John Hunter Nemechek attempts to rough up Ty Dillon ahead of NASCAR In-Season Tournament matchup at Dover

Only four drivers remain in the NASCAR In-Season Tournament. Ty Dillon and John Hunter Nemechek are going head-to-head. So far, Dillon has been the Cinderella Story of the bracket challenge.

John Hunter Nemechek and Ty Dillon were not favorites to make the final four semifinal round of this tournament. Yet, here they are. Dillon has taken down Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, and Alex Bowman in that order over the last three weeks. He even moved Bowman to pass him for P17 on the last lap at Sonoma.

There is $1,000,000 on the line for a driver and team who want it. Ty Gibbs and Tyler Reddick are the other pair facing off for Dover.

During the lengthy rain delay today in Cup Series practice and qualifying, Dillon and John Hunter did some smack-talking. They even got a little physical as they talked about their upcoming showdown at the Monster Mile.

“I didn’t really get the job done in [Turn] 10, so I knew I had to move him in [Turn] 11,” Ty Dillon said on TNT. That’s when John Hunter Nemechek came up behind him and started to shake him around and rough him up. The Legacy and Kaulig haulers are next to each other this week.

Dillon, as he has for the last month, had a quick quip on the situation. He laughed off the attack from Nemechek and then went back to his WWE routine.

“We don’t want to start that too soon,” Dillon continued. “But um, we’re not in the same … Well, I’m not talking about him and he’s worried about me. So, we’re already in a good spot. But, no, we’re going to have fun with it this weekend.”

John Hunter Nemechek has made three starts in the Cup Series at Dover. Two of those were in 2020 when he was at Front Row Motorsports. He finished P20 in last year’s race with Legacy, tied for his career-best finish.

Ty Dillon, on the other hand, has made 11 starts at Dover Motor Speedway in the Cup Series. Most of those were with Germain Racing. Last season, he was a DNF. However, Dillon has a personal best finish of P14 at this track, though that came in 2017.

Nemechek has beaten Dillon two of the three times they have raced head-to-head at Dover in the Cup Series. When it comes to the In-Season Tournament, Nemechek and Dillon have split the races 2-2 when you compare their finishes. While the 42 has had more speed overall this season, the 10 team seems destined to win this bracket challenge at this point.