Ty Dillion Conquers High Banked Talladega And Scores Top-15 Finish

Given Ty Dillon’s comfort level at Talladega Superspeedway, one would assume that his favorite song would be ‘Sweet Home Alabama’. Prior to his arrival this weekend, the GEICO driver had completed every single lap in each of his three Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series starts at the legendary speedway. Germain Racing is well-known for its restrictor-plate exploits and looked to live up to their reputation when crew members unloaded the No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 for practice on Saturday.
 
True to form, Dillon settled in quickly when the weekend’s only practice session started on Saturday afternoon. He pedaled the GEICO Camaro ZL1 straight up the charts as speeds eclipsed a blistering 200+ miles per hour and finished up sixth fastest when practice concluded. Qualifying got underway a few hours later and Dillon cruised the superspeedway at a speed of 189.699-miles per hour, placing him 29th on Sunday’s starting grid.
 
A sold-out crowd, which included fans from all 50-states, 20 different countries and four continents, eyed the NASCAR Cup Series field as the drivers took the green flag below blue skies and bright sunshine. Dillon started 29th, but made quick progress early in the race, as he hurriedly made his way around the 2.66-mile facility. During the parade laps, Dillon was heard on the team’s radio frequency saying, “I’m going to be patient here at the beginning and let it all settle out. Once it calms down, I’ll make my way through.” Despite his best intentions, a fast GEICO Camaro thought otherwise and Dillon quickly broke into the top-20 in the opening laps before later charging into the top-10, which is where he found himself when the race’s opening stage came to a close. Dillon was awarded a bonus point for his 10th place finish in Stage 1.
 
Dillon would traverse the field with relative ease and he had the No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 running in the top-five at various times. The lone setback came when the team needed a late-race extended pit stop to repair a loose right-side window. Despite being scored in the top-15, Dillon would be relegated to the rear of the field where he would need to, once again, make his way to the front.
 
The setback turned out to be insignificant, as Dillon made quick work of the field, and when the checkered flag closed out an exciting afternoon of racing, the GEICO Camaro ZL1 crossed the finish line in the 15th position. The effort accounted for Dillon’s fourth consecutive race at Talladega Superspeedway where he completed every lap, a rarity in restrictor-plate racing where cars are often collected in big crashes.
 
“This was a solid day for our GEICO Camaro ZL1 team. We didn’t make any mistakes on-track and my spotter did a great job and kept me clean all day,” Dillon said after the race. “Talladega has always been a strong track for me because I’m comfortable with this style of racing. This was the kind of day our team needed after a couple of tough weeks. We ran up front, earned a bonus point at the end of Stage 1 and showed once again that Germain Racing builds fast superspeedway cars.” He continued, “I wish we could’ve gotten a top-10, but those are the breaks sometimes at these tracks with how quickly drafts change and cars move around. I’m proud of my team’s effort today, and I’m looking forward to Kansas next weekend.”
 
With the year’s final restrictor-plate race behind them, Germain Racing will pack up their No. 13 entry and journey to the Sunflower State for race number 32 of 36 of the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season.  
 
Ty Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 will hit the track at Kansas Speedway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, October 19th, at 2:05 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 7:10 PM (ET).
                                                     
The Hollywood Casino 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race is on Sunday, October 21st, and it will be televised live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
 
PMI PR