With just nine races left in the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series season, Germain Racing and Ty Dillon headed to Richmond, VA, for Saturday night short track racing under the lights. Unfortunately, a lack of cautions and a new tire compound afforded the team more pain than fun by the time the evening ended deep into the night.
Dillon and his No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE started Saturday night’s 300-mile event from the 27th position when the green flag got things underway. Initially, things appeared hopeful, as Dillon quickly began passing cars and moved his GEICO Camaro into the 23rd position in the opening laps. He continued his trek, but as the race wore on, only the competition caution and the two stage breaks would slow the field, making it a challenge to make any adjustments to the racecar. A new tire compound also gave the field headaches, as it did not leave much rubber on the racing surface.
Crew chief, Matt Borland, and the GEICO pit crew would make changes during each stop, but with only three breaks during the race, there was little else they could do during the long green flag runs. Dillon battled hard, but tires fell off significantly, often leaving him at odds with his racecar between pit stops.
Despite the obstacles, Dillon continued to hustle his GEICO Camaro around the ¾-mile racetrack, gaining spots whenever the opportunity presented itself. He was in position to break into the top-20 late in the race, but after a caution failed to appear, Dillon was forced to make a scheduled green flag pit stop, which left the No. 13 entry further in arrears. When the checkered flag waved, Dillon crossed the finish line in the 28th position.
“It was a tough night for sure. Our GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE was solid during the first stage, but when the entire second and third segments went caution-free, it hurt our chances,” Dillon said. The tires fell off pretty substantially throughout the run, so some of the guys who made two stops in a stage actually made up more ground than those who only stopped once. It definitely wasn’t your traditional short track race. Even though it wasn’t the result we wanted, our Germain Racing team doesn’t give up. We are going to keep pushing through these final eight weeks to end the season on a high note.”
Germain Racing now heads to the World’s Fastest Half-Mile with just eight races left on the 2020 NASCAR Cup Series schedule.
Ty Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 1LE will hit the track at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 19th, for the Bass Pro Shops Night Race. The race will be televised live on NBCSN beginning at 7:30 PM (ET). The Performance Racing Network (PRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
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