Blue with TNT, USA Network, and NBC in select markets.
https://main--sling--aemsites.aem.page/aemedge/fragments/try-sling-combo
🏁 NASCAR’s In‑Season Challenge: A New Mid‑Season Thriller
Kicking off on June 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway (EchoPark), NASCAR’s inaugural In‑Season Challenge introduces a knockout-style, bracket-format twist to the summer months. Thirty-two drivers—selected based on their standings after Nashville—will face-off head-to-head over five single-elimination races, battling not only for bragging rights but a $1 million prize.
The first bracket round at Atlanta narrows the field to 16 at the Chicago Street Course (July 6), eight at Sonoma Raceway (July 13), and the final four at Dover (July 20), culminating with the final two at Indianapolis (Brickyard 400) on July 27.
Here’s a closer look at both the In-Season Challenge and a preview of the second half of the NASCAR season.
What is the Bracket for the NASCAR In-Season Challenge?
Like the NCAA Basketball Tournaments, the NASCAR In-Season Challenge features the top-ranked drivers taking on the lower-ranked seeds. That means the No. 1 overall driver Denny Hamlin will face-off against No. 32 Ty Dillon, with No. 2 Chase Briscoe facing No. 31 Noah Gragson, No. 3 Chris Buescher competing against No. 30 Todd Gilliand, and so forth. As with college basketball, the more intriguing matchups in the first round feature closely-seeded drivers, like No. 16 Kyle Busch against No. 17 Brad Keselowski and No. 15 Ryan Preece vs. William Bryon, who has finished ahead of Keselowski 69 times since 2022, compared to Keselowski’s 22 head-to-head wins.
With the bracket structure, the top-seeded driver does not race against the lowest-seeded remaining driver after each round. For example, if Hamlin wins at EchoPark Speedway, he’ll next face the winner of Busch-Keselowski. For a complete look at the bracket and to submit your own entry in the $1 million NASCAR Bracket Challenge, follow this link.
🚗 Early Playoff Hopefuls: Who's Poised to Win Even if They’re Not in Yet?
Several standout drivers remain without a win —but they’re primed to strike soon:
- Chase Elliott has strong past success at Watkins Glen and is primed for a breakout on road courses.
- Tyler Reddick, underperforming this season, looks solid on the Chicago Street Course, where he placed second last year.
- Kyle Busch, enduring a two-year drought, remains a threat—Daytona offers his best shot given recent form.
Look for those names to inject drama into upcoming races, potentially disrupting the playoff picture.
What is the Remaining NASCAR Schedule?
📺 NASCAR on TNT (June 28 – July 27)
- June 28 – Quaker State 400 (Atlanta) – 7:00 PM ET
- July 6 – Street Race (Chicago) – 4:30 PM ET
- July 13 – Sonoma Raceway – 5:00 PM ET
- July 20 – Dover Motor Speedway – 3:00 PM ET
- July 27 – Brickyard 400 (Indianapolis) – 2:30 PM ET
📺 NASCAR on NBC / USA Network (August 3 – November 2)
NBC takes over late in the season and covers the final regular-season race and all 10 playoff races.
Key NBC Broadcasts:
- August 23 – Regular Season Finale (Daytona) – 7:30 PM ET
- October 19 – Talladega Playoff Race – 2:00 PM ET
- October 26 – Martinsville Playoff Race – 2:00 PM ET
- November 2 – Championship Race (Phoenix) – 3:00 PM ET
USA Network Covers:
- 10 summer races including Iowa, Richmond, Watkins Glen, Bristol Night Race, and Charlotte Roval.
Check out the complete list of remaining 2025 NASCAR races below, and follow the link at the bottom of this page to subscribe to Sling Blue with TNT, USA Network, and NBC in select markets!
Date
Channel
Sling Package
Quaker State 400 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
Saturday, June 28
TNT
Sling Orange or Blue
Grant Park 165 - Chicago Street Course
July 6
TNT
Sling Orange or Blue
Toyota/ Save Mart 350 - Sonoma Raceway
July 13
TNT
Sling Orange or Blue
Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 - Dover Motor Speedway
July 20
TNT
Sling Orange or Blue
Brickyard 400 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway
July 27
TNT
Sling Orange or Blue
Iowa Corn 350 - Iowa Raceway
Aug. 3
USA Network
Sling Blue
Go Bowling at The Glen - Watkins Glen International
Aug. 10
USA Network
Sling Blue
Cook Out 400 - Richmond Raceway
Saturday, Aug. 16
USA Network
Sling Blue
Coke Zero Sugar 400 - Daytona International Speedway
Saturday, Aug. 23
NBC
Sling Blue (in select markets)
Southern 500 - Darlington Raceway
Aug. 31
USA Network
Sling Blue
Enjoy Illinois 300 - World Wide Technology Raceway
Sept. 7
USA Network
Sling Blue
Bass Pro Shops Night Race - Bristol Motor Speedway
Saturday, Sept. 13
USA Network
Sling Blue
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at New Hampshire - New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sept. 21
USA Network
Sling Blue
Hollywood Casino 400 - Kansas Motor Speedway
Sept. 28
USA Network
Sling Blue
Bank of America ROVAL 400 - Charlotte Roval
Oct. 5
USA Network
Sling Blue
South Point 400 - Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Oct. 12
USA Network
Sling Blue
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at Talladega - Talladega Superspeedway
Oct. 19
NBC
Sling Blue (in select markets)
NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Race at Martinsville - Martinsville Speedway
Oct. 26
NBC
Sling Blue (in select markets)
NASCAR Cup Series Championship - Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, Nov. 2
NBC
Sling Blue (in select markets)