A week ago, Ty Dillon turned in a top-15 at Martinsville Speedway and looked to continue his strong finish to the year upon when he arrived in the Lone Star State. His aim was true and the young gun would two-step out of Texas with another strong result as the sun begins to set on the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season.
While the season has presented its challenges, Germain Racing has been able to turn the tide and right the course heading into the final races.
When Ty Dillon slid behind the wheel of his No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 on Sunday, he would start the race from the 24th position, just behind seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion, Jimmie Johnson. Two days earlier, Germain Racing advanced to the second round of qualifying and showed speed, leaving the team hopeful heading into the Texas 500.
Bright sunshine and perfect temperatures accompanied the on-track racing action when
the green flag turned the field loose on Sunday afternoon. Dillon started 24th, but quickly gained positions as he hustled his GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 into the top-20 on the opening lap.
Dillon was pleased with his racecar from the onset and seemed to be able to pedal around the 1.5-mile oval of Texas Motor Speedway with relative ease. Crew chief, Matt Borland, would execute a strategy that would see Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Military machine cruise all the way up to the top-five as the race approached the halfway point.
The Germain Racing pit crew performed expeditiously on pit road and even gained positions on stops throughout the day. As the race began to wind down, the caution flags would not fall in Dillon’s favor, betraying the otherwise successful strategy executed by the team. Despite being handed a result that was not an accurate interpretation of their day, Dillon and the GEICO Military team still managed to turn in a 22nd place finish when the checkers flew from the flag stand as the sun gave way to dusk in Fort Worth, Texas.
“This weekend overall was solid for us. We had good practice sessions, advanced to the second round of qualifying and then had a decent car during the race,” Dillon said. “Our GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 was really good in the beginning and it got even better as the run went on. The strategy and cautions didn’t fall our way, but I’m proud of my guys because that was our best mile and a half race all year. With two races to go, our Germain Racing team will keep pushing forward to finish strong.”
Just two races remain on the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series schedule as Germain Racing packs up and heads west to Phoenix, Arizona. Dillon and his Camaro ZL1 will continue to carry the GEICO Military livery to honor Veterans Day and our nation’s military service members.
Ty Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 will hit the track at ISM Raceway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, November 9th, at 1:35 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 7 PM (ET).
The Can-Am 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 11th, and it will be televised live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
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