“This in-season tournament…you see what it’s done for our team and myself… It’s been just a dream run. It’s hard to even put it together. I’m a little bit shook by how it all shook out, but yeah. We did it.”

That was Ty Dillon talking before his underdog semifinal win at Dover in NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge. And now here he is, in the final, going head-to-head with Ty Gibbs at Indianapolis. From being the lowest seed in the bracket to stunning the field one round at a time, Dillon’s Cinderella run has been the feel-good story of the season. But behind the laughs, the lighthearted promos, and fan hype, Dillon expressed how this tournament has meant a lot more to him than most realize.

Ty Dillon’s underdog surge shakes up the In-Season bracket

It’s been a hell of a ride for Dillon this year. And he agrees with it: “Man, it’s been fun. It’s been a cool ride and uh just having fun with it, too,” said Dillon on the Door Bumper Clear podcast, soaking in the moment after stunning the NASCAR world with a deep run in the inaugural in-season tournament. Seeded last, Dillon wasn’t expected to last long. Yet here he is, ready to go all the way in the finals. On the road there, he knocked out heavyweights like Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin. Now, that’s a bracket-busting performance that’s turned heads across the garage.

Dillon’s surge is even more meaningful when you zoom out. The summer stretch hasn’t been kind to him in recent years. In 2023 and 2024 combined, he managed to notch just three top-20 finishes in July or August — Indianapolis (19th) in 2024 and Atlanta (19th) and Daytona (11th) in 2023. He often slipped under the radar as the playoffs loomed. “This part of the season for our team, we’re not getting a whole lot of pub, you know, typically in years past,” Dillon acknowledged on the podcast.

However, Ty Dillon was quick to admit, “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.” And fans are loving every bit of it. The tournament has a twist. Not only do drivers compete for pride and position, but fans are also chasing a million-dollar prize with NASCAR’s In-Season Challenge Bracket Game.

“It’s been a fun run with them, too, along this thing,” Dillon said, thrilled that supporters are along for the wild ride. Now, it’s down to one final matchup at Indianapolis. Ty (Dillon) vs. Ty (Gibbs). “We’re just still kind of bloating and uh something big’s going on here and we’re just going to keep riding it out,” Dillon said, ready to square off against Ty Gibbs in a finale no one predicted. The Cinderella slipper still fits, for now!

Denny Hamlin throws down the gauntlet on Ty Gibbs for the finals

Ty Dillon’s underdog fairytale has NASCAR fans buzzing. But not everyone’s buying into the magic. After Dillon’s surprise run to the final, veteran Denny Hamlin made it clear he’s not hopping aboard the hype train. “It ends here,” Hamlin said bluntly on his Actions Detrimental podcast, after Dillon’s semifinal win set up a showdown with Ty Gibbs.

Hamlin’s critique isn’t rooted in disrespect for Dillon’s drive or strategy. Rather, it’s his honest view of the matchup’s dynamics. Facing Ty Gibbs and Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamlin explained, “This is a track where absolute car performance matters. I think he’s at a deficit there. Qualifying really is gonna be a big factor… Once we get single-filed out, there’s just not gonna be a whole lot of passing here. It’s not that kind of track where you can make something happen on a restart.”

While Hamlin noted that Dillon reaching the final as the 32nd seed was a “Cinderella story,” he pointed out that Dillon’s run has often leaned on chaos and circumstance. Dillon finished outside the top 15 in the last three races, yet always advanced as his bracket rivals faltered.

“The only way it doesn’t end is if he finishes 25th again, and Ty Gibbs wrecks… that’s worked for the first three or four rounds. So, anything can happen, it is NASCAR racing, but it’s Ty Gibbs’ to lose,” Hamlin said. Even as a past bracket victim, Hamlin urged fans to give Dillon his moment. “He beat me. … He was ahead of me the whole [expletive] race… Just let him have his moment.”

Now, as the In-Season Tournament finale at Indianapolis looms, the question is whether Dillon’s unpredictable surge has one more plot twist left. Or if, as Hamlin insists, this wild ride “ends here.” What do you think? Which ‘Ty’ will end up coming on top? Let us know in the comments. Whatever the result, it is going to be an exciting battle for sure!