Austin Cindric advanced to the second round of the In-Season Challenge after the first round at Sonoma. He will face Alex Bowman, the lowest seed to advance, in the next round.
What happened at Sonoma?
The first round of the In-Season Challenge took place at Sonoma, with Shane van Gisbergen securing a weekend sweep of the Cup Series and O’Reilly Auto Parts Series events.
Who advances to Round 2?
Austin Cindric, the 16th seed, advanced to the next round along with 15 other drivers, including Denny Hamlin, Ryan Blaney, and Chase Elliott.
What comes next for Austin Cindric?
Austin Cindric will face Alex Bowman in the second round at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday. Bowman is the most recent race winner at Chicagoland, having netted his first Cup Series victory in 2019.
The top upset from the first round was Bowman, who rolled into the Round of 16 with a 10th-place effort after top-seeded Tyler Reddick stumbled with mechanical trouble and finished last.
Austin Cindric will look to build on his strong performance at Sonoma and advance to the next round. The In-Season Challenge continues on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway.
Matchup of the week
The matchup between Kyle Larson and William Byron is one to watch, with both drivers coming off strong performances at Sonoma. Larson has a momentum advantage, riding a streak of five top fives in the last six races.
The In-Season Challenge field has been trimmed in half after the first round, with zero perfect brackets remaining in the pool of fan predictions. The drivers will head to Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday, with the winner of the challenge set to claim a $1 million prize.
Austin Cindric's next race is on Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway, where he will face Alex Bowman in the second round of the In-Season Challenge. The race will start at 6 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on TNT Sports, truTV, HBO Max, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.