“I’ve been an underdog for far too long”: Ty Dillon lets his real feelings out after reaching the finals of NASCAR’s In-season battle

NASCAR: Cup Qualifying - Source: Imagn
Ty Dillon during the 2025 Daytona 500 - Source: Imagn

Ty Dillon once again advanced to the next round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge as the last-seeded driver (32nd). Describing his emotions, the 33-year-old felt good as he thought of himself as the underdog for a long time.

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Dillon, driver of the #10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing, finished 20th at Dover Motor Speedway, beating his In-Season Challenge fourth-round opponent John Hunter Nemechek, who finished in 21st. The upcoming race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway marks the final round of the mid-season tournament, where he will face Ty Gibbs, who came home in fifth place at the Monster Mile, ahead of Tyler Reddick.

Speaking about advancing to the final round, the North Carolina native told PRN:

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“It feels good. I've been an underdog for a long time now. It's hard to say we've lucked into it. All we can do is put pressure on them and execute at the right time.”
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Ty Dillon kicked off his In-Season Challenge campaign against the top-seeded Denny Hamlin at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Due to several wrecks, the race saw upsets in the bracket, including Hamlin, who had a DNF on lap 72. The same case happened in the second round in Chicago, where his matchup, Brad Keselowski, was out as early as the second lap. During the third round at Sonoma Raceway, Dillon bumped tournament opponent Alex Bowman to make a pass on the final lap, allowing him to advance to the fourth round.

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If Dillon finishes ahead of Ty Gibbs next week, he will become the first to win NASCAR's In-Season Challenge, which would be remarkable, considering he was the 32nd-seeded driver. He will also take home the $1 million prize money.

The Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway is scheduled for July 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET. It is the last race under TNT Sports before NBC, through The USA Network, takes over at Iowa Speedway.

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“I'm having fun again”: Ty Dillon on recent successes in NASCAR amid his In-Season Challenge run

Earlier this week, Ty Dillon touched on his resurgence in NASCAR, saying that he was having fun again. This was the culmination of his In-Season Challenge results as the last-seeded driver and the support from Kaulig Racing after he struggled to secure a full-time seat.

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In an interview with CBS Sports, Ty Dillon, the younger brother of Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Dillon, said:

“I'm having fun again. Being a part of a team that I feel like genuinely has confidence in me and my ability is building back that confidence I had when I was with a #1 team.”
“To fight through what I've gone through and start building that confidence back, that's why I say I feel like there's still so much more room to go.”
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Ty Dillon drives the #10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing - Source: Imagn
Ty Dillon drives the #10 Chevrolet Camaro for Kaulig Racing - Source: Imagn

Last year, Dillon spent a season with Rackley W.A.R. in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series while running a part-time schedule with Kaulig Racing in the premier series. He was tapped to team up with veteran driver AJ Allmendinger for Kaulig Racing's two full-time Cup entries this year.

Get the latest NASCAR All-Star race news, Xfinity Series updates, breaking news, rumors, and today’s top stories with the latest news on NASCAR.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee
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