“If it wasn’t a million dollars, I’d never have punted him, but $1 million means the world to us.” That’s how Ty Dillon summed up his daring move on Alex Bowman last weekend at Sonoma. And believe it or not, his Cinderella story keeps getting better. With a strong run at Dover, where he finished ahead of John Hunter Nemechek, Dillon has now secured his spot in the finals of NASCAR’s in-season challenge.
And it is shaping up to be Ty vs. Ty, but while Dillon is all in, his opponent, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ty Gibbs, seems far less invested. For him, the real prize lies beyond this million-dollar sideshow in Indianapolis.
Ty Gibbs sets his eye on Indy
Ty Gibbs put together one of his most complete performances of the season at Dover, starting from ninth and steadily working his way through the field to finish fifth. He ran as high as seventh in stage one and finished eighth in stage two, showing a consistent pace throughout the afternoon. With the solid top-five finish, Gibbs banked 39 points, his biggest single-race haul in weeks, and as a result, surged up to 16th in the driver standings. That places him just outside the playoff cut line, and with only a handful of races left before the cutoff, the No. 54 team is heating up at just the right time.
As the NASCAR garage backs up and turns its focus to Indianapolis, Ty Gibbs will be eyeing a playoff push at Indianapolis. While Ty Dillon sits far away from any realistic shot at the playoffs, Ty Gibbs has been quietly moving up the standings, and his mindset heading into Indianapolis places the $1 million to the side as he wants a playoff spot more than anything, especially considering all of his teammates have their spots locked in!
In a post-interview with Frontstretch, Ty Gibbs let his feelings about Dover and being a finalist in the in-season challenge be very clear. He said, “Yeah, we had a good day and put together a good finish. We got around the 45 (Tyler Reddick) there, and the restarts just worked in our way.” When asked about his previous run at Indy and what it meant to him about his 1 million dollar showdown with Ty Dillon, Ty Gibbs remained nonchalant. He said, “Yeah, I think it’s most important to win the race, and then you can win a million bucks with it.” And while Gibbs remains focused on his post-season hopes, Ty Dillon is just basking in his unlikely success.
Hear from @TyGibbs, @TylerReddick, and Joe Gibbs discuss the In-Season Challenge and today’s race at Dover Motor Speedway. pic.twitter.com/kKqOajC9zx
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) July 21, 2025
Dillon, seeded lowest at No. 32 in the In-Season Challenge, powered his No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevy through the bracket, toppling top names like Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, and now finally John Hunter Nemechek. Speaking to TNT post-race, Dillon went on to say, “I was like, come on boys, just make it the white (flag). It was quite the battle all day … All respect to John Hunter; he and I ran within a spot of each other all day. It was a grind of a race for both of us, and we just had a good restart there on the #47 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.), took it three-wide, and then chaos kind of ensued. We were able to get that wave-around, which kind of locked us into a good spot. Just grateful to have this opportunity. The ride has been so fun. It’s one of the biggest things I’ve done in my career. Just having fun with Kaulig Racing.”
Ty Dillon started the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 race 21st, fell as low as 25th in stage two, but clawed back to finish 20th, thanks to a crucial late-race restart. Now with a spot in the final lockdown, the In-Season challenge seems like his to win.
Joe Gibbs remains cautiously optimistic amidst his grandson’s successful run
Since early April, Ty Gibbs steadily turned his season around, delivering solid runs even without a breakthrough win. At Bristol in mid-April, he secured his first top five of the year with a third-place finish. While that seemed like a mere blimp, as it was followed by a string of not-so-impressive finishes, after another 3rd place at Michigan in June, Gibbs has not looked back.
Ty Gibbs has now rattled off six consecutive top-15 finishes in the last 6 races, getting three top-10s in a row in his last three! Now, this Dover P5 has placed him in 16th, just outside the playoff cut line. Overall, this season, Gibbs has run 21 races, earning four top-five and six top-ten finishes with nearly 100 laps led, showcasing that the speed is there even without a checkered flag.
However, despite this momentum, Gibbs still hasn’t visited Victory Lane, meaning he remains in control for the playoffs. As of today, he’s 52 points below the cut-off, a gap narrowed significantly in recent weeks, but he still requires a win to guarantee a postseason berth. With a new crew chief, Tyler Allen, getting support from veteran Chris Gabehart, renewed confidence, and visible progress, Gibbs is zeroing in on his first Cup Series win and a playoff position to match. Reflecting on the race and the Brad Keselowski incident at Sonoma, Joe Gibbs couldn’t be prouder of his grandson and their team.
Speaking post-race, Joe Gibbs said, “I think they care for Ty, and this was a huge deal. And we’ve added a lot to that team, as you guys know. And so when you see somebody go through some real tough stuff like that, this sport will really measure you, you know. But those guys have fought back. Our pit crew there; those guys did a great job today. And they have been there through the first part of the year when nothing went right. There was nothing that went our way. And so you appreciate those guys just kept fighting. I appreciate that. And so for us to get to this point, we still have a long way to go because we’ve got to win to probably get in the chase. But it was a huge deal today. And they fought their guts out at the end.” And now, as the season heats up, expect Ty Gibbs to press hard, because that first win won’t be a trophy; it could seal his destiny for the playoffs and beyond.
Do you think Ty Gibbs can make his grandfather a proud team owner and lock into the playoffs at Indianapolis? Let us know in the comments!
The post Ty Gibbs Puts $1,000,000 in the Back Seat, Pushing His Bigger Agenda Heading to Indianapolis appeared first on EssentiallySports.
