Ty Dillon Qualifies for First Career Daytona 500

Needing to race his way into the Daytona 500, Ty Dillon drove the No. 33 Cheerios/Kroger Chevrolet SS to a 16th-place finish in Duel No. 1 Thursday night at Daytona International Speedway, locking himself into the Great American Race. Starting fourth, Dillon slipped to the middle of the pack at the beginning of the race. The 22-year-old rookie radioed he was struggling to keep pace when exiting the corners, which prompted crew chief Todd Parrott to call Dillon to pit road on lap 17 for fuel and two tires to improve the car’s handling. Following the stop, Dillon remained in the draft and hovered around the middle of the pack. A minor issue forced Dillon to pit road on lap 51 when he was involved in an on-track incident. The damage was minimal and Dillon returned to the race track to finish the 60-lap qualifying race. In the end, the No. 33 Chevrolet charged to the checkered flag and finished 16th, locking Dillon into the 57th running of the Daytona 500.

 

Start – 4th    Finish -16th   Laps Led – 0      Points – N/A

 

TY DILLON QUOTE:

“This is a dream come true for me. I grew up coming to this race and always dreamed of being in the Daytona 500. It means a lot to me, my family and everyone on this race team. I can’t thank Cheerios and Kroger enough for this opportunity to race in my first Daytona 500. I really wanted to be near the front and lock ourselves into this race. I didn’t want to have to watch the second duel and worry about what other team’s had to do for us to get in. We’re in the Daytona 500 now and I couldn’t be more excited for Sunday.”

 

Circle Sport/RCR PR