Through trials of fire, Ty Dillon has emerged as the sharpest weapon in the In-Season Challenge. The tournament itself has its ups and downs, but for Dillon, it’s been nothing but upward momentum. After battling slumps for years, he has finally found his groove, and he’s opening up about his transformation this season. With Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 Chevy, Dillon has steadily climbed the ranks, shaking off his mid-pack reputation to become a legitimate contender and NASCAR’s most compelling mid-season storyline.

Ty Dillon has now appeared in 21 races, averaging a 23.8 start on a 22.3 finish, and has led eight laps, a clear improvement from last year’s runs. This season’s first half featured consistent speed and frequent top 18 and top 10 runs, but stumbles and execution left him without a breakout result. But it all changed with the onset of the In-Season Challenge three weeks ago. Dillon’s team started churning out results, and on the heels of weathering a rough start, Kaulig has turned into a trailblazing underdog, thanks to their strategic consistency and the team’s ability to peak during the tournament window.

Speaking with NASCAR Live, the 33-year-old didn’t shy away from opening up about his season so far. He said, “Yeah, so far it’s been an exciting season for sure. You know, I think we’ve done a lot of things, from, you know, just the Spire last year with Kaulig Racing this year, to take a big leap forward. I think the recipe for success has certainly been there most of the year. We’ve had good speed and running in the, you know, top 18 to top 10. I think the first half of the season we struggled to execute the finishes and get the points that we deserved to kind of show some of the fruits of that labor, but now we’re starting to rattle off the results and happening at a good time in the in-season tournament, certainly had a lot of fun with it too.”

In 2024, Dillon joined Spire Motorsports and competed in 7 Cup Series races, his brief full-time Cup season to date. Despite limited opportunities, he managed to average a starting position of 32nd and a finishing position of 23.9, without any top tens or pole positions. It was definitely a mixed bag. Steady finishes, no breakthroughs, and being ushered to the end of the pack. Still, the stint marked an important transition: Ty had logged enough laps and gained valuable experience that would later inform his move to Kaulig.

Ty Dillon’s recent form has been solid if not spectacular. Over his last five races, he has recorded finishes of 8th (Atlanta), 20th (Chicago Street race), 17th (Sonoma), and another 20th at Dover. Notably, his eighth-place run at Atlanta was his only top 10 of the season, a crucial performance that helped anchor his tournament bid. Consistency has paid dividends, keeping him afloat in the standings and allowing a Cinderella story to unfold.

The former Spire Motorsports driver entered the inaugural 2025 In-Season Challenge as the ultimate underdog, slotted in dead last at the No. 32 seed, due to a string of poor early-season performances. Despite that unbelievable starting point, Dillon rattled off four straight upset wins, knocking out high-profile competitors like Denny Hamlin (No. 1 seed), Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and John Hunter Nemechek to reach the final in a class section in the alarm.

But with all this momentum building, Ty Dillon has also weighed in on the safety of NASCAR drivers amid Kyle Busch’s bold spotter vs. rearview camera claims.

Ty Dillon backs Kyle Busch amid spotter and rearview mirror debate

Kyle Busch stirred the pot last weekend by questioning whether drivers should have both rearview cameras and spotters, suggesting that one should replace the other. His point was about simplifying communication and forcing drivers to rely on more traditional, organic spotting methods rather than relying heavily on tech. While not everyone agrees with the idea, it opened up a meaningful conversation about what tools are truly essential in modern NASCAR.

Ty Dillon joined spotter Freddie Kraft on the Door Bumper Clear podcast to dig deeper into the debate. Kraft joked that he appreciated Busch’s nod to the spotters, while Dillon made his possession clear. If he had to choose, he would pick a spotter over a camera any day. He said, “I’m with Kyle. I would go with spotter. These in-car cameras, I think they’re good. I think it’s made the blocking ridiculous. I grew up dirt racing, so we had nothing. We don’t one to go that far. I think spotting, having a spotter, and no mirrors would be the way I would go for sure.”

Moreover, beyond the strategic benefits, both Kraft and Dillon emphasize safety as the main reason spotters remain essential. Dillon cited the recent Chicago race as an example, where limited spotter coverage led to dangerous situations. He recalled multiple incidents of cars sitting stranded on the track without warning to incoming drivers. One of the worst cases involved international driver Will Brown getting caught in a pileup due to the absence of a spotter in a blind section.

The No. 10 driver went on to say, “There was 3 to 4 instances where we didn’t have spots in an area, there was cars sitting broadside, driver side, and luckily nobody got hurt in those situations. It was because we didn’t have spots. To me, you’ve got to have them.”

But at the end of the day, all eyes are on the final showdown of the In-Season Challenge, where results wouldn’t just reward the driver; the $1 million prize will go directly to the winning team. With high stakes and rising tension, every decision, block, and spot the call could mean the difference between a payday and a pileup for both the Tys. It’s just a matter of time to see which driver, both with hunger to prove themselves, to take the big cash home.