After four weeks of head-to-head matchups, it's all come down to this. The In-Season Challenge final at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It's not the final showdown that anyone but the most optimistic fan would've predicted, with No. 3 seed Ryan Blaney facing off against No. 25 seed Todd Gilliland, after they moved on past Christopher Bell and Chase Elliott respectively at North Wilkesboro.

Despite a disappointing year for cars carrying the famous blue oval, that means that the Challenge winner – and winner of $1m – will be a Ford driver.

Both finalists spoke after Sunday's race about their expectations and excitement for the extra spice which will be added to the Brickyard 400, as Blaney also tries to position himself above Tyler Reddick in second on points.

READ MORE: NASCAR Results Today: Denny Hamlin denied by dominant Joey Logano at North Wilkesboro

Blaney and Gilliland open up on In-Season Challenge excitement

The Team Penske man talked up his fellow Ford driver when asked about next weekend's race, and said: "Ford is gonna get it, so that’s good. The Blue Oval is gonna win the In-Season Challenge. It’ll be a good race. That group at FRM does a really good job and Todd is a really talented race car driver, so it’ll be a tough one.

"Indy, a lot of strategy goes on there and a lot of things can happen, so we’re gonna have to be on top of our game like every week. But it’s nice that a couple of Blue Ovals have a shot at it.”

Gilliland, who benefited from Elliott getting caught on the wrong side of the pit cycle when a caution came out on Sunday, admitted he's excited for the shot next time out, calling the situation 'pretty wild'.

"We definitely caught a big lucky break there at the beginning," he said, "but that was strategy. We knew there was a risk with short pitting and everybody did, so I was definitely very proud of the strategy and kind of the way we executed the whole race. That was probably about as good as it could have gone. It’s crazy. We’ve got to beat one more guy for a million dollars.

"The No. 12 is pretty good. That’s for sure. That’s the reason why they’re at this point in the bracket, so I’m excited about it. That’s the crazy thing is that anything can happen.

We have to do what’s best for the No. 34 team and race all the way to the checkered flag because you never really know. We’ll keep grinding away. It’s pretty wild. I’m pretty excited.”

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