SONOMA, Calif. (AP) — Ty Dillon sat down with a thousand-yard stare beside an equally stone-faced Denny Hamlin, and both were clad in black to promote their In-Season Challenge matchup.
For the second consecutive year, the NASCAR Cup Series drivers face off in the first round, and their joint interview Saturday at Sonoma Raceway came off with the feel of a heavyweight weigh-in — absent the verbal jousting.
They’re leaving the trash talking to their daughters, who have become best friends at the racetrack but will be “competing as much as we will,” Hamlin said.
“Behind the scenes, they’re probably more invested in this than anybody,” Dillon said with a laugh.
The last road course of the Cup Series season will mark the start of the In-Season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament with $1 million at stake for the winner.
There are 16 head-to-head matchups Sunday at Sonoma, with the highest finisher advancing to the next round.
In the event's debut last season, the breakout star was Dillon. As the 32nd and last seed, the Kaulig Racing driver made an improbably flamboyant run to a runner-up finish while upsetting Hamlin and 2012 champion Brad Keselowski.
Dillon is ranked 31st with a best finish of 12th this season, but the In-Season Challenge looms as another chance to garner some headlines and unlikely fans.
“When he knocked me out last year, I became the biggest Ty Dillon fan,” Hamlin said. “I certainly love their story and have a ton of respect for him.“
Dillon is a 34-year-old journeyman who has raced in the Cup Series for more than a decade without a victory or playoff appearance.
The grandson of championship team owner Richard Childress showcased a devilishly overlooked wit in last year’s In-Season Challenge on the way to losing to Ty Gibbs in the final round at Indianapolis. Dillon lightheartedly called out each opponent he vanquished, starting by stealing Hamlin’s “I beat your favorite driver” line when he shocked the top seed.
“We put in a lot of effort each week, and our story doesn’t always get told,” Dillon said. “The In-Season Challenge isn't always focused on the top five in points, but it's focused on the teams like ours who are grinding. Most weeks, we beat one or two or three of the megateams. So it was great that our story got told, not only for me being able to show a little bit of personality, but for our sponsors and our race team, too.”
His plan was to stay within striking distance of his weekly opponents until the final restart. Three times, he made the winning pass after the last green flag, including a bump on Alex Bowman in the final turn of the last lap at Sonoma.
“Our goal is to be the best version of us,” Dillon said. “That’s to execute every single phase, and if they make one mistake, be there to attack when the opportunity comes. Of all the racetracks, this one gives us a shot to do that, so it’s going to be fun.”
Dillon has posted a better finish than Hamlin in the past three races at Sonoma, but he is cautiously optimistic about beating the Joe Gibbs Racing star who has four wins this year.
“They’re kicking butt,” Dillon said. “If they put together a perfect weekend, it’s going to be a challenge for us to keep up. Past records don’t really mean anything for this weekend. Hopefully, we’re there to just put pressure on him. That’s all we want to do.”
During last year’s In-Season Challenge opener, Hamlin was one of eight higher seeds who were eliminated at Atlanta, a 1.5-mile track known for big wrecks that is third in this year’s lineup (Chicagoland Speedway is next, North Wilkesboro Speedway is fourth and Indianapolis Motor Speedway concludes the In-Season Challenge).
Hamlin likes his odds better at Sonoma.
“Our car’s got a lot of speed, and the types of tracks this time will be a little bit more indicative of the guys moving on that you would expect,” said Hamlin, who lobbied NASCAR to implement the In-Season Challenge as an attention-grabbing break from the summer doldrums. “But for a road course, anything still can happen. There’ll be battles for 16th that matter, and that normally no one would ever care about. That’s the beauty of the bracket system and head-to-head is that you’re creating storylines and matchups.”
Other notable first-round duels:
— In a matchup of former Penske teammates, it's Keselowski vs. Austin Cindric.
— Carson Hocevar, a brash rising star, will face Zane Smith, who has had some choice words for his former Spire Motorsports teammate.
— Ryan Blaney will be taking on Josh Berry, who is hunting for a ride after recently announcing he’s being cut loose by Wood Brothers Racing after the season.
AJ Allmendinger will make his 500th Cup start at the track closest to his hometown of Los Gatos, California.
“This is always special to get to see a lot of family and friends that I don’t get to see enough of,” said Allmendinger, a road-course ace seeking his first top-five finish in his 15th start at Sonoma. “I haven’t had the best results, but I do enjoy racing and running laps around Sonoma. Having the outright speed to win, I’m not sure we’re there now, but if we’re at our best, we can put ourselves in position to have a really good result.”
Defending race winner Shane van Gisbergen (-160) is the clear-cut favorite over Trackhouse Racing teammate Connor Zilisch (+750) and points leader Tyler Reddick (+900). … Larson, van Gisbergen and Daniel Suarez are the only active winners at Sonoma. … The pass for the win came in the final 10 laps of the past two Sonoma races.
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Denny Hamlin celebrates in Victory Lane after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Pocono Raceway, Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Long Pond, Pa. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)
