RUMOR MILL: Ty Dillon NOT The Favorite To Go To Kaulig Anymore?

What’s Happening?

Ty Dillon may no longer be the favorite to land the second Kaulig Racing Cup Series car after all. Matt Weaver of Sportsnaut said in response to a fan on social media that the one “Everyone thinks they know why is going to other Kaulig Cup car and that’s not true”.

While not specifically mentioning Ty Dillon, Dillon has been the rumored favorite for the ride for a while now.

You Need to Know:

• Ty Dillon was first reported as a candidate for the Kaulig Racing #13 car by Bob Pockrass of Fox Sports in September. Speculation continued to ramp up when Spire Motorsports announced that Carson Hocevar would take over Ty Dillon’s #77 car in 2024. And it amped up even further when Dale Earnahrdt Jr. said on the Dale Jr. Download the week after the season ended that Dillon was going to Kaulig.
• Ty Dillon struggled mightily this past season with Spire Motorsports. He finished 32nd in points, the worst out of all drivers who competed in all 36 races. He also failed to finish in the top 10 for the first time in a full-time ride since 2017, his rookie season.
• Dillon saw similar struggles in 2022 with Petty GMS (now Legacy Motor Club) in the 42 car. That year, he recorded a career-high 9 DNFs and only 1 top-10 finish. All this while his teammate Erik Jones won the Southern 500.

Why Would Ty Dillon Fall Out of The Running?

There could be a myriad of reasons for why Ty Dillon could be falling out of favor with Kaulig Racing. First off, it’s possible that he was never that serious of a candidate to begin with. However, with Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Bob Pockrass both reporting it, that gave the initial speculation quite a bit of credibility.

A more practical possibility is sponsorship. Kaulig Racing has been very clear that sponsorship money will play a large role in who gets their cars in 2024. Chris Rice said after A.J. Allmendinger’s win at the Roval that there was a “Gap” in funding for their cars heading into 2024. Maybe Dillon could not pony up the sponsorship to keep Kaulig interested.

It’s also possible that Dillon is still a candidate for the Kaulig Racing ride, but there could now be some competition. We’ve covered how Dillon was not exactly great in 2023, so if a driver with a better pedigree and funding came along, maybe Kaulig started listening to them.

Josh Williams was certainly a ride that came out of nowhere, so it’s not like they can’t surprise us.

However, it might also be possible that Weaver is trying to quelch rumors because nothing is definite. The wording of his Tweet can be interepreted in two ways. First, the current rumor about the Kaulig car is not true, or, secondly, no one really knows until the deal is officially announced. Either way, it does cast some doubt on Ty Dillon’s “Favorite” status.

In the Stands

Brian J. Devereaux is excited to see Dillon potentially out at Kaulig Racing.

Josh is relieved that Dillon may be out at Kaulig Racing.

David A. Lawrence says that Ty just isn’t cutting it in Cup.

Mjc would like to see Dillon in an Xfinity car with RCR so that Dillon can get back to winning races.

J.D. Thomas says that maybe Gragson could have been the favorite all along.

Is Ty Dillon still the favorite to land the ride at Kaulig Racing? Let us know your thoughts on social media.