Josh Bilicki calls Ty Dillon a 'hack' after Cup Series race at Sonoma
Another week and another driver beef. This time a little further down the lineup between Josh Bilicki and Ty Dillon. Bilicki did NOT like the way that Dillon drove against him late in the NASCAR Toyota Save Mart 350 at Sonoma. It was enough to get a response from the No. 78 driver on Twitter.
Neither of these drivers was going to compete for a top-10, let alone a win. However, every spot matters for these teams. While running on the edge of the top 30 with ten laps to go, Josh Bilicki got turned around when Ty Dillon dove deep into the corner.
It was a head-scratching move looking back on the replay. It also got a big reaction from Bilicki.
“What a hack. This is just a few laps after he spun the 10 [Aric Almirola]. Killed our day,” Bilicki tweeted along with a video of the incident.
Just for reference, Dillon went on to finish P23 in this race. Meanwhile, Bilicki would struggle to catch back up and went on to finish P30 to end his day in Sonoma for Live Fast Motorsports. That might seem like a little thing to be mad at to some, but it is everything for these drivers.
This season has not been one to write home about for either driver. But driving recklessly doesn’t solve anything, either.
Josh Bilicki calls out Ty Dillon
I’m not sure much will become of this. Ty Dillon can argue it was a racing incident, and spinning a driver on a road course isn’t as serious as spinning someone at an oval. The good news, at least for eventual winner Martin Truex Jr., is that no caution flag came of the incident.
For Dillon, his P23 finish was his best since finishing P22 at Kansas. He has a season-best of P14 from Talladega. Otherwise, he has failed to crack the top 20 at all this season. That can be frustrating and it is possible that frustration played a role in this.
As for Josh Bilicki, who is a part-time driver, it is disappointing to have your day ruined by another driver through no fault of your own. At COTA, Bilicki had a finish of P26. Otherwise, it has been a rough go of things. P33 at Kansas and P30 today at Sonoma won’t be anything to write home about.
Last season, Bilicki had a season-best of P16 at Atlanta, driving the same car that Dillon is driving this season. The 77 of Spire Motorsports. We will have to wait and see if more comes from this, but with a week off coming up, it will likely die down.