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Ty Dillon in disbelief over Cinderella run in NASCAR In-Season Tournament: 'Something big's going on here'

Brian Jones Profile Picby: Brian Jones07/24/25brianjones_93
Ty Dillon (4)
Jul 13, 2025; Sonoma, California, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ty Dillon (10) waves after being introduced to fans before the start of the NASCAR Toyota / Save Mart 360 at Sonoma Raceway. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images

Ty Dillon is enjoying his run in the NASCAR In-Season Tournament and is ready to take on Ty Gibbs in the championship round. On the Door Bumper Clear podcast, Dillon shared his thoughts on his run in the tournament.

“It’s been fun. It’s been a cool ride and just having fun with it too,” Ty Dillon said. “This part of the season for our team, we’re not getting a whole lot of pub, typically in years past. This In-Season Tournament has given us some focus to kind of show our personality, my personality, and have fun with something that’s a little different.

“The fans have really clinged on to it. It’s been a fun run with them, too, along this thing. Man, I’m having a blast, and just every weekend, I’m like, I can’t believe it. We’re just kind of bloating, and something big’s going on here, and we’re just going to keep riding it out.”

Ty Dillon previews NASCAR In-Season Tournament championship

Dillon entered the tournament as the No. 32 seed. He took on No. 1 seed Denny Hamlin at Atlanta and won the matchup after Hamlin was collected in a crash. He then got past Brad Keselowski in the second round at Chicago, and he then defeated Alex Bowman in the third round at Sonoma. This past weekend, Dillon just finished past John Hunter Nemechek in the fourth round at Dover.

The NASCAR In-Season Tournament championship will take place at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Dillon knows Gibbs will be hard to beat, but he’s confident he can come away with a win.

“It gives you this real belief that going into Indy, anything can happen,” Dillon said about his previous matchups in the tournament. “I know Ty is going to be super fast, and it’s going to be a lot for us to keep up with him on raw speed. But anything can happen, and I’m well aware of that now.

If Dillon beats Gibbs at Indianapolis, he will be NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament champion and receive the $1 million prize for his team. It will be his first big achievement in his Cup Series career and would give him and Kaulig Racing a big boost going forward.