Tyler Reed Dillon (born February 27, 1992) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, and part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 3 Chevrolet Camaro for Richard Childress Racing, and the No. 4 Camaro for JD Motorsports. He has also competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, what is now the ARCA Menards Series, what are now the ARCA Menards Series East and West and what is now known as the NASCAR Pinty's Series in the past.
He is the 2011 ARCA Racing Series champion and was the series' youngest champion at 19 years, 7 months and 19 days until Ty Gibbs broke this record when he won the 2021 ARCA Menards Series championship at 19 years, 0 months and 19 days.
Dillon has spent most of his NASCAR career driving for Richard Childress Racing and affiliated teams. RCR is owned by his grandfather Richard Childress. He is the younger brother of fellow NASCAR driver Austin Dillon, who drives RCR's No. 3 Cup Series car full-time. His father is RCR general manager Mike Dillon, who is a retired NASCAR driver.
Racing career
Early career
Dillon began his racing career in go-karts and Bandoleros. Moving up to the K&N Pro Series East in 2009, he competed for the series championship in 2010, finishing 13th in points despite only competing in eight races of the series' ten-race schedule. He scored one win in the series, in August 2010 at Gresham Motorsports Park.
After making three starts and winning twice, at Kansas Speedway and Rockingham Speedway, in the ARCA Racing Series in 2010, Dillon ran his first full season in the series in 2011, winning seven times on his way to winning the series championship. He defeated Chris Buescher by a 340-point margin for the championship, but lost the series rookie-of-the-year award to Buescher by two points.
Dillon's racing career began in go-karts and Bandoleros, later advancing to the K&N Pro Series East in 2009. In 2010, despite racing in just eight out of 10 events, he ranked 13th in the championship and won at Gresham Motorsports Park. Dillon's success carried into the ARCA Racing Series, with two wins in three starts in 2010. In 2011, he won seven races and secured the championship title, leading Chris Buescher by 340 points. However, Dillon lost the rookie-of-the-year award to Buescher by a close two points, highlighting the intense competition and skill in motorsports.
NASCAR
Camping World Truck Series
Dillon made his debut in the Camping World Truck Series in 2011, finishing eighteenth at Kentucky Speedway, in preparation for running the full series schedule for Richard Childress Racing in 2012. In only his second Truck Series start at Texas Motor Speedway, he finished third. At Homestead, he finished 6th, right in front of his brother Austin, who was crowned champion that night after the race was called due to rain.
In the 2012 NextEra Energy Resources 250 at Daytona, he finished 9th. The following race at Martinsville saw Dillon score his best career finish, 2nd, finishing behind teammate Kevin Harvick. He recorded top ten finishes in each of the first five Truck Series races of the year. On August 31, he scored his first career Truck Series win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Returning to the Camping World Truck Series in 2013, Dillon went on to win at Kentucky Speedway in the Camping World Truck Series on June 27 of that year. In late August 2013, Dillon was leading the final lap of the Truck Series' first race in Canada against 17-year-old rookie Chase Elliott. In the final turn, Dillon and Elliott made contact, with Dillon winding up hitting the tire barrier and Elliott winning the race. Dillon afterwards stated that the next time they raced each other "he won't finish the race". At Texas, Dillon won the 100th race for a No. 3 car/truck in NASCAR.
Dillon finished second in the 2013 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standings, behind Matt Crafton; he was named the series' Most Popular Driver at the season-ending awards banquet.
In 2014, Dillon returned to the Truck Series for the Mudsummer Classic at Eldora Speedway, racing the same truck he had driven in the previous year's race. Dillon finished 5th in the event. Dillon later entered the final race of the season in the No. 9 for NTS Motorsports in place of Brennan Newberry, finishing 7th.
In 2015, Dillon drove three races in the No. 33 Chevrolet for GMS Racing at Daytona, Atlanta, and Eldora where he earned two top tens in these races. Dillon drove one race in the No. 31 Chevrolet for NTS Motorsports at Bristol where he was crashed late in the race.