Posted March 29, 2019 by Dominic Aragon Cup

Ty Dillon nets career-high start

Ty Dillon 13 Texas Motor Speedway 2019 — Photo by Cheri Eaton/The Racing Experts

FORT WORTH — Ty Dillon netted his highest qualifying effort in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Friday at Texas Motor Speedway.

Posting a lap time of 28.956 seconds Friday in qualifying (186.490 mph), Dillon will start ninth in the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500. It will be his first top-10 start in the Cup Series.

“We were really happy with [qualifying],” Dillon said to The Racing Experts. “I think we should have ended up fifth or fourth, barring if that second lap would have clicked off…

“Still, all and all, a great round of qualifying for us and proud of the effort.”

Dillon’s prior-high start was a 12th-place starting position in the 2016 Daytona 500.

Entering the seventh race of the 2019 season, the Germain Racing driver has scored one top-10 finish in the season-opening Daytona 500.

With an average finish of 19th, DIllon sits 23rd in driver’s standings, 26 points behind the final cutoff position held by Daniel Suarez (16th overall, 134 points).

Jimmie Johnson earned the pole for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 500, his first pole award since 2016.