“Honestly, it wasn’t that I left to do my own thing. Sometimes in life, there’s no more doors open. And you gotta create your own doors. It’s not like I left to try and figure it out on my own,” Ty Dillon said about his move away from RCR. With Austin Dillon getting a ride at the Cup level under his grandfather’s watch, Ty hasn’t received the same grace. After 2023, he’s bagged a full-time ride with Kaulig Racing, and so far, he’s managed to show flashes here and there.
At 33, he is in his prime years of racing, but given how opportunities have been few and far for him at the Cup level, how long will he race? More importantly, does he eye a leadership role within the Richard Childress Racing organization? Well, Ty revealed some interesting tidbits about his future plans, also hinting at a potential reunion with his brother, Austin Dillon.
Mike Bagley from the NASCAR Live podcast was curious to know about Ty Dillon’s plans beyond the role of race car driver. “Are you still going to be driving race cars or do other parts of this sport interest you?” To which he replied, “Yeah. I mean, certainly, obviously growing up in the family that I’ve grown up in the team ownership side is something that is important to me in the future and getting involved there. But right now, I’m in the best part of my career. I feel like as a driver, that’s my full focus. I’m getting stronger and smarter. And, you know, my experience level is higher than most in the sport right now.”
The closest Ty Dillon has come to winning a NASCAR race was back in 2019 and 2020 when he drove for German Racing under the Toyota camp. He bagged a P4 finish at the Daytona fall race in 2019, and followed it up with a P4 finish at Talladega the next year. The 2019 season was his best ever in terms of standings, finishing 24th overall with consistent top 10 speeds and results on drafting tracks. But, how long will this stint with Kaulig last?
July 14, 2023, Loudon, NH, United States of America: NASCAR, Motorsport, USA Xfinty Driver, Austin Dillon 10 takes to the track to practice for the Ambetter Health 200 at the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon NH. NASCAR Xfinity Series 2023: Ambetter Health 200 PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY – ZUMAa161 20230714_zaa_a161_127 Copyright: xWalterxG.xArcexSr.x
“My eye is on the future as well and keeping an eye on not just the racing driving side, but the ownership, the sport as a whole and what that takes. My brother and I’ve been communicating more on things like that as well. So I think I have a deep love for the sport, so who knows what the future brings, you never want to look to far forward,” Dillon shared further on the podcast about his plans.
Austin Dillon is likely to take over the reins from Richard Childress sometime in future. And Kyle Busch isn’t likely to stick around for a long haul, so the RCR team is at a crucial juncture and will require a shift in leadership role. Given how Ty Dillon described his plans, it seems that Austin has a plan in place to see the RCR brand transition into the new era, potentially with new drivers.
Apart from future plans, Ty Dillon is riding high on the In-Season challenge, so much so that he is beating veteran drivers in direct battles. This, in turn, has allowed him to indulge in banter, which wasn’t appreciated by Kevin Harvick.
Kevin Harvick isn’t sold on Ty Dillon’s banter after races
The melodrama started at EchoSpark Speedway when he knocked out top seed Denny Hamlin and used his tagline against him. “All you Denny fans, I beat your favortie driver,” and this was followed by another cheeky jab at Brad Keselowski after he crashed out early in the Chicago race. “I knew in a basketball city, going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance.” The quote was made about an embarrassing basketball video of Brad missing the hoop in a game. Despite his performance, Dillon is doing great in riling up his rivals through his arrogant words.
Now, he didn’t have a direct involvement in knocking either Hamlin or Keselowski, but the crash took them out. He is just two steps away from being able to win the $1 million dollar price, but not everyone is enjoying his post-race shenanigans. Harvick, who’s had history with Dillon brothers, stated, “I just don’t know how you talk that much trash when you run that bad, though… I mean, if you were up there running first or second, third, fifth, something, and you’re knocking people out of the bracket, but you’re knocking the guys out that are crashing. Let’s not be cocky about it.”
Is Ty Dillon overdoing the banter part, calling out veterans, or has he earned the right to do it in the spirit of the competition?
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