Could Ty Dillon be the replacement driver for Tony Stewart in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series while the three-time champion recovers from injury?
Though Dillon’s name has been bandied about as a potential fill-in driving the No. 14 after the Daytona 500, an official announcement has not been made — though Dillon confirmed Tuesday at Daytona International Speedway that talks have indeed occurred.
“Obviously it is something that has been talked about a lot, but nothing has been finalized,” Dillon said during Media Day at the track. “Unfortunately, it kind of stinks that we are even talking about that down here. I think everybody including myself want to Tony (Stewart) go out the right way and to able to run every single race.
“To get back to the question — it would be an honor for me to drive Tony’s car in his last year, and hopefully do good for those guys. Nothing has been announced yet. I haven’t signed anything yet. We’ve been in talks. Hopefully we will have some news sooner or later, but nothing is finalized yet. But, if the opportunity were to come about, I would be honored to drive the No. 14 car and represent Tony in his last year.”
He added that there “have been a lot of stories that have come out premature. It is a slow process. There are a lot of different things that are going on. Hopefully we will have some announcement or news later on. Nothing is set in stone. I don’t like to say anything until pen hits paper.”
Brian Vickers will pilot the No. 14 in the Daytona 500. Meanwhile, Dillon is also entered in the No. 95 for Circle Sport-Leavine Family Racing.
Dillon is driving full time in the NASCAR XFINITY Series in 2016 for Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3.
Kevin Rutherford is the executive editor of Frontstretch, a position he gained in 2025 after being the managing editor since 2015, and serving on the editing staff since 2013.
At his day job, he's a journalist covering music and rock charts at Billboard. He lives in New York City, but his heart is in Ohio -- you know, like that Hawthorne Heights song.