On this week’s episode of Frontstretch Happy Hour, hosts Trey Lyle, Michael Massie and Dalton Hopkins are joined by Anthony Damcott to talk the upcoming NASCAR In-Season Challenge.
The 32 drivers who will compete for the $1 million were set after Nashville Superspeedway, but the tournament doesn’t actually start for three more weeks. These next three NASCAR Cup Series races will instead be used to set the seeding. The quartet discuss how convoluted the seeding system is and what alternatives could be.
On Sunday (June 1), Sports Business Journal reported that YouTube star and ARCA Menards Series driver Garrett Mitchell (Cleetus McFarland) could partner with Stellantis’ Ram brand to go Craftsman Truck Series racing. The guys predict how a Dodge re-entry into NASCAR would look in an effort led by Mitchell.
On May 29, The Athletic reported that NASCAR co-owner and CEO Jim France had tried to fund a fourth entry for Spire Motorsports at Sonoma Raceway, with Jack Aitken driving. However, an outcry from the garage led to it being shelved. The gang weighs in on why this deal would have been an issue or led to some had it gone through.
There are 12 races left in the Cup regular season. With only nine winners so far, the guys predict what new winners there will be.
Watch the whole show below or listen to the audio version wherever you get your podcasts.
A Graduate of Virginia Tech in Sports Media and Analytics, Trey Lyle has been covering NASCAR since 2021 as the producer of the Fast Lane with Ed Lane on VTRN Sports 93.3 FM in Lynchburg, Va.
Trey joined FS in 2023 to cohost Happy Hour and help out on the podcast front as the producer for Brining the Heat with Bryan Nolen. Now, he oversees the entire podcast operation for Frontstretch.
Michael Massie joined Frontstretch in 2017 and has served as the Content Director since 2020.
Massie, a Richmond, Va., native, has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, SRX and the CARS Tour. Outside of motorsports, the Virginia Tech grad and Green Bay Packers minority owner can be seen cheering on his beloved Hokies and Packers.
Dalton Hopkins began writing for Frontstretch in April 2021. Currently, he is the lead writer for the weekly Thinkin' Out Loud column, co-host of the Frontstretch Happy Hour podcast, and one of our lead reporters. Beforehand, he wrote for IMSA shortly after graduating from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in 2019. Simultaneously, he also serves as a Captain in the US Army.
Follow Dalton on Twitter @PitLaneCPT
Anthony Damcott joined Frontstretch in March 2022. Currently, he is an editor and co-authors Fire on Fridays (Fridays); he is also the primary Truck Series reporter/writer and serves as an at-track reporter. He has also assisted with short track content and social media, among other duties he takes/has taken on for the site. In 2025, he became an official member of the National Motorsports Press Association. A proud West Virginia Wesleyan College alum from Akron, Ohio, Anthony is now a grad student. He is a theatre actor and fight coordinator in his free time.
You can keep up with Anthony by following @AnthonyDamcott on X.