Ty Dillon, the underdog with no wins and few top finishes in this NASCAR Cup Series season, is on the brink of a million-dollar windfall thanks to NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge.
Dillon, after Round 4 of the in-season tournament, acknowledged his team’s performance with a hint of pride: “We haven’t been a dominating car,” he said. “But we’ve been a pain to everyone around us.”
It seems that being a thorn in the side of competitors has its rewards, with Denny Hamlin branding Dillon an ‘idiot’ during an X-rated radio rant at Dover this weekend. The driver from Kaulig Racing, seeded 32nd, has secured his spot in the NASCAR In-Season Challenge championship at the iconic Brickyard 400 after finishing 20th at Dover, where TNT Sports faced a backlash for its coverage.
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During the race, Dillon held his own against Hamlin and Christopher Bell in the final laps and caught a lucky break with a free pass under caution on Lap 401.
Currently 30th in the Cup Series standings with only one top-10 finish and an average placement of 22nd, Dillon has surprisingly ousted Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and Nemechek en route to the championship round.
Dillon reflected on his unexpected journey: “It’s hard to say we lucked into this,” he remarked. “We’ve just stayed aggressive and executed. That’s all we can do.”
His strategy of persistence, annoyance, and capitalizing on others’ mistakes has proven effective. While the top drivers in the Cup Series have been vying for playoff points and regular-season victories, Dillon has remained focused on the bracket challenge.
Despite not having a single win in 21 races this season, his spirit remains unbroken. Kaulig Racing was all cheers as their driver made an unexpected ascent to the final.
Even Nemechek, the last competitor Dillon ousted, extended his congratulations post-race. Ty Gibbs, the No. 6 seed, secured his finals spot after defeating Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing. Unlike Dillon, Gibbs has been anticipated to be a strong contender.
The Brickyard 400 will determine the victor of NASCAR’s inaugural in-season tournament, and if Dillon clinches it, it’ll go down as one of the most shocking upsets in NASCAR history, following the Quaker State 400 that witnessed two colossal crashes on laps 57 and 69.
A total of 12 out of 40 cars in the field were impacted by the crash during that race. This included drivers like Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, and Bubba Wallace.
The did-not-finish (DNF) outcomes of several racers, including Hamlin, paved the way for Dillon to move forward. Now, he’s poised to compete in the ultimate showdown.
The In-Season Challenge kicked off with 32 drivers. The championship round is set to take place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, one of NASCAR’s most prestigious events on the calendar.
Dillon previously tasted victory at this venue during an Xfinity Series race in 2014.