This year's NASCAR In-Season Challenge final will be between Todd Gilliland of Front Row Motorsports and Ryan Blaney of Team Penske, the 2023 Cup Series champion. The two drivers, who knocked each other out in an elimination round at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis, will compete for the $1 million grand prize.
How did Gilliland reach the final?
Gilliland advanced five laps to reach the championship final, eliminating Chase Elliott, Alex Bowman, Carson Hocevar, and Daniel Suarez in succession. Finishing 16th in Chicago, 19th in Atlanta, and 8th in North Wilkesboro in the last three weeks, Gilliland climbed from 26th to 23rd in the championship standings. Furthermore, he signed a contract extension with his team last week. Gilliland's consecutive 6th-place finishes at the Indianapolis circuit for the past two years further boosts his confidence in his performance.
Gilliland assessed the situation as follows: “I would say, ”Put your house in ours.’ We’ve come this far, why not? There’s only one other person involved, so I’m excited. It’s going to be a battle going upwards. The David and Goliath analogy might be accurate, but we’ll do our best.”
Gilliland also emphasized his high level of confidence in the Brickyard 400, saying, ’I participated in one of the first tire tests there before Indy’s return to the oval, and that really gave me a big advantage. That track is probably one of the mid-distance tracks where we’ve performed best.“.
Blaney is not underestimating his opponent.
Ryan Blaney advanced to the final, beating Josh Berry, Shane Van Gisbergen, and William Byron, and securing a race victory in Atlanta along the way. Recalling his first-round exit from last year's tournament, Blaney expressed his enjoyment of reaching the final this time.
Blaney approached the David-Goliath analogy ironically, making it clear he wasn't underestimating his rival or his team: “This David-Goliath story isn't good news for me, because David won that battle. Front Row is doing a really good job. Todd is a great driver and they have a strong team ahead of them. I don't consider anything easy this weekend. You can't afford to make mistakes; you need to be fast, your pit stops need to go smoothly, and your strategy needs to be right.”
Gilliland, however, chose to decline the question of what he would do with the $1 million if he won the final: “I’m trying to keep those thoughts out of my head. It would be really sad to get this far and not win. We’ll do our best; we’ll talk about the rest later.”