Ty Dillon’s resilience results in 24th place at Kansas

Germain Racing committed to finish the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season in strong fashion and they’ve followed through, posting a third-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway two weeks ago and collecting a Stage win on Charlotte Motor Speedway’s ROVAL just last week. Ty Dillon and company were looking to attain similar results when they arrived in Kansas over the weekend.
 
Dillon and his No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE started Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 from the 25th position. Race fans were on-hand in person when the green flag signaled the start of 267-laps of racing at Kansas Speedway. Aside from the chilly temperatures, which dipped into the 30’s, Dillon would also battle the handling of his racecar from the onset. He initially lost a few positions, but by the time the first caution flag of the day waved on lap 26, he was back in 25th place.
 
“The splitter is hopping on entry and I need more overall grip with how cool it is,” Dillon shared with his crew chief, Matt Borland, during the caution.
 
The Germain Racing pit crew quickly outfitted Dillon with four fresh Goodyear tires, a full tank of Sunoco Racing fuel and a wedge adjustment. He restarted the race from the 26th position and worked to gain ground as he wheeled the GEICO Chevy around the 1.5-mile oval. He continued to battle his racecar, but his effort was unrelenting. Although, he rounded out the opening stage in the 28th position, he pitted during the caution and the Germain Racing pit crew was again flawless and returned him to the racing surface seven positions to the good.
 
During Stage 2, the Germain Racing team began executing a strategy that had them run long before pitting. Dillon and his No. 13 GEICO Camaro had worked their way into the fifth position before heading down pit road for a scheduled green flag stop on lap 137. Unfortunately, the caution flag waved just seven laps later, trapping Dillon two laps in arrears. He would regain a lap after the taking the wave-around and continue hustling the GEICO Chevy forward.
 
Despite the setback, Dillon was able to recoup lost ground and score a 24th place finish when the checkered flag closed out 400.5-miles of racing on a chilly midwestern day in Kansas.
 
“Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was a lot better there at the end of the race. We just didn’t have the speed overall that we needed with this package,” Dillon said. “You have to have so much downforce in the car to make up any ground on the track. Our Germain Racing team never gives up and even though the timing of a couple cautions didn’t go our way, we battled back to finish 24th. We have three races left together and our focus now shifts to Texas next week.”
 
Three races remain on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series calendar as Germain Racing prepares to two-step into the Lone Star State.
 
Ty Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE will hit the track at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 25th, for the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 500. The race will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 3:30 PM (ET). The Performance Racing Network (PRN) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (channel 90) will carry the live radio broadcast.   
 
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