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Kevin Harvick calls out Ty Dillon for NASCAR Bracket Challenge trash talk: 'Let's not be cocky about it'

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones07/09/25brianjones_93
Ty Dillon (2)
Jul 5, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Dillon (10) during qualifying for the Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Race. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Ty Dillon has advanced to the third round of NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge bracket, but Kevin Harvick had an issue with his trash-talking. On Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour, Harvick reacted to Dillon’s staying alive in the bracket despite being the No. 32 seed.

“The bracket, there’s a little bit of luck involved in, no matter what racetracks we go to, but starting at Atlanta just turned it all upside down,” Kevin Harvick said. “I mean, Ty Dillon is still in it.”

Harvick also reacted to Dillon talking trash to his second-round opponent, Brad Keselowski. After the race, Dillon said, “I knew in a basketball city (Chicago), going up against Brad in a game of knockout, I was going to have a good chance.

“I just don’t know how you talk that much trash when you run that bad, though,” Harvick stated. I would just be more humble about it. 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.”

Kevin Harvick had no issue with Ty Dillon trolling Denny Hamlin

The second round of the In-Season Challenge took place at the Chicago Street Race this past weekend. Dillon finished 20th in the race while Keselowski finished 37th after being involved in an accident. Dillon will now face No. 8-seed Alex Bowman in the quarterfinals, which will take place at Sonoma on Sunday.

This is not the first time Dillon has garnered attention for trash-talking during the tournament. At EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta, Dillon defeated No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin in the first round. And after that race, Dillon said, “All you Denny fans out there: I just knocked your favorite driver out.”

When that happened, Harvick said he didn’t have a problem with Dillon trolling Hamlin. “Ty Dillon has run pretty respectable this year. It’s not like he’s just floundering around, like he has in the past several years. He’s legitimately run well this year,” Harvick explained. “I think, when you look at this bracket thing, it’s intriguing, it’s fun. This is fun.”