Ty Dillon has done a lot of talking since the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series In-Season Challenge commenced last month.
Up until this past weekend, his talking has taken the form of provocative post-race soundbites, directed first at Denny Hamlin and then Brad Keselowski.
However, on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, Dillon did his talking on the track. And with that “talking,” the driver seeded last in the original 32-driver bracket has done what no one thought possible.
As a result, his Cinderella run through the In-Season Challenge continues.
How Has Ty Dillon Avoided Elimination Three Times In NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge?
With all due respect to Ty Dillon, eliminating Denny Hamlin (as he did at Atlanta) and Brad Keselowski (as he did at the Chicago Street Course) didn’t require anything too monumental on his part.
In both cases, Dillon advanced to the next round of the In-Season Challenge because the driver he was paired against in the bracket got swallowed up in a multi-car accident they didn’t cause. In other words, Dillon made it to the next round because he simply finished while his challenger recorded a DNF.
But Sonoma was different. At the 11-turn Northern California road course, Dillon had no choice but to actually race his way into the fourth of five In-Season Challenge rounds. Suffice to say he did just that, in quite dramatic fashion no less.
Ty Dillon Made No Apologies For Getting Aggressive With Alex Bowman
Paired in the bracket against eighth-seeded Alex Bowman at Sonoma, Ty Dillon once again faced long odds of leaving town as a contender to capture the In-Season Challenge and its $1 million winner’s prize.
But entering the final corner on the final lap, Dillon had Bowman’s No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet within his sights. And he milked the opportunity for all it was worth, aggressively sliding Bowman out of the way and slipping past just seconds before taking the checkered flag.
When $1,000,000 is on the line, you're going to use the bumper. 😳@tydillon | @Alex_Bowman pic.twitter.com/m5XA8wMkUB
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 14, 2025
During both a post-race interview and a quick conversation with Bowman after the race, Dillon justified his aggression.
“It was a rough couple of laps there,” Dillon said. “Alex and I race really clean. I told him, ‘Man, if it wasn’t for the million dollars, I probably wouldn’t have done that, but I had to.’ It’s been an incredible run for this No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet team. We’ve worked so hard for this opportunity.
“I’ve worked so hard to get here. And I’m just grateful. This has just been so much fun.”
By virtue of finishing better than Bowman, Dillon will be one of just four drivers still in the hunt for the In-Season Tournament crown when the NASCAR Cup Series reconvenes this weekend at Dover. On paper, at least, his job could be a little easier than it has been the last three weeks since he’ll be going head-to-head with John Hunter Nemechek — the least heralded of the four In-Season Challenge foes he has faced.
“We’re going to give it all we’ve got at Dover and put pressure on the guys,” Dillon said. “I think you’ve seen through this that our team doesn’t quit.”
