NASCAR Drama: Underdogs Advance to Second Round After Massive Crash

NASCAR’s in-season competition witnessed a major upset at EchoPark Speedway Atlanta — a massive pileup involving 23 cars opened the door for underdog drivers to advance to the next round.

From 32 initial competitors, only 16 have progressed to the second round scheduled at Chicago Street Circuit. A $1 million prize awaits the winner of this competition — a challenge that stands separate from the regular NASCAR championship.

Here are the predictions for eight matchups in round two:

• Ty Dillon will defeat Brad Keselowski thanks to his strong road course performance
• Alex Bowman is favored against Bubba Wallace given his defending champion status
• Chase Elliott holds advantage over John Hunter Nemechek following his Atlanta victory
• Erik Jones could edge out Ricky Stenhouse Jr in a close battle
• Ryan Preece is expected to outperform Noah Gragson based on this year’s consistency
• Tyler Reddick should prevail against Carson Hocevar considering his strong showing last year
• Ty Gibbs might surprise AJ Allmendinger given his Mexico performance
• Chris Buescher is favored to beat Zane Smith due to his road course experience

Predicted rain in Chicago could add extra drama to this second round competition.