Dillon Basking In Underdog Role In NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge
Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images
By Dennis Krause
Full disclosure, I hadn’t intended to write about, or even mention NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge.
Is the contrived, bracket style, single-elimination tournament among 32 drivers, just another gimmick to spice up the summer stretch of races on TNT?
Yes.
Has it changed the way Cup Series races are run the way the addition of stage racing has or the addition of one race to decide a season championship?
No.
Has it boosted the profile of 32-seed Ty Dillon and drawn attention to Kaulig Racing?
Absolutely.
According to Dillon, the five race competition has provided some mid-season momentum for the Kaulig Racing team heading into the final round in Sunday’s Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“Yeah, the last couple weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind from Monday until the race, just with everything that's been going on with the in-season tournament. It's been quite welcomed and very fun.
“We had a team luncheon on Tuesday, led by Chris Rice, which I appreciate. You know, we started it with saying, like, it's weird that we're having a luncheon after finishing 20th. But what this has done for our team, the morale, even just talking to the guys -- the summer months are hard for the men and women at Kaulig Racing, and all the race teams, to keep finding motivation to work hard and build the best of the best each week.
“It's easy to kind of pass through, but when you have good things happen and some momentum like we've had through the in-season tournament, it's been super fun. And I appreciate the fact that Kaulig Racing, Chris Rice, Matt Kaulig, aren't afraid to pause and say -- hey, this is a good thing, and let's take this moment in because this is a lot of fun and good for everybody. So, that was great. It was a great moment on Tuesday, and we're all excited for this weekend.”
Photo by Logan Riely/Getty Images
It’s heartening to Dillon that the In-Season Challenge has highlighted the growing and improving Kaulig team.
“I think what I appreciate the most from this In-Season Challenge is that it’s allowed us to get a little bit of light for that growth. You know, I’ve talked about a lot that we've had the recipe of success to our season with a lot of speed, more speed than I've ever had in a Cup car, but we just didn't execute the races. With this In-Season Challenge, people have got to see the moments where we've executed the last five weeks in a row, so that's been big.”
Dillon will face off against Ty Gibbs of Joe Gibbs Racing in Sunday’s final round for the $1 million prize after scoring better finishes than Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman and John Hunter Nemechek in the first four rounds.
Dillon, who won a NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indy 11 years ago, thinks his run in the tournament might ultimately be more special when he looks back on it in the future.
“I think it's hard for me to fully give the credit to this five weeks right now. I think when I look back, this is going to be a special, special moment no matter what because I do ultimately want to win in the Cup Series, and I hope that that feels as great as these five weeks has been. But this has been -- I don't know how you even place it because this is the first time anybody's really gone through this round, and being a 32 seed adds more to that and just the story that's been built.
“I haven't won in the Cup Series,” Dillon continued, “so I don't know what it'd be like between the weeks, but it feels like the last three or four weeks, I've been in enough media and talked to enough people and had fan growth like I've never seen before, and that felt like I’ve won the last three weeks. So it's a weird conundrum… it's not a win, but it has felt so special to be a part of.
“Honestly, winning here in the Xfinity Series is something that's given me confidence inside the race car for a long time. Some of that got played this week, and I had even forgotten -- like when I won that race, I beat Kyle Busch. I've always remembered I beat Kyle straight up on a restart for the last 20 laps or so, and beat him head-to-head. So that always gave me so much confidence just for my career in general, especially coming here. But then I looked at the top-10 after that… I think Matt Kenseth finished third, (Kevin) Harvick finished fourth, (Kyle) Larson was in the top-10. Regan Smith and Paul Menard, who won here with RCR -- the top-10 in the Xfinity Series then is so much different than it looks now, and I beat the best of the best at their peak in that time, in that race. So I always look back at that with so much confidence and fond memories. But this is a run that I don't think I could have ever expected, based around something totally unique to our sport. I'm beyond grateful for what it's done for me, the race team and our sponsors.
“It might be a good question to ask me next year or in the future once I can kind of take it all in. Hopefully we have a Cup race win by then, too.”
Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images
Dillon, the grandson of legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, has noticed that his fan base has grown in the last five weeks, as well.
“I don't know how long they'll last, or how long they'll stick with me, and I really hope they do.
“I've been around long enough to kind of ride the highs and lows of it, but it's been massive. Every person I've seen at the racetrack is cheering me on to beat the next person, and just the acknowledgement from that has been incredible and the engagement online. Obviously, our team and myself are having a lot of fun with just the social media side of it, the entertainment side of it, and I hope it tells the truth of our story. I hope I'm doing a good job of showing who I am as a person and also who our sponsors are and who our team is so that they'll stick with us and continue to follow the growth because we're heading in a great direction and hopefully they'll ride with us through a lot more success.”
It goes without saying that the $1 million grand prize would go a long way for Dillon and Kaulig Racing as they compete against the powerhouse teams in the Cup Series. But for Dillon, it’s bigger than the money
“Yeah, the money is awesome. It'll get split up. By the time it all gets spread out between all of us, none of us are getting a million but we're going to get a nice chunk of change, which is so grateful and we're so appreciative that we have something so cool like that for something new in the middle of the season.
“But for me, it's bigger than the money. Money doesn't change your happiness; it just makes you available to do some more fun things. But my true happiness resides in just having fun with my kids and sharing moments with them, but also sharing moments with the race team. The moments that we've been provided through this in-season tournament have been bigger than anything I've been a part of; the smiles and the hugs after the race and the good times that are rolling. This sport can pass you by and you can realize you just never had fun because you were so worried sick about your next opportunity or the next race or being the best. You can look back and not remember anything.
“I've been lucky enough to stick around where there's been years that you look back and you're like, I don't remember one highlight from that year because I was so in my own head and so worried about everything going on. I guess growing older, being around a lot longer, I feel like coming into this thing I've already won and we're on house money just because the moments and memories that we shared; the growth that we've had as a team, the confidence that we're all building in each other and the future that's right in front of us.
“The money will be great. The trophy will be awesome to show around and have some more one-liners for everybody if we do this thing first, but the things that it's already provided for our race team, for our sponsors, have been enough, and hopefully this is just the beginning of it.”
Everybody loves an underdog. Had the inaugural In-Season Challenge come down to the top two seeds, I wouldn’t have cared. If nothing else, the story surrounding Dillon and Kaulig Racing is one worth telling.
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.