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New York Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Ty Dillon on NASCAR's In-Season Challenge, focusing on mid-field drivers and more: 12 Questions
Each week, The Athletic asks the same 12 questions to a different race car driver. Up next: Ty Dillon of Kaulig Racing, who this week faces off with Ty Gibbs in the championship round of the NASCAR In-Season Challenge. This interview has been lightly edited and condensed, but the full version is available on the 12 Questions Podcast. 1. What was one of the first autographs you got as a kid, and what do you remember about that moment? We went to a bull riding event: PBR (Professional Bull Riders) in Greensboro (N.C.). Ty Murray, the famous bull rider, shared my name. He was married to Jewel, the famous singer, and I remember seeing them sitting there. My grandfather (Richard Childress) walked us over there, and we got his autograph at the PBR. Advertisement In your brother Austin's 12 Questions interview, he said he got Hank Aaron's autograph with you outside the old Braves stadium. Do you remember that at all? I was probably 4 or 5, so I was a little too young to actually remember meeting Hank. But I still have the ball. 2. What is the most miserable you've ever been inside of a race car? This year in Mexico City. I did it in reverse order — I had the stomach flu Wednesday night, the night before we flew out. I actually got sick in the airport while we were all sitting at the terminal at Charlotte Douglas. I was still going through the full motions of the stomach bug — coming out both ends. So that whole 14 hours of travel was very miserable for me getting there. I slept most of the night, and then the next day in practice I was finally hungry and made a really bad decision: I had the tacos they had made for everybody in the garage (from local restaurant Tacos Atarantados). The tacos were amazing, but my stomach was still messed up. So I was in the car, and that was the first time I felt like, 'I'm gonna make a mess inside the car.' I just didn't know what side it was going to come out of. Those were the best tacos I've ever had. I agree. So were the tacos worth it, even though you got sick? Well, I went back the next day and got them. And I got them Sunday, too. So I would not pass on those tacos again. It wasn't worth the feeling I had inside the race car (on Friday), but the tacos were worth it. They did not deter me after that. 3. Outside of racing, what is your most recent memory of something you got way too competitive about? Probably something to do with my brother, I'm sure — competing in golf or anything. We've always competed in everything. I've backed it down a little bit now since I've had kids. I leave it all for the racetrack. But man, when we were younger, Austin and I would fight and carry on about competing. It didn't matter what it was — paintball, hunting, or any sport we played like basketball, football, golf. We're going to compete and probably get way too overboard, and everybody around us is going to be embarrassed by the way we're acting. Advertisement 4. What do people get wrong about you? People tell me, 'You're different than what I thought you would be' when they get to know me. A lot of people, especially early in my career, thought my brother and I were just … we were very blessed to have a grandfather that owned a race team. But I don't think they realized that we really appreciated the opportunity, and that we learned a lot of the hard work behind it. People don't realize the gratitude that we do have — or at least for myself, speaking for myself. So a lot of people say, 'You're different than I thought,' and I think most of the time it's in a good way. 5. What kind of Uber passenger are you, and how much do you care about your Uber rating? I prefer, as an Uber passenger, to not talk — but I will start a conversation every once in a while. I like to talk on my terms, when I'm in the mood. I don't want someone who's just immediately going to start talking and keep going. I'd rather it start with no talking, and then let me bring up the conversation. I know that's very picky. Uber rating — it's not something I really think about much. I feel like it's got to be good. If my Uber rating is bad, then the person just didn't like me from the jump, and there's nothing I could have controlled. 6. I'm asking each person a wild-card question: The In-Season Challenge has drawn attention to your team lately, but I feel like it's overshadowed how well you've actually been running all year compared to the preseason expectations. What's your view on the season you've had? I'm grateful you see that, because I feel the same way. … We've run really well. We've had some bad results based off late-race mistakes, but before that, we were running top 15 or top 18. That's kind of where we've been living — and beating a lot of these top teams. It's not all of them in a Hendrick organization, but we usually beat one or two a week. And that's a pretty solid deal for Kaulig Racing. Our points position doesn't really show what we've done. Advertisement What this in-season tournament has done — usually all the focus is on who's going to make the last spot in the (playoffs) and who's winning the race. That's all the TV shows and media usually talk about. But now that the focus has shifted — racing Atlanta (in Round 1) gave us an opportunity to get this far — people are seeing that there are more interesting things going on in the sport. Our team has been really solid the last three weeks: Eighth, 20th, and 17th (and then 20th at Dover, after this interview was conducted). That's not a bad average finish. We've just executed races better at the end. 7. This is my 16th year doing these 12 Questions interviews, and I'm going back to the first 12 Questions we did together in 2016. Back then, I asked: 'What's a chore you do in your daily life?' And you said, 'I love vacuuming. It's very satisfying. Once I start cleaning something, I can't stop.' You have three kids now; can this still be true? Actually, I vacuum less but I sweep more. We have three kids and our littlest, Bear, likes to throw all his food on the ground — but it's all in one isolated spot, and you don't want to vacuum a bunch of food and leave it in the vacuum, because I don't dump it every time. So I've become more of a sweeper. But I'd say my most consistent chore is every Sunday night when I get home from the race, I'm taking the trash and recycling to the road. It's my humbling moment as a dad and a husband. Doesn't matter what I just did in the race three hours ago — I come home and I still have to take out the stinky, overflowing trash and recycling. Even though most people do that, it's kind of like my funny reminder: 'The trash still has to be to the road by the end of the night.' 8. Other than one of your teammates, name a driver who you would be one of the first people to congratulate in victory lane if they won a race. My brother, for sure. And Kyle Busch (Kaulig has an alliance with Richard Childress Racing). There are a lot of good guys out there. I wish no ill success on anybody, but I'm probably not going to celebrate with too many of them. 9. How much do you use AI technology, whether for your job or your daily life? Man, I use ChatGPT a lot for questions. A lot of finance questions, a lot of math questions. I try to incorporate it as much as possible just to learn it, because obviously, it's a wave of technology that's coming. Hopefully, I race for another 10 years, but there's going to be another part of life that incorporates business and running stuff. So I want to learn that for the next life — how to utilize it best as this wave comes — and be ahead of it. 10. What is a time in your life that you felt was really challenging, but you're proud of the way you responded to it? Last year, being out of the sport for the second time and running Trucks again, and then just having four or five opportunities (for Cup races) with Kaulig Racing. Even in that moment, I didn't know what was next in my life or career. It felt like maybe that would be the last year of racing for me. But I never panicked. I never let it affect my personal life. … Sometimes you can put so much pressure on yourself in those situations to perform and try to earn something back. But I felt very at peace throughout that whole year. I remember telling my wife, 'I want to carry the way I feel at the racetrack now when I have less opportunities into when I'm full-time again.' And I've tried to do that. Advertisement 11. What needs to happen in NASCAR to take the sport to the next level of popularity? We're doing some good stuff as far as going to new places. I think there should be a raised stake for tracks; they should be competing just as much as teams and drivers. Especially this year — we've had so many great attendance numbers and people showing up. But when a track doesn't, now there's something wrong. There should be competition there. If your track doesn't hit a certain attendance threshold, you should lose the race — maybe next year, or in two years, depending on your contract. The tracks should be working just as hard to get fans there and create fun, creative weekends. Also, we need to do a better job of telling the stories of the teams who aren't at the top right now. I've probably been the direct beneficiary of the in-season tournament. We're not a 'key partner team,' but we're beating some of them — teams that have twice the money, twice the people and sometimes five times as many people. … We have to not focus so much on the top guys. We've worn those stories to death, and those drivers and teams aren't really producing much more energy toward the sport. Maybe they're exhausted from being up there, I don't know. But there's a lot of people throughout the field who have stories to tell, and they should get more opportunities to show their personality. 12. Each week, I ask a driver to give me a question for the next person. Last week's question came from Alex Bowman. He asked: What's the worst interview you've ever done, and why was it with Jeff Gluck? I've been pretty genuine in all my interviews. And even if I make mistakes, I'll make fun of myself. So it's hard to have a bad interview if you're not afraid to make fun of yourself in the middle of it. OK, but have you ever had a bad interviewer? Yeah, but you know — a lot of times you can recognize they're new to it, and they're nervous. It gets rough at times, but I try to encourage them to get through it. I'll try to help them out, walk them through it, give them something. But everybody's on a different path. Do you have a question for the next person? What would 10-years-ago-you be proud of you for doing now? If you look back 10 years and look at yourself now, what would you be proud you accomplished? That was a dinner table question my wife and I had.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ty Dillon will face Ty Gibbs in $1 million challenge final at Indianapolis
What many thought was impossible is now reality as Ty Dillon has advanced all the way into the finals for the $1 million in-season bracket challenge. In the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he will face another 'Ty' for the big prize as Ty Gibbs also advanced. Dillon, who entered the five-week challenge as the bottom seed in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet, has since defeated Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and now John Hunter Nemechek. He ran around Nemechek all day at Dover, passing him on a late-race restart just before a caution that granted him the free pass. At that point, he was out of reach of Nemechek, clearing the path for him to make it all the way to the finals. "I was like, come on boys, just make it the white (flag)," Dillon told NASCAR on TNT. "It was quite the battle all day ... All respect to John Hunter, he and I ran within a spot of each other all day. It was a grind of a race for both of us, and we just had a good restart there on the #47 [Ricky Stenhouse Jr.], took it three-wide and and then chaos kind of ensued. We were able to get that wave-around, which kind of locked us into a good spot. "Just grateful to have this opportunity. The ride has been so fun. It's one of the biggest things I've done in my career. Just having fun with Kaulig Racing." Watch: Ty Dillon advances to In-Season Challenge finale: 'This run has been so fun' Gibbs, who pilots the the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. He had to get through Justin Haley, A.J. Allmendinger, Zane Smith, and Tyler Reddick to get to this point. He was on the same strategy as Reddick at the end, as both drivers chose to pit for fresh right-side tires, but Gibbs was able to pass him on merit in the closing laps. Neither Dillon or Gibbs have ever won a Cup race before, but both now have a chance at winning $1 million Usd. next week. In last year's Brickyard 400, Dillon finished 19th, while Gibbs finished 23rd. Read Also: Denny Hamlin wins dramatic Dover NASCAR Cup race in double overtime To read more articles visit our website.
Forbes
07-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
Shane van Gisbergen Is Nascar's New Road Course King
Shane van Gisbergen celebrates after winning the Grant Park 165 race of NASCAR Cup Series at the ... More Chicago Street Course in Chicago, Illinois, United States on July 6, 2025. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) Shane van Gisbergen is not just winning races at Nascar's top level. He is putting on a clinic at road courses. The New Zealander moved to America last year, less than a year after winning the inagural race at the Chicago Street Course in 2023. His deal with Trackhouse Racing came together in partnership with Kaulig Racing in the Xfinity Series. Quickly, he picked up a knack for oval racing. Shortly there after, Trackhouse bumped him up to the Cup Series. Now, he's a full-time Cup Series racer. While oval racing is still a work in progress for the 36-year-old, he is proving he may be the best Nascar racer to ever tackle road courses. "Justin [Marks, Trackhouse Racing owner] took a massive chance on me to bring me over, and as I've said many times, these races are like a holiday to me. It's the ovals where I'm really focused on getting better and better. "I come here and there's no stress. People probably think there's more stress and expectation on us, but I kind of just get excited by it and love driving. It's the ovals where I know I'm getting better. I'm not stressed about it and I'm not forcing it, but I love trying to progress and get better and better. Van Gisbergen's dominanting win during Sunday's Grant Park 165 on the Chicago Street Course is his third Cup victory, making him the winningest foreign-born driver. Previously, road courses were few and far between on the Nascar schedule. Until the schedule changed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, there were usually only a pair of road course races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen, so it wasn't an emphasis for drivers. But over the years, there were road course experts, such as Marcos Ambrose, Juan Pablo Montoya, Robby Gordon and others. A handful of full-timers also had a knack for road course racing, including Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace. But none had the raw ability to turn left and right like van Gisbergen, who is simply in a league of his own in the Next Gen era, which makes it even more difficult to stand out amongst the pack. Van Gisbergen is – at the same time – making his competitors better road course racers, as he's showing them how to max out everything in their racecars. The limits they previously thought were there can be stretched, as he's proven. During Sunday's street course race, only Michael McDowell was able to actually give van Gisbergen a run for his money, leading the opening 31 laps. What may be scary for the competition is that van Gisbergen believes Trackhouse Racing has room for improvement. 'I'm slowly starting to understand it, but there's still some things we can be a lot better at,' van Gisbergen said. "But try again next week, and we can just keep trying to be better. We're near in the position now where you have that playoff spot, you can take more risk. It's been enjoyable figuring this car out and getting outside the box a little bit." The next Cup Series race is at another road course – Sonoma – a new track for the New Zealander.
NBC Sports
06-07-2025
- Automotive
- NBC Sports
After year of change, John Hunter Nemechek and No. 42 team reaching new heights
Travis Mack spent the offseason listening to radio communication John Hunter Nemechek had with his Legacy Motor Club team to better understand what he could do to help his new driver. Mack, who came to the team from Kaulig Racing, was just one of many changes Legacy Motor Club has gone through since the end of the 2023 campaign. Nemechek was brought in before the 2024 season as the organization moved from Chevrolet to Toyota. That change meant different ways of doing things, different tools and much to learn. Nemechek and teammate Erik Jones struggled last year as Legacy Motor Club went through additional personnel changes. Performance has improved for the team owned by seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. Heading into Sunday's Chicago Street Race, Jones is 16th in the season standings, 49 points below the playoff cutline. Nemechek is 23rd in the season standings but has had a career-high six top-10 finishes this season — his most recent a sixth-place result two weeks ago in Mexico. Nemechek has four top 10s in the last eight races. The recent performance is a sign of how Mack and engineer Sydney Prince, who became the team's lead engineer in May, have worked well with Nemechek and given him a car he needs. That goes back to what Mack heard in the offseason as he listened to the radio communication Nemechek had with his team last year. Dustin Long, 'In his past, in lap one or two, they were on the radio already telling him how to drive,' Mack told NBC Sports. 'They were trying to lecture him on what he needed to do different, how to drive like somebody else.' Along with Legacy Motor Club's cars getting better, Mack also seeks to give Nemechek more freedom on what he needs with the car. 'The sim driver could tell us something all week, but if (Nemechek) goes out and says 'You can't do that … the car is not capable of that,' we've got to trust what he's telling us and that's one of the biggest things.' Nate Ryan, That also relates to the information the team provides Nemechek to help him. 'We put together a ton of notes throughout the week on (such items as) differences of how he drives vs. other people,' Prince told NBC Sports. 'He'll retain that information and he'll go out there and run how he thinks he needs to drive the car and have that (information) in the back of his head, so if we need to change up something during practice or during the race, it's not necessarily changing his driving style to drive like other people — because none of the drivers are exactly the same — it's just notes to keep stacking on ways to get better.' All of that has helped Nemechek perform better on the track since May, scoring sixth-place finishes at Pocono and Mexico, an eighth-place result at Texas and a 10th-place run at Kansas. 'I think it's confidence in your equipment,' Nemechek told NBC Sports. 'When I go out on the racetrack, I'm confident that I know that he car is going to stick and that I can push it. Last year, you never really knew what you were going to get from a correlation aspect, from unloading from sim to the racetrack. 'I know when I'm coming to the racetrack kind of where we're going to be as far as balance-wise. If it's not that way, it's not that way, but having confidence in them that we can make our cars better.' Nemechek says his team's growth is just an example of what's taking place at Legacy Motor Club this season. 'I think that last year was a very big building year,' he said. 'I think there were a lot of things that we didn't do great as team last year at Legacy. I think the personnel changes, the hires, the people that are now running competition, that are running the tech side, shop guys, everyone has bought in.'
Forbes
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
NASCAR: Allmendinger Eyes Chicago With Road Course Grit And Dad Perspective
AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 02: AJ Allmendinger (#16 Kaulig Racing Celsius Chevrolet) acknowledges fans ... More during driver introductionsbefore the NASCAR Cup Series Echo Park Automotive Grand Prix on March 2, 2025, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) There are drivers who show up to a NASCAR race quietly optimistic. And then there's A.J. Allmendinger — the guy who shows up at the track looking like he's ready to win or fight someone trying to stop him. Or possibly both. Heading into this weekend's Grant Park 165 on the streets of Chicago, Allmendinger brings with him all the usual ingredients: a scrappy underdog mentality, a resume packed with road course success, and the kind of raw honesty that makes every interview feel like a confessional. Add to that a new layer of perspective thanks to fatherhood — and yes, a steady supply of CELSIUS energy drinks — and you've got one of the most intriguing storylines in the Cup Series garage. A Season Of Progress — And Realism 'I think it's a glass half full,' Allmendinger says, reflecting on his season so far with Kaulig Racing. 'At the end of the day, you've got to have realistic expectations. We show up every week trying to win and make the playoffs and win the championship — that's the pinnacle. AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 01: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 Celsius Chevrolet, drives during ... More practice for the NASCAR Cup Series EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas on March 01, 2025 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by) 'But we also have an understanding of where we're at right now as an organization, where the team was at, at this point last year and the gains that we've made.' It hasn't all been smooth sailing. Two blown motors, a couple of disappointing road course races — rare for a driver with his pedigree — and the usual grind of life in NASCAR's top series have tested the team. But the bigger picture? There's progress. 'We've made a lot of gains from where we were last year,' he adds. 'There's light at the end of the tunnel… and for once it doesn't feel like it's a train coming back at you.' As fierce as Allmendinger remains behind the wheel, life at home has added some welcome chaos — and maybe, just maybe, a little perspective; chaos thanks in part to his son Aero, who will be two in September. AVONDALE, ARIZONA - NOVEMBER 09: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #16 Celsius Chevrolet, spends time ... More with his wife, Tara Allmendinger and son, Aero Allmendinger on the grid prior to the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race at Phoenix Raceway on November 09, 2024 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by) 'If you listen to my radio, I'm still as fiery as ever,' he laughs. 'But I feel like I'm still getting better. That fire of proving it to myself every weekend is what keeps pushing me.' The biggest change? What happens after a tough day at the office. 'My wife, Tara, is amazing — she's basically taking care of two kids, me included,' Allmendinger jokes. 'But you get home after a bad day, frustrated, sad, all of it… and Aero doesn't care. He just wants to play and jump on you. That part of it makes the bad weekends a little easier.' Given his three career Cup wins have all come on road courses, you'd expect Allmendinger to circle Chicago's street race as a golden opportunity. But the 12-turn concrete jungle that snakes through Grant Park has been anything but predictable. 'The street course definitely changes my confidence level — Chicago hasn't helped it at all,' he admits. 'The first year, we completely missed it — the car bounced around like crazy. Last year, we were just lost in practice and qualifying, but with the weather, we drove through the field and had a shot.' This year? Still a question mark. 'It's a tricky track — rough, technical, you've got to balance mechanical grip and aero grip perfectly. I've done all the studying I can. Now we'll see if I can be better when we unload.' For all the road course glory, that first Cup oval win remains on Allmendinger's to-do list — a challenge he embraces, even if it comes with the usual NASCAR frustrations. 'It's hard,' he says bluntly. 'You've got to have a good car — doesn't matter if it's an oval or road course, but on ovals, it's even more critical to hit everything right.' CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JULY 07: AJ Allmendinger, driver of the #13 Benesch Chevrolet, drives after an ... More on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 165 at Chicago Street Course on July 07, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by) Tracks like Dover or Las Vegas give him hope. Short tracks? A surprising struggle. 'It's weird because I've always loved short tracks,' he says. 'But with this car, we've struggled there. If we knew why, we'd fix it already.' For now, it's about maximizing every opportunity, one weekend at a time. 'There are ovals you circle on the calendar and say, 'We can win here.' Others? You run top 15 that's a that's almost a win.' In a sport where sponsor logos change as often as tires, having a partner like CELSIUS stick with him through the ups and downs is more than just a marketing win — it's personal. 'When I first joined Kaulig Racing, there was a little fridge in the corner with CELSIUS in it,' Allmendinger recalls. 'Honestly, I'd never even seen the stuff before.' Fast forward seven years, and both the driver and the brand have grown together — with plenty of Victory Lane celebrations (and CELSIUS can tosses) along the way. 'It's a product I actually use daily — training, hydration, energy, golf, you name it,' he says. 'That's what I love about it. With some sponsors, it's a logo. With CELSIUS, it's part of my life.' A.J. Allmendinger may not fit the mold of the typical NASCAR Cup Series contender — and he's just fine with that. Whether it's battling the unforgiving streets of Chicago, chasing that first elusive oval win, or navigating the joys (and sleep deprivation) of fatherhood, one thing remains constant: The fire's still there. The CELSIUS fridge is still stocked. And if the cards fall right, don't be surprised if Allmendinger is the one spiking another energy drink in Victory Lane.
