NASCAR Cup Series’ In-Season Challenge Preview: Indianapolis Championship Round

The second edition of the NASCAR Cup Series’ In-Season Challenge will see Ryan Blaney face off against Todd Gilliland in the championship round at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

A Chance for Todd?

Todd Gilliland enters Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the substantial underdog as the 25th seeded driver. While the 26-year-old qualified deep in the pack from 36th for the Brickyard 400, there’s still all to play for.

Gilliland bested some of the hottest drivers of the summer to get to this race. In the first round, he defeated Daniel Suarez at Sonoma where Suarez captured his maiden Cup Series victory after the driver of the No. 7 suffered issues all race long.

The second round saw Gilliland face off against another Spire Motorsports driver in Carson Hocevar. Hocevar outqualified him but was caught up in a scuffle with Zane Smith which rendered his ability down to a limp.

In the third round, Gilliland took advantage of the final caution and passed Alex Bowman, who was involved in the prior wreck, in the final few laps to make it to North Wilkesboro with a matchup against his teammate Chase Elliott.

At North Wilkesboro, the racing gods were on his side when his prior opponent Alex Bowman collected Tyler Reddick during the middle of green flag pit stops which trapped Elliott a lap down for the rest of the race.

This weekend, Gilliland holds one key statistical advantage over his opponent Ryan Blaney. His average finish on the big oval is the best in the series. His 6.0 average finish trumps Blaney’s 16.5 average by over ten positions.

Todd even bested Blaney in this race last season.

Furthermore, the Front Row Motorsports driver’s In-Season Challenge championship appearance comes after his second top ten of the season at North Wilkesboro Speedway.

Even with his current momentum during the honeymoon phase of his contract extension announcement, coming through the field from 36th might be too tall of a task. If he wants to cash the million dollars today, he could need more misfortunes from his an ISC opponent one more time.

Ryan Blaney’s Milestone Weekend

Ryan Blaney’s path to the In-Season Challenge championship round was just as strenuous as Gilliland.

He opened up the first round against Josh Berry at Sonoma and breezed past his in-house pseudo-teammate to advance.

At Chicagoland he faced Shane van Gisbergen. He carried the most momentum into the race after his win at Sonoma. But for Shane, Blaney was too tall of an opponent to matchup against on an intermediate and was eliminated.

In the third round at Atlanta, Blaney was the creme of the crop. He qualified on pole, won both stages, and stayed out front to capture his second win of the season. In the victory, he defeated William Byron and found himself in a semi-final matchup against Christopher Bell.

North Wilkesboro was a battle. Fortunately, Ryan found his way through the field and past Bell for the round victory despite losing his coveted career best top ten streak in the process.

The third-seeded Blaney is the heavy favorite. While Gilliland comes off the back of besting him a week ago, Blaney is as hot as ever.

Currently, Blaney is on an 11-race run which has seen 11 consecutive top 11 finishes. his win two weekends ago.

If he can win in his 400th start today, he not only gets the money but the glory. He will join an illustrious and exclusive list of drivers to win in their 400th start. They include the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jimmie Johnson, and Richard Petty.

Ryan Blaney will roll off 13th with a 23-place advantage to begin the Brickyard 400 in his quest for glory.