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“Literally Landed on My Lap”- Ty Dillon Details His Lucky Escape From Flying Sunroof After Nearly Being Taken Out

Published 02/26/2024, 4:35 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The FR8 200 Truck Series Race at Atlanta this weekend saw major carnage take place throughout the race as drivers banged wheels and bumpers to pull ahead of one another. While Kyle Busch took to victory lane when the dust had settled, Richard Childress’ grandson hadn’t been as fortunate. Ty Dillon lined up at the race in 17th for Rackley W.A.R’s Roofing Chevrolet and was hoping to take his Silverado to a solid top ten finish, but a dislodged roof, of all things possible, made the race far tougher for the #24 Chevy than it ever needed to be.

When a truck became a convertible at Atlanta

During the FR8 200’s first stage, the NASCAR community on X was sent into a frenzy with pictures and screenshots of Bayley Currey’s #41 truck. But what was so special about the #41? After hitting some debris early on in the race, there was a large gap between the windshield brace and the roof lining of the Chevy, slowly opening up further to let in more air as the #41 sped around the circuit. Soon enough, the inevitable happened, and Currey was now at the helm of a convertible truck.

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Unfortunately, Ty Dillon was at the wrong place at the wrong time, with the roof landing on the #25 Rackley car and damaging it slightly. While Dillon managed to bring the Truck home in P14, he couldn’t quite fathom what had just happened. Speaking to FrontStretch, Dillon recalled his encounter with Currey’s roof, I have never seen anything (like this). It’s one of those things that, I was in the middle of the pack, and I saw sheet metal in the air. And my brain just registered it as a roof and I’m like no there’s no way that’s a roof, and then it literally landed on my lap.”

Expressing his gratitude for the presence of the windshield which saved Dillon from major harm, the 31-year-old just couldn’t believe the hand that Atlanta had dealt to him. He added, “After a day where we got into an early crash, had a right front go down, lost two laps, we were able to get the truck back….and then a roof landed on your lap, so it’s terrible luck right now but to do all that and make it to the top 15 is nice.”

Although the Rackley W.A.R crew were hoping for a more fruitful result at Atlanta Motor Speedway, just bringing the car home in the top 15 itself was a major accomplishment. Still, Dillon’s immediate focus remained on the uncanny debris that he had seen flying across the skyline. He stated, “We’re still ironing out buds. We’re going to be a really strong team this year. But boy, that was the first time I’ve ever seen a – I don’t know how a roof comes off. You’ve seen some gnarly crashes, but I don’t know how the roof’s come off, so that was wild.” 

Once Dillon had collected himself and come to terms with a roof making his day worse, the North Carolina native took a moment to appreciate the crew that had weathered this unique storm.

Dillon’s #25 crew pulls off the impossible in a weekend filled with chaos

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After surviving a race filled with carnage and flying roofs, Ty Dillon’s team managed to fix the stricken #25 Silverado to manage a top-15 finish. So after making his way through countless variables, Dillon reflected on the effort put in by Rackley W.A.R. Crew.

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Dillon stated, “I think it’s a testament to the will of our team and experience of our team, Shane (crew chief) obviously has so many races under his belt in all three series and myself as well that, know you’re never out of these things, you never give up and no matter how many laps down you are, it gets crazy at times to just keep battling and put yourself in position.” Dillon also felt the same applied to not just racing, but real life, asking fans to never give up their pursuit of what’s possible. He concluded, “So, proud of our team for showing some perseverance like this early.”

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Taking a look at Dillon’s chaotic ordeal, it’s safe to say this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway delivered far more action than we could have ever hoped for. With that said, do you think there’s a vital flaw with the windshield and roof design of the Trucks which is leading to such frequent incidents?

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Written by:

Kabir Bajaj Ahmed

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One take at a time

Kabir Bajaj Ahmed is an F1 & NASCAR Writer at EssentiallySports. Known for his storytelling and extensive research skills, he has covered multiple stories on Dale Earnhardt Jr and his legendary dad, allowing readers to relive the thunderous days of 'The Intimidator'. Being a racer himself, Kabir can resonate with the motorsport world better than most.
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Edited by:

Ariva Debnath