HAMPTON, Ga. -- The expectation heading into Saturday night's Cup Series race was that EchoPark Speedway would deliver some chaos, both from a playoff standpoint and the in-season challenge. Yet, not many expected the bracket-busting wrecks.
Here's what the in-season challenge matchups look like after Chase Elliott's win under the lights. These drivers will race each other on the streets of Chicago.
Matchup No. 1: Brad Keselowski vs. Ty Dillon
This was not a matchup that many expected. After all, Dillon faced off with the No. 1 seed, Denny Hamlin, at EchoPark Speedway. Yet, Dillon avoided the multi-car wrecks and advanced. Hamlin was not so fortunate.
Dillon will now move on to face Keselowski, who defeated Kyle Busch by finishing second in the Cup Series race.
Matchup No. 2: Alex Bowman vs. Bubba Wallace
Bowman punched his ticket to the second round of the in-season challenge by finishing third in the Cup Series race. He eliminated his opponent, two-time Atlanta winner Joey Logano, by avoiding race-ending damage.
Wallace did not have an enjoyable night outside of Atlanta as he was involved in multiple incidents. He finished two laps down but advanced after Daniel Suarez was eliminated by the stage 2 wreck.
Matchup No. 3: Chase Elliott vs. John Hunter Nemechek
Elliott had the easiest path to the second round of the challenge. He won his first race of the season. His opponent, Austin Dillon, finished 20th.
Nemechek, like many drivers on this list, advanced early due to the stage 2 wreck. His opponent, Josh Berry, was unable to continue in the Saturday night race.
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Matchup No. 4: Erik Jones vs. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Neither Jones nor Stenhouse Jr. avoided issues on Saturday night. They both got caught up in on-track incidents and had to rebound. Jones, in particular, had multiple incidents before finishing fifth. Stenhouse Jr. nearly won the race after falling two laps down, but he ultimately settled for a sixth-place finish.
Jones's opponent, Ross Chastain, was caught up in the stage 2 crash. Stenhouse Jr.'s opponent, Christopher Bell, spun on his own at the end of stage 1 and significantly damaged his car. He spent a large portion of the race in the garage before returning more than 70 laps down. His car ultimately failed to finish the race due to a steering issue.
Matchup No. 5: Ryan Preece vs. Noah Gragson
Both Preece and Gragson sustained damage in incidents on Saturday night, yet they fared better than their respective opponents. Preece's matchup, William Byron, was knocked out of the race in the stage 2 incident. Gragson's opponent, No. 2 seed Chase Briscoe, spent time in the garage for repairs, but NASCAR determined the No. 19 had too much damage to continue.
Matchup No. 6: Tyler Reddick vs. Carson Hocevar
Hocevar's path to the next round of the in-season challenge was easy. He avoided a crash at the end of stage 1 that collected his opponent, Ryan Blaney.
Reddick and his opponent, Kyle Larson, both completed the race. This created more stress for both drivers as they tried to avoid incidents for all 260 laps. Ultimately, Reddick fared better by contending for the win and finishing fourth. Larson crossed the line 17th overall.
Matchup No. 7: Ty Gibbs vs. AJ Allmendinger
Like Larson, Gibbs and Allmendinger both had to keep track of their respective opponents throughout the entire Cup Series race. Gibbs needed to finish ahead of Justin Haley while Allmendinger needed to beat Michael McDowell.
Both achieved this. Gibbs crossed the line in 14th while Haley finished 23rd. Allmendinger crossed the line 12th, only six spots ahead of McDowell. Now, he and the Joe Gibbs Racing driver will face off on the streets of Chicago.
Matchup No. 8: Chris Buescher vs. Zane Smith
Buescher's first matchup of the in-season challenge was against Todd Gilliland. Both drivers avoided the chaos of stage 2, which set up an intriguing finish.
However, Riley Herbst spun in front of Gilliland and damaged the No. 34. This relegated the Front Row Motorsports driver to a 27th-place finish. Buescher contended for the win before finishing ninth.
Smith automatically advanced to the second round after his opponent, Austin Cindric, was eliminated by the stage 2 crash. He still went on to contend for the win before finishing seventh.