@Zachstur On X
Audio By Carbonatix
While his brother Austin gets all the attention, NASCAR driver Ty Dillon has quietly made a solid full-time return to the Cup Series with Kaulig Racing this season. Unfortunately for Dillon, Sunday’s race at Michigan International Speedway was not part of that solid return.
Not only did Dillon lack speed, finishing in 24th position, but he also had an unfortunate incident on pit lane which ended with the untimely death of an over-eager squirrel.
Michigan Squirrel becomes pit roadkill from Ty Dillon’s onboard.
“Bad timing, little buddy.” 🥲🐿️✝️ pic.twitter.com/8RkRjU0g4n
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) June 8, 2025
NASCAR Cup Series Driver Ty Dillon Mourns Squirrel That He Ran Over In Pit Lane
On-board footage from Dillon’s car shows the 33-year-old approaching his box when the squirrel attempted to dash across the crowded pit lane. One minute the squirrel is there, the next it is not.
As he’s pulling back onto the track, Dillon radioed in to his crew chief to check in on the situation.
“I think I just murdered a squirrel getting into my d— pit box,” Dillon told crew chief Andrew Dickeson.
“Yes, you did,” Dickeson replied. “(Rear tire changer) Mike (Valentino) screamed. I didn’t know what the hell he was screaming at. Now we’re gonna do it for that squirrel. This is for you, Mr. Squirrel.”
Dillon seemed pretty upset by the whole thing. Moment later he asked Dickeson to report back on the squirrel and when Dickeson responded “RIP,” Dillon let out an exasperated “Maaan, bad timing little buddy.”
While it wasn’t quite “Randy Johnson destroys a bird with a fastball” level of violence, it was still pretty sad to see. Animals crossing a race track are a pretty common occurence. But thankfully they seem to either stay away from live tracks or somehow avoid getting run over. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about the squirrel, and now Dillon has a memory that will undoubtedly haunt him forever.