Ty Dillon, driver of the No. 33 Rheem Tankless Water Heaters Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), finished a three-race stint with GMS Racing with a 10th-place finish at Eldora Speedway.
Dillon posted speeds solidly in the top 10 during both practice sessions earlier in the day. As the Welcome, N.C., native was making his qualifying attempt, he made contact with the outside wall and sustained damage to the right-side of the No. 33 Chevrolet. Dillon and the Shane Huffman-led crew worked diligently to repair the heavily damaged truck in time for the fifth heat race. Starting in the back of a stacked field, Dillon showed great patience in the early laps of the 10-lap event and finished third. Ultimately, qualifying 15th for the Mud Summer Classic main event.
Dillon started from the 15th position for the 150-lap event and made his way to the ninth spot by lap 10. Extremely happy with the way the truck was handling, The 23-year-old driver continued to work on his line and made his way into the top three on lap 50. Following the competition caution on lap 60, the team was allowed to pit for the first time, taking four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Dillon soon reported he had lost forward drive and was tight on exit. Though the condition continued, the No. 33 team elected to stay out during the final competition caution on lap 112 to maintain their position within the top 10.
Dillon ran in the top seven for the remaining 40 laps and made his way to the fifth position before the last caution of the night was displayed on lap 149. During the last lap of the race, the No. 88 made contact with Dillon, causing him to lose several positions, resulting in a 10th-place finish.
During the 2015 season, Dillon has picked up two top-10 finishes with GMS Racing. The No. 33 currently sits eighth in the NCWTS Owners Points Standings.
TY DILLON QUOTE:
“I really hate that we didn’t get a better finish, but this is what dirt racing is about. We had a great Rheem Tankless Water Heaters Chevrolet, even with all of the repairs we had to do between qualifying and the qualifying races. We started off really strong and I’m not sure why we lost so much forward bite after our pit stop, but I was able to try a few different things to make it easier to handle. It’s disappointing to be running in the top five on the last lap and have your night ruined. I really appreciate GMS Racing and Rheem for giving me the chance to race for the win here at Eldora.”
GMS Racing PR
