LEBANON, Tenn. (AP) Bubba Wallace sees NASCAR having all the momentum possible right now with different media partners.

Perfect timing then for NASCARs In-season Challenge to debut, right?

Well, Wallace forgot that was about to debut.

For me to forget about it and remember how exciting it was when they announced, I think its going to be big for the fans to tune in and and give them a little bit more ... youre just invested more, Wallace said.

Kyle Larson just tried his latest attempt at the Double of the Indianapolis 500 and the Coca-Cola 600 . Count him among those who didnt realize NASCARs new in-season competition had its field of 32 set after Sunday nights Cup Series race at the Nashville Superspeedway.

I just really havent seen anything promoted about it, so I think its easy to forget about it, Larson said.

NASCAR announced this new in-season competition in May 2024, so drivers can be forgiven for being focused on the second half of the season.

The format is simple: 32 drivers race for seeding over the next three races starting at Michigan on Sunday and concluding at Pocono on June 22. Drivers are seeded by their best finish for the five-race competition starting at Atlanta.

Then it goes to single elimination with the field cut to 16 at Chicago, eight at Sonoma, four at Dover and the final two at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The winner gets $1 million, and that does get drivers attention as part of the new media rights deal that includes TNT.

Its going to be something fun that you pay attention to, and theres good money on the line, said Larson, the 2021 Cup Series champ. So, youve just got to be really consistent throughout.

Chris Buescher of RFK Racing is among those who didnt realize this challenge is starting. He needs race victories after losing points for a penalty at Kansas in May. The prize is nice.

Thats real money, Buescher said. But I dont want that to change how we go to the race track. We need to figure out how to win races. Theres a lot more than that on the line at the end of the year.

Three-time Cup Series champ Joey Logano compared this events prize to the money up for grabs in the All-Star Race and this new competition like a stage win.

This is a little longer thing, but its a race within the race, Logano said. So youre not willing to give up a lot to do that, right?

Denny Hamlin was excited when the In-season Challenge was first announced. Then he saw the courses for this competition, and his enthusiasm dimmed with the number of road courses included.

Truthfully, were going to get pretty lucky or have such a good draw that just things kind of work out, Hamlin said. I wish it was more conventional ovals, but I think thats just the way the schedule works out. And its unfortunately not probably my prime part of the season.

Brad Keselowski and his No. 6 Ford for RFK Racing went into Nashville at 32 right on the line to be included in that chase for seeding. He hadnt given the competition much thought focused on this season. But he thinks it will be fun once it starts.

Its good for the sport, good for our fans and its a competition, Keselowski said. If theres competition, we want to win it. But that said, I think our heads down on one week at a time, in some ways one day at a time. ... And its hard to look further ahead than that.

Team Penske all set for the playoffs

With Ryan Blaneys first victory of the season at Nashville Superspeedway, Team Penske now has its three drivers qualified for the NASCAR Cup playoffs even with Nashville the first race of the second half of this year.

Blaney, who hadnt won since November, joined Austin Cindric, who won at Talladega, and three-time Cup Series champ Joey Logano, a winner at Texas. Josh Berry, whose Wood Brothers Racing team has a relationship with Team Penske, also won at Las Vegas.

Michael Nelson, president of Team Penskes NASCAR operations, said it was nice to have that pressure off all the teams.

Its obviously pretty awesome to have a little bit of that pressure off for the guys, Nelson said. And again ... it gives you a chance to go out and take some chances here and there and try to rack up a bunch of wins. So now were grateful to be at this point with our cars this time of year.

Careful there Hocevar

Carson Hocevar matched his career-best finish driving from 26th to second at Nashville. The 22-year-old driver in his second Cup Series season with Spire Motorsports ticked off Ricky Stenhouse Jr. with his aggressive style.

Hocevar clipped Stenhouse on Lap 106 of 300, sending him into the wall and out of the race. Stenhouse said Hocevar was overly aggressive and will talk to the young driver. Just not after the race.

No, Stenhouse said, that costs too much money.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

田纳西州利巴嫩（好意思联社）——布巴·华莱士（Bubba Wallace）合计，当今不同媒体互助伙伴的加入，使得好意思国天下赛车锦标赛（NASCAR）领有所有的能源。

那么，关于NASCAR的“赛季中挑战”首秀来说，这真的一个绝佳的时机，对吧？

华莱士忘了这是行将初度登台上演的。

关于我来说，要健忘它并回念念起他们通告时的那种粗莽东说念主心的嗅觉，我合计这将让粉丝们愈加插足，并给他们更多……你会愈加插足，沃利斯说。

凯尔·拉森（Kyle Larson）刚刚尝试了他在印第安纳波利斯500赛（Indianapolis 500）和厚味可乐600赛（Coca-Cola 600）中争夺“双冠”的最新尝试。将他在周日晚上纳什维尔超等赛说念（Nashville Superspeedway）的Cup系列赛后，没挑升志到NASCAR新赛季比赛中32名选手的威望也曾详情的东说念主中手脚一员。

我照实莫得看到任何干于它的现实，是以我合计很容易会健忘它。

2024年5月，NASCAR通告了这一新的赛季内竞赛，因此，驾驶员们可以专注于赛季的下半段，这是可以交融的。

比赛智力下里巴人：从周日密歇根运转，到6月22日波科诺遣散，共32名车手将参与接下来的三场比赛以争取种子履历。车手的种子履历将阐发他们在从亚特兰大运转的五场比赛中的最好得益来详情。

然后在芝加哥进行单淘汰赛，参赛队伍缩减至16支，索诺玛8支，多佛4支，印第安纳波利斯赛车场临了两支。到手者将赢得100万好意思元奖金，这照实眩惑了驾驶员的留意，作为包括TNT在内的新的媒体权益往复的一部分。

2021年杯赛冠军拉森暗示，这将是一件值得你关注的意旨事情，而且还有可不雅的奖金。因此，你只需要在全经过中保抓相当一致的进展。

RFK Racing的克里斯·布舍尔（Chris Buescher）并未意志到这一挑战行将运转。他在五月于堪萨斯州因受罚而失分后，需要赢得比赛。奖品很可以。

博舍暗示：“那然而真金白银。但我不但愿这篡改咱们赶赴赛场的神色。咱们需要弄了了怎么赢得比赛。在年底的赛场上，还有更多比这更迫切的东西。”

三届杯赛冠军乔伊·洛加诺将本次赛事的奖品比作全明星赛中可赢得的奖金，将这场新的比赛比作一个舞台上的到手。

这是一个稍稍长极少的事情，但它照旧比赛中的比赛，Logano 说说念。'是以你并不肯意为了作念到这极少而放手许多，对吧？'

当赛季挑战赛初度通告时，丹尼·哈姆林（Denny Hamlin）感到相当应允。关联词，当他看到这个比赛的赛说念时，他关于包含多条赛说念这一事实的关怀运转减退。

说真话，咱们将相当红运或遭受一个很好的情况，事情会自关联词然地搞定。哈姆林说说念。‘我但愿它是一个更传统的卵形，但我合计这等于赛程的安排神色。祸殃的是，这可能不是本赛季我最迫切的部分。’

布拉德·凯塞尔洛斯基（Brad Keselowski）和他的6号Ford为RFK Racing在纳什维尔（Nashville）以32°C的赛说念上，就怕在种子争夺的起跑线上。他还莫得太介意这个赛季的竞争，但他合计一朝比赛运转，这将是一件相当意旨的事情。

凯斯罗斯基（Keselowski）暗示，这对体育、咱们的球迷和比赛自己王人是有利的。"淌若存在竞争，咱们念念要赢得它。但话说回顾，我合计咱们应该把焦点放在每周的比赛中，从某种进度上来说，等于每天的比赛。...除此以外，很难再上前看更远了。"

Penske 团队已为季后赛作念好准备

跟着瑞安·布兰尼（Ryan Blaney）在纳什维尔超等赛车场（Nashville Superspeedway）赢得本赛季的首场到手，潘斯克车队（Team Penske）的三名车手已到手晋级NASCAR杯季后赛，即便纳什维尔的比赛是本年下半年的首场比赛。

自11月以来一直未能到手的布莱尼（Blaney）与在塔拉代加（Talladega）到手的奥斯汀·辛德里克（Austin Cindric）以及三次赢得杯赛系列冠军的乔伊·洛根诺（Joey Logano）一同到手，后者在德克萨斯州到手。而与Penske车队关关系的伍德昆玉车队（Wood Brothers Racing）的乔希·贝里（Josh Berry）也在拉斯维加斯到手。

迈克尔·纳尔逊（Michael Nelson）是Penske Racing的NASCAR运营部门总裁，他暗示这关于所有车队来说王人是一种自若。

内尔森说：“很彰着，为这些小伙子们减弱一些压力口角常棒的。再次...它给了你一个契机，去尝试，去冒险，去争取赢得更多的到手。因此，当今咱们对在这个工夫，咱们的车能到这个位置感到很感恩。”

Hocevar，你要小心啊

在纳什维尔，卡森·霍切瓦尔以从第26名到第二名的得益刷新了个东说念主办事生计的最恋战绩。这位22岁的车手在Spire Motorsports的第二个杯系列赛季中，以积极越过的立场让里基·斯特恩豪斯二世（Ricky Stenhouse Jr.）感到压力。

在300圈的比赛进行到第106圈时，霍塞瓦（Hocevar）与斯滕豪斯（Stenhouse）发生碰撞，导致斯滕豪斯撞上墙并退出比赛。斯滕豪斯暗示霍塞瓦的驾驶行为过于激进，并会与这位年青车手进行不异，但并非在比赛遣散后。

Stenhouse说说念：“不，那要花太多钱了。”

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