Ty Dillon — one of the NASCAR Cup Series’ most unheralded drivers — entered NASCAR’s inaugural In-Season Challenge on Saturday night at EchoPark Speedway (Atlanta) seeded last out of 32 participants.
Then, the almost unthinkable happened.
Paired head-to-head against top-seeded Denny Hamlin, the underdog driver from Kaulig Racing knocked the Joe Gibbs Racing driver and three-time Daytona 500 winner out of contention by finishing better than Hamlin in Round One of the In-Season Challenge. That means Hamlin is no longer eligible to be crowed In-Season Challenge champion or collect the $1 million cash prize that goes with it.
So, understandably, Dillon was more than a little pumped about eliminating the guy who many believed would ultimately prevail in the five-race, bracket-style showdown. And, after the race, Dillon let everyone know about it.
What Exactly Did Ty Dillon Say At Atlanta To Stir The Proverbial Pot?
Taking a page out of Denny Hamlin’s playbook of post-race taunts directed at fans, Ty Dillon decided to flip the script after he finished eighth at Atlanta and NASCAR scored Hamlin — one of 23 drivers involved in the same crash — with a 31st-place finish.
“All you Denny fans out there: I just knocked your favorite driver out,” a beaming Dillon, basking in the reflective glory of his highly improbable achievement, said during a televised postrace interview. Dillon, who is winless in 263 Cup Series starts, was echoing a variation of the “I beat your favorite driver” refrain that Hamlin has hurled at fans during multiple interviews after winning races in recent seasons.
Naturally, Hamlin’s supporters didn’t take too kindly to Dillon’s dig.
As for Hamlin himself, well, he had absolutely no issue with it. In fact, the veteran driver seemed practically flattered by it.
As much as Hamlin likes to project an image these days as NASCAR’s resident Bad Boy, he apparently still knows how to take some playful ribbing in stride.
What Was Denny Hamlin’s Take On Ty Dillon’s Spicy Comment?
Told of Ty Dillon’s musings into the microphone after Saturday night’s race, Denny Hamlin didn’t hit back, as many expected. Instead, Hamlin went out of his way to pacify his fans who weren’t happy with Dillon.
“I see people (on social media) giving Ty Dillon a lot of flak,” Hamlin said on his weekly podcast. “Ty Dillon, give him his moment, people. He beat me.
“He was ahead of me the whole (expletive) race. I was 33rd until we crashed. Just let him have his moment.”
Respect the 💩 talk @tydillon https://t.co/VMsitJqppo pic.twitter.com/kuMgswgylc
— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) June 30, 2025
Clearly worried that Hamlin might take his post-race comments the wrong way, Dillon later reached out just to clear the air. But Hamlin told Dillon he wasn’t the least bit bothered.
“He texted me, and he was like, ‘Hey, I was just playing around,’” Hamlin said on his podcast Monday. “I was like, ‘Bro, I loved it.’”
Hamlin, still speaking on the podcast — dubbed “Actions Detrimental with Denny Hamlin” — also had a message for some of his social media haters.
“If you people think that you are going to hurt my feelings by coming in my mentions and saying, ‘Haha, (expletive) Ty Dillon beat you,’ you’re never going to make fun of me more than I’m going to make fun of myself. Ever. Ever,” Hamlin said. “You’re not going to offend me. I have really, really, really thick skin.’”
Hamlin went on to admit that he does not expect fans or fellow drivers to cut him any slack, given his propensity to fuel the proverbial flame and be an agitator.
“You open yourself up when you do that,” he said. “The moments you fail, they’re going to give it to you, but you’ve got to be a big boy and take it. And I am going to take it from Ty Dillon.”
