NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson to join TNT Sports' Cup Series TV coverage

NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson will be back on fans' TVs later this month, after announcing that he will join TNT Sports' coverage of the Cup Series.

Johnson will join the crew, who are broadcasting the five races which make up the In-Season Challenge, for three races at Sonoma Raceway (June 28), North Wilkesboro Speedway (July 19) and Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 26).

The seven-time Cup Series champion, who is racing this weekend at San Diego, will join the coverage as a studio analyst, with Jeff Burton joining the coverage on Johnson's off-weeks.

The booth of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Steve Letarte and Adam Alexander will return, hopefully giving fans plenty of chances to hear Dale Jr. yell about wrecks, as 32 drivers compete for the $1m In-Season Challenge prize.

Johnson excited to join TNT coverage

“Joining TNT Sports is an opportunity that truly energizes me,” Johnson said this week. “NASCAR has given me so much throughout my career, and getting the chance to share that passion from a new perspective alongside a fantastic team of NASCAR legends is something I’m really looking forward to.

"TNT Sports has a long history of bringing fans closer to the action, and I’m excited to help deliver that same level of insight, intensity, and fun as part of their NASCAR coverage.”

“Last year was an exciting return to NASCAR for TNT Sports, and we’re just getting started,” added TNT Sports EVP and Chief Content Officer Craig Barry. “This year, we’re expanding our studio show and adding some of racing’s most recognizable and respected voices to our talented NASCAR broadcasting team.

We’re always looking for new ways to create access and bring fans closer to the sport they love. These additions will help us continue to elevate the experience and capture the energy, excitement and culture that make NASCAR so unique.”

NASCAR In-Season Challenge 2026 Bracket

The bracket and first-round matchups for 2026 look like this:

No. 1 Tyler Reddick vs No. 32 Alex Bowman
No. 16 Austin Cindric vs No. 17 Brad Keselowski
No. 8 Daniel Suárez vs No. 25 Todd Gilliland
No. 9 Carson Hocevar vs No. 24 Zane Smith
No. 12 Chase Briscoe vs No. 21 AJ Allmendinger
No. 5 Ty Gibbs vs No. 28 Austin Dillon
No. 13 Bubba Wallace vs No. 20 Michael McDowell
No. 4 Chase Elliott vs No. 29 Noah Gragson
No. 2 Denny Hamlin vs No. 31 Ty Dillon
No. 15 Erik Jones vs No. 18 Joey Logano
No. 7 Chris Buescher vs No. 26 John Hunter Nemechek
No. 10 Christopher Bell vs No. 23 Ross Chastain
No. 11 William Byron vs No. 22 Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
No. 6 Kyle Larson vs No. 27 Riley Herbst
No. 14 Shane van Gisbergen vs No. 19 Ryan Preece
No. 3 Ryan Blaney vs No. 30 Josh Berry

How the NASCAR In-Season Challenge works

NASCAR's In-Season Challenge is a single-elimination, bracket-style tournament that will take place over five races on the 2026 regular season schedule, all of which will be broadcast live on TNT Sports.

32 Cup Series drivers are set to compete in the challenge, with the field locked in after the regular season race at Pocono, seeded in order of the points standings. They then face off in head-to-head matchups, with whoever achieves the better finishing position in the matchup advancing to the next round. The losing driver in a matchup will be eliminated.

This means that after each In-Season Challenge race, the field will be halved, with winners advancing and losers being eliminated. For example, 32 drivers are set to compete in round one, 16 in round two, eight in round three, four in round four, before two drivers battle it out in the fifth and final race, the champions round.

NASCAR's In-Season Challenge will be determined by results in regular Cup Series races and is therefore not a standalone event. However, there are no regular season or Chase implications depending on whether or not you win or lose in the In-Season Challenge.