NASCAR: 10 drivers who deserve better rides in the Cup Series
By Asher Fair
#6 – Ty Dillon, Germain Racing, No. 13 Chevrolet
As a NASCAR Cup Series rookie driving for Germain Racing this season, Ty Dillon, 25, has flown under the radar, especially with rookies Erik Jones and Daniel Suarez becoming regular contenders to win races. But of the small-team drivers, of which most are listed in this article, he is the highest in the championship standings out of all of them up in 24th place.
Dillon has driven in 42 career Cup Series races, 24 of which this season. In 2014 and 2015, he drove some races for Richard Childress Racing. Last season, he drove some races for Leavine Family Racing and Stewart-Haas Racing. While he has yet to finish a race in the top 10, he has consistently brought his car home in one piece, which is impressive given the fact that he drives for just a one-car team.
So far in his 42-race Cup Series career, he has failed to finish just four races, with three of those DNF’s coming this season. In the 21 of 24 races that he has finished so far this season, he has finished in the top 20 on 15 different occasions, which is impressive for a rookie, especially given the fact that he is driving for Germain Racing.
In several races, including those at Talladega, Dover and Daytona, he has been a factor late to potentially earn his first career victory. However, despite establishing himself as a race contender, he hasn’t been able to pull through yet and has only finished as high as 13th place at Talladega.
Still, for Dillon, a rookie driver driving for one-car Germain Racing, to be racking up consistently mediocre results means that he could be a star if given the opportunity to shine in a full-time driving role for a top-tier organization. He may get the chance to drive for Richard Childress Racing, which is one of the sport’s larger teams, with the seat of Paul Menard’s #27 Chevrolet open next season. That would be a start.