He is the 2011 ARCA Racing Series champion and was the series' youngest champion at 19 years, 7 months, and 19 days until Ty Gibbs broke this record when he won the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship at 19 years, 0 months and 19 days.
Dillon has spent most of his NASCAR career driving for Richard Childress Racing and affiliated teams. RCR is owned by his grandfather Richard Childress. He is the younger brother of fellow NASCAR driver Austin Dillon, who drives RCR's No. 3 Cup Series car full-time. His father is RCR general manager Mike Dillon, who is a retired NASCAR driver.
Racing career
Early career
Dillon at the 2011 UNOH Dirtcar NationalsDillon at Rockingham in 2012
Dillon began his racing career in go-karts and Bandoleros.[2] Moving up to the K&N Pro Series East in 2009,[3] he competed for the series championship in 2010, finishing 13th in points despite only competing in eight races of the series ten-race schedule.[4] He scored one win in the series, in August 2010 at Gresham Motorsports Park.[5]
After making three starts and winning twice, at Kansas Speedway and Rockingham Speedway, in the ARCA Racing Series in 2010,[6] Dillon ran his first full season in the series in 2011, winning seven times on his way to winning the series championship.[7][8] He defeated Chris Buescher by a 340-point margin for the championship,[9] but lost the series rookie-of-the-year award to Buescher by two points.[10]
Dillon's racing career began in go-karts and Bandoleros, later advancing to the K&N Pro Series East in 2009.[citation needed] In 2010, despite racing in just eight out of 10 events, he ranked 13th in the championship and won at Gresham Motorsports Park. Dillon's success carried into the ARCA Racing Series, with two wins in three starts in 2010.[citation needed] In 2011, he won seven races and secured the championship title, leading Chris Buescher by 340 points.[citation needed] However, Dillon lost the rookie-of-the-year award to Buescher by a close two points, highlighting the intense competition and skill in motorsports.[citation needed]
NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series
Dillon made his debut in the Camping World Truck Series in 2011,[2] finishing eighteenth at Kentucky Speedway,[11] in preparation for running the full series schedule for Richard Childress Racing in 2012. In only his second Truck Series start at Texas Motor Speedway, he finished third.[12] At Homestead, he finished 6th, right in front of his brother Austin, who was crowned champion that night after the race was called due to rain.[13]
In the 2012 NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona, he finished 9th.[14] The following race at Martinsville saw Dillon score his best career finish, 2nd, finishing behind teammate Kevin Harvick.[15] He recorded top ten finishes in each of the first five Truck Series races of the year. On August 31, he scored his first career Truck Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Returning to the Camping World Truck Series in 2013, Dillon went on to win at Kentucky Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series on June 27 of that year. In late August 2013, Dillon was leading the final lap of the Truck Series' first race in Canada against 17-year-old rookie Chase Elliott. In the final turn, Dillon and Elliott made contact, with Dillon winding up hitting the tire barrier and Elliott winning the race. Dillon afterward stated that the next time they raced each other "he won't finish the race".[16] At Texas, Dillon won the 100th race for a No. 3 car/truck in NASCAR.[17]
Dillon finished second in the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, behind Matt Crafton; he was named the series' Most Popular Driver at the season-ending awards banquet.[18]
In 2015, Dillon drove three races in the No. 33 Chevrolet for GMS Racing at Daytona, Atlanta, and Eldora where he earned two top tens in these races. Dillon drove one race in the No. 31 Chevrolet for NTS Motorsports at Bristol where he crashed late in the race.
Dillon returned to the CWTS in 2017 at Martinsville, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet Silverado for MDM Motorsports and finished 5th. Dillon also ran at Eldora for the Mudsummer Classic, finishing 12th.
On December 29, 2023, Rackley W.A.R. announced that Dillon would drive the No. 25 truck full-time in 2024, his first full truck season since 2013.[22] Dillon stepped out of the seat prior to the Kansas race in favor of Dawson Sutton, with Dillon assuming role as his coach and mentor.[23]
Dillon won his first career Nationwide Series pole at Las Vegas. He won a second pole which came at Kentucky. His third career pole came at Kansas.
On July 26, 2014, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dillon got by Kyle Busch on the final restart and held off Busch to win the race. Dillon finished second to Chase Elliott in the 2014 NNS Rookie of the Year standings.
In 2015, Dillon began with a third-place finish at the season opener at Daytona. On August 8, 2015, at Watkins Glen, Dillon was involved in a huge fight with Regan Smith when Dillon dumped Smith in turn one and caused Smith to finish in the 20th position. Despite going winless, Ty Dillon finished a career-best 3rd place in the final point standings for 2015 with a career-high in top-10s (25) and top-5s (12).
In 2016 at the season-opening race at Daytona, Dillon scored his fourth career Xfinity Series pole and his first since the 2014 season. Dillon brought home a $100,000 bonus by winning the Dash 4 Cash at Richmond finishing second, after the three other Dash 4 Cash drivers all crashed out of the race in the same wreck, late in the going. He finished 2nd to Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the race. Coming back to Daytona, Dillon drove a very special Bass Pro Shops/NRA Museum paint scheme for the July 4th weekend, in which he finished 14th place.
For 2016, NASCAR used the Chase format in the Xfinity Series. Dillon made the Chase in 2016 on points but was eliminated after a close battle with Justin Allgaier. Dillon finished 5th in points for 2016 with five season-best second-place finishes (Richmond, both Iowa races, Dover during the chase, and Homestead).
Dillon ran 27 Xfinity races in 2017; he did not run the Iowa races in June and July, Road America, Mid-Ohio, Kentucky in September, and Homestead. Although he moved up full-time to the Cup Series in 2017, Dillon continued to drive the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro for RCR but now on a part-time basis. At the Xfinity opener at Daytona, Dillon was running up front until the last restart when he ran out of fuel and finished 19th. After two more bad finishes, Dillon began a four-race streak of top-ten finishes. He ended the season with 16 top tens.[27]
In 2018, Dillon ran a few Xfinity races in the No. 3 Camaro as other drivers were sharing the same ride. He did not run any races in the series in 2019 and 2020.
On January 27, 2021, it was announced that Dillon would drive for Joe Gibbs Racing in their No. 54 Toyota part-time in the Xfinity Series in 2021, running the season opener at Daytona, Homestead, Las Vegas, and Talladega in the spring.[28] He joined Our Motorsports for the Charlotte race in May.[29]
In September 2014, sponsor Yuengling and RCR announced they would field the No. 33 for Dillon at the 2015 June Pocono race.[32] On December 9, RCR stated Dillon would drive the No. 33 for Hillman-Circle Sport in the Daytona 500.[33]
In 2016, Dillon joined Circle Sport – Leavine Family Racing, splitting the No. 95 with Michael McDowell with sponsorships from Cheerios and Nexteer among others.[34] Like the 33, the 95 has an alliance with RCR. Dillon also ran the No. 14 for Stewart-Haas Racing, substituting for an injured Tony Stewart.[35] Dillon would finish seventh at Talladega for the running of the GEICO 500, but the credit would go to Stewart since he started the race. At Pocono, Dillon would lead his first three laps in Sprint Cup competition. Dillon took over for Regan Smith in the No. 7 Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevy at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 as Smith flew back to North Carolina to await the birth of his child.[36]
On November 28, 2016, it was announced that Dillon would replace veteran Casey Mears, who has been with Germain for six years, in the No. 13 GEICO-sponsored Chevrolet for Germain Racing in 2017.[37] Along with GEICO, Twisted Tea was a primary sponsor of Germain Racing for a few races in 2017.
Germain Racing (2017–2020)
Dillon began the 2017 season with a crash in the Daytona 500. In the next race at Atlanta, he scored a 15th place outing. The next week at Las Vegas, he finished in 21st place. He followed this up with a 16th place finish at Phoenix, a 22nd place finish at Martinsville, and then a 17th place finish at Texas. He followed this finish with a 15th place finish outing at Bristol and then a 26th place finish outing at Richmond. At Talladega, Dillon finished a career-best 13th, after avoiding the 'Big One'. He followed this finish with a 14th place outing at Kansas. This was followed by a 36th place finish at Charlotte. Dillon led 27 laps at Dover and was running with the leaders but wrecked in overtime and finished 14th. At Daytona, Dillon had the lead with 3 to go but faded to 16th on the final restart. At Kentucky, Dillon finished 33rd.
In the second part of 2017, Dillon managed to score 8 top-20 finishes including two then career-best finishes of 11th. He finished 24th in the final points standings.
After a rough first half of 2018, Dillon managed to avoid several 'big ones' to finish a then career-best sixth place in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona. This was Dillon's first career top-10 finish in the Cup Series in 71 starts.
To start the 2019 season, Dillon managed to score another 6th place finish, reminiscent of his previous Daytona top 10. Once again, he avoided multiple large wrecks to get 6th place. Dillon managed to run as high as 5th place in overtime. At Bristol, Dillon won his first stage ever after holding off Clint Bowyer in a two-lap shootout after a restart in stage 1,[38] finishing the race in 15th.[39] In the GEICO 500, Dillon won his second stage in his career, winning the first stage.[40] Dillon also scored his first-ever top 5 finish and highest finish in his cup career at the rain-shortened July Daytona race, with a fourth-place.[41] Along with Joey Logano, Dillon was running at the checkered flag at every single race run during the season. Like 2017, he finished 24th in points.
Dillon's 2020 season started with him DNFing at that year's Daytona 500, finishing 30th. The next week at Las Vegas, Dillon finished 10th, his first top 10 at a non-plate track. For The Real Heroes 400 at Darlington, he'd start 33rd, determined after a random draw, and finish 19th. The starting positions for the upcoming Toyota 500 would be determined by inverting the top 20 finishers of The Real Heroes 400, giving Dillon a spot on the front row starting 2nd, alongside Ryan Preece. At the YellaWood 500 at Talladega on October 4, 2020, Dillon originally crossed the line and tied his best finish of fourth, but when Matt DiBenedetto was penalized for forcing someone below the yellow line, Dillon was promoted to third and that would be a new career-best finish for him. In Germain Racing's final season, Dillon finished 26th in the points standings.[42]
On September 22, 2020, it was announced that Germain Racing would shut down after the 2020 season due to lack of sponsorship from Geico, and would sell their charter that guarantees the car would drive in every race in a season to the newly-formed 23XI Racing, led by Michael Jordan and Cup driver Denny Hamlin.
After speculation for the previous few days, on January 19, 2021, it was announced that Dillon would attempt the 2021 Daytona 500 for Gaunt Brothers Racing driving the No. 96 Toyota with sponsorship from Bass Pro Shops and Black Rifle Coffee.[43] This will be the first time that Dillon has not driven a Chevrolet in NASCAR and ARCA and gone outside of RCR and teams affiliated with RCR for a permanent ride in NASCAR. Before the 500, Dillon joined 23XI Racing for the Busch Clash in the No. 23 Toyota, he was eligible for the race due to winning a stage in the 2020 season, while regular driver Bubba Wallace was not.[44] Despite finishing sixth in the first Duel of the 2021 Bluegreen Vacations Duels, Dillon missed the 2021 Daytona 500.[45]
On October 10, 2021, GMS Racing announced that Dillon would drive the No. 94 Chevrolet in their inaugural Cup season in 2022.[46] On December 7, 2021, it was announced that Dillon's 2022 car number would change to the No. 42 alongside the No. 43 of Erik Jones as a teammate after GMS had purchased the majority interest of Richard Petty Motorsports. On July 16, 2022, Dillon confirmed that he would not return to the team in 2023.[47] Prior to the Pocono race, the No. 42 was docked 35 driver and owner points for an L1 penalty when the pre-race inspection revealed issues on the car's rocker box vent hole.[48] Dillon ended the season 29th in the points standings.[49]
On October 18, 2022, Spire Motorsports announced that Dillon would drive the No. 77 full-time in 2023.[50] He began the season with a 40th-place DNF at the 2023 Daytona 500. Dillon struggled throughout the season, failing to score a top-10 finish and only ending up in the top 20 on five occasions. He finished 32nd in the standings, last among all full-time drivers. On July 25, 2023, crew chief Kevin Bellicourt was replaced by Kevin Manion starting at the Richmond summer race.[51] On October 10, 2023, Spire announced that Dillon would be replaced by Carson Hocevar for the 2024 season.[52]
Multiple teams (2024)
On March 25, 2024, Kaulig Racing announced that Dillon would drive the No. 16 in five-race deal, starting with the Richmond spring race.[53] On May 21, it was announced that Dillon would drive the No. 50 Camaro for the newly rebranded Team AmeriVet at the Coca-Cola 600.[54] On July 15, it was announced that Dillon would drive for Richard Childress Racing in the No. 33 for the first time since 2015 at the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis.[55] Dillon would start in 22nd and finish in 19th.
Kaulig Racing (2025)
Dillon will return to the Cup Series full-time in 2025. He will drive the renumbered No. 10, replacing Daniel Hemric.[56]
In 2019, Dillon made a cameo in the movie Stuber.[59]
Personal life
Dillon grew up in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina with his parents, Mike Dillon (who is a retired NASCAR driver and current RCR team executive) and Tina Dillon, and his brother Austin, who also drives in the Cup Series.
On December 28, 2013, Dillon announced his engagement to his girlfriend Haley Carey, a former driver herself and Charlotte Hornets cheerleader.[60] They were married by Dillon's good friend Ray Wright on December 20, 2014, at Childress Vineyards in Lexington, North Carolina.[61] On November 20, 2017, the two welcomed a daughter, Oakley Ray Dillon. Their son Kapton Reed Dillon was born on October 29, 2020.[62]
On May 26, 2017, Fin & Field named Dillon the Most Interesting Sportsman in the World for the Spring of 2017.[63]
Dillon does weekly vlogs following his personal and racing life in a series called The Ride.[citation needed]
1973 R. Hutcherson
1974 R. Hutcherson/D. Dayton
1975 D. Dayton
1976 D. Dayton
1977 C. Myers
1978 M. Smith
1979 M. Smith
1980 B. Dotter
1981 L. Moyer
1982 S. Stovall
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