“You’re knocking the guys out that are crashing. Let’s not be cocky about it.” Kevin Harvick said these words about Ty Dillon after the Chicago Street Race. At that time, the Kaulig Racing driver had entered the third round of NASCAR’s In-Season Tournament. Presently, Dillon is facing the final round, with a fight to $1 Million booked with Joe Gibbs’ star and grandson, Ty Gibbs. However, Harvick still raises his eyebrows at Dillon’s progress.

Kevin Harvick, the 2014 Cup Series champion, knows well what it takes to be a high-caliber NASCAR driver. That is what fuels his doubts about Ty Dillon even more, as the latter has not won a race since his 2014 Xfinity Series win in Indianapolis.

Kevin Harvick picks a side in the hot battle

Quite unexpectedly, the In-Season Bracket Challenge has become the hot topic of the season. It was unexpected even after the first round in Atlanta, as that chaotic race blew out everyone’s brackets and favorite drivers. The underdogs remained, among whom Ty Dillon soared to fame. He toppled 58-time race winner Denny Hamlin, 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski, and Chicago’s defending winner Alex Bowman. Last weekend in Dover, Dillon was locked in a battle with John Hunter Nemechek till the very last lap, when he finished just one spot ahead. But the repetitive theme in these victories concerns Dillon’s poor finishes. His best result was 8th in Atlanta, and he scored twin 20th-place results and one 17th-place finish. So Kevin Harvick has his doubts.

In a recent episode of ‘Kevin Harvick’s Happy Hour’, the veteran reflected on Dillon and his team’s gains first. “It’s been fun, because Ty Dillon wouldn’t have been on TV at all. He hasn’t run well enough to even be on TV. So it’s been really great for his team, the exposure, and given them some things to challenge…sponsors that otherwise they might not have been able to do.” Harvick sided with Gibbs for the upcoming Brickyard 400 race, emphasizing the skills required. “I think ultimately, Ty Gibbs has the big advantage. I look at Indy as a big team track, and it’s just so unique in the things that you need in the car.”

Kevin Harvick questioned Ty Dillon’s progress in the tournament, given the fluky nature of it. “But I don’t think there is one bracket in America that has these finals, though. I think the bracket piece of it isn’t really being talked about, because there are no brackets.” Harvick continued that NASCAR should rearrange the tournament races differently: “I don’t know if NASCAR’s gonna do this…but if you’re gonna do this again, you need to look at the schedule. I don’t think you want all your brackets busted the first week after Atlanta, a superspeedway. Maybe end it that way to make it intriguing? I mean, there has to be some thought process on that side of it…I think you want to be able to have a variety of people to make it to the finals.”

Clearly, Kevin Harvick is not at all convinced by Ty Dillon’s ‘Cinderella’ moves. However, similar wildcard moves may also retain two Cup Series teams in NASCAR.

Rooting for his rival’s team

Well, Ty Dillon and Denny Hamlin locked horns in Dover. While Hamlin was trying to maintain his lead after a restart, Dillon was trying to be on the lead lap. The latter’s fresher tires blocked the JGR veteran’s older tires for a while, eliciting cuss words from Hamlin. However, Hamlin calmed down after the race and explained his stance. What is more, Dillon also offered a sympathetic take on the ongoing NASCAR lawsuit afflicting 23XI Racing, of which Hamlin is a co-owner. Both 23XI and FRM officially lost their charters last week, after a judge panel overturned the preliminary injunction protecting them. Presently, they are competing as open teams, having to qualify on speed and being stripped of the financial benefits of every race.

However, Ty Dillon believes that Denny Hamlin and Co. will weather this storm. He recently reflected on the strong faith that 23XI drivers have in Hamlin. “It’s another week for them, and they trust Denny [Hamlin], they trust their owner. I don’t think they would want to go anywhere else right now… And they’re hoping this thing works out, and I feel like it will. I think it’s going to work out for everybody pretty solid.” His faith also extended to Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace: “I know Bubba and Tyler for sure are just going to keep doing their thing. They don’t get too worked up about much, either one of them. And this whole sport is a cloud of uncertainty all the time.”

While 23XI Racing faces its uncertainty, Ty Dillon faces one of his own. That is because of NASCAR’s final round in Indianapolis this weekend. Let us see if he can prove Kevin Harvick wrong.