"These guys have no clue, every week”: Ty Dillon blasts NASCAR rules amid tire failure at Atlanta

Ty Dillon was part of an unfortunate incident at the Atlanta Motor Speedway. He expressed his utter disappointment and frustration with the ruling needing him to be “hooked” from the race track rather than being fixed in the pit lane.

Dillion blew his tire up when he was racing at the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The result of the tire failure was his hood getting blown up after the driver hit the wall in the 87th lap during stage 2. Because of the damage to the car, the NASCAR ruling states that the car with this amount of damage to the body of the car cannot be fixed in the pit lane by the pit crew, thus the car had to be towed to the garage for fixing.

Ty Dillon on the radio to his pit crew expressed anger and dissatisfaction with the ruling, stating he could have actually been able to continue the race rather than being “hooked”. Jeff Gluck, the NASCAR journalist, in a post on X, mentioned the conversation the North Carolina native had with his crew.

"Lots of unhappiness on Ty Dillon radio. He wants to be pushed back to pit road. He's being towed instead. "I'm not going to let them hook me up! They've got to push me!" "These guys have no clue, every week."

Ty Dillon races full-time in the #10 for Kaulig Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He began his racing credentials in go-karts and progressed upwards to ARCA Racing Series where he won the championship in 2011 becoming the youngest ever to do so in the Series.

In the same year, the North Carolina native made his NASCAR Series debut with Richard Childress Racing driving the #3. At the speedway where this incident occurred, he had a notable victory in 2012 in the Truck Series.

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Ty Dillon reflected on joining forces with a legacy sponsor rooted in NASCAR for over five decades

Ty Dillon is driving Kaulig Racing in the 2025 Cup Series season, backed by a new partnership with Grizzly Nicotine Pouches, an affiliate of RJ Reynolds Tobacco Co. This collaboration marks the return of the tobacco company to NASCAR after decades, with Grizzly Nicotine Pouches sponsoring Dillon for nine races. He reflected:

“This is an absolute honor. Kaulig Racing has offered me the best opportunity I have ever had in the Cup Series and bringing on a partner like Grizzly Nicotine Pouches is really humbling. I understand the heritage of the company and the value of great sponsors, so I am just so anxious to get busy and deliver great results for everyone.”

RJ Reynolds, notably through its Winston Tobacco Co. brand, played a significant role in elevating NASCAR's profile by sponsoring the Cup Series from 1971 to 2003. Winston Tobacco Co. provided substantial sponsorship and resources, which helped NASCAR grow into a globally recognized sport.