ROSSBURG, Ohio – There was arguably no driver happier to be at Eldora Speedway on Tuesday night than 18-year-old NASCAR K&N Pro Series East regular Tyler Dippel.
Dippel, from Wallkill, N.Y., turned his first laps in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series machine during a pair of practice sessions in advance of Wednesday’s sixth-annual Eldora Dirt Derby, where he’ll drive for DGR-Crosley, his regular K&N East team.
Though it was a deal that came together late in the game, Dippel said there’s been no lack of effort in the team’s preparation to get his No. 17 Toyota Tundra ready to race.
“I only really knew about this three or four weeks before it happened; it came together pretty quickly,” Dippel noted. “I’m really glad we did it, though, because I’m having the time of my life here wheeling this thing on the dirt like I did my big-block for the last few years.
“We’ve got two new sponsors on board – Caruso Logistics and the Hugh Jackson Foundation – and we couldn’t have done this without them,” he added. “They came on board for this race and I’m super pumped about it. Everyone on the crew has put in a ton of hours to get us ready for this thing and their hard work is really showing right now.”
A product of the Super DIRTcar Series big-block modifieds and a former NASCAR Next class member, Dippel was beaming at the speed in his truck after Tuesday’s twin practice rounds.
He was 10th in first practice, barely a tenth of a second off of leader Myatt Snider, and ended the final session ninth-quick on single-lap speed and fifth-fastest among the 31 drivers who turned a 10-lap run.
“This truck is pretty badass. We’re not on top of the speed charts right now, just because I didn’t go up and bang the boards down when there was still grip up top, but when it got slick the truck came in and it was on rails,” said Dippel. “Chris Lawson and all the folks at DGR-CROSLEY brought me a really strong piece and I can’t wait for my debut on Wednesday night. I think it’s going to be something special.”
Dippel was quick to point out that there are just as many things that don’t correlate between the big-block modifieds he grew up driving and the trucks as there are things that do translate between the two.
“These trucks drive like a big, heavy tank! They drive like crap compared to the modifieds,” Dippel laughed. “In all reality though, the way they drive is pretty similar, especially when the track gets super slick. It’s like an ice-skating rink out there, but that’s what makes it so much fun.
“I feel like my modified experience has actually prepared me pretty well to do this, because you have to be super smooth to be successful and I feel like I have a lot of those skills already … it’s just a matter of staying out of trouble and putting all the right pieces together when it counts.”
The teenager started the year unsure of his plans after leaving Rette-Jones Racing, the team he had driven two full seasons for in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, but found a home with co-owners David Gilliland and Bo LeMastus and has begun to flourish under their leadership, ranking second in points halfway through the season.
The opportunity to drive a truck for the duo and finally pass through the door onto the NASCAR national series stage was just an added bonus, Dippel said.
“This is more than I could have ever hoped for already; the dream’s coming true right now,” he grinned. “It’s awesome to be here and to be one of the best trucks, if not the best truck here, is pretty unbelievable. I’m so blessed to be in this position with the people I’ve got surrounding me and hopefully it’s the start of something even greater.”
As far as the potential of winning Wednesday night’s race, Dippel stressed he is going to lay it all on the line when he hits the race track.
“We’re going for it,” Dippel stated. “I don’t know when my next chance will be in one of these trucks, so I definitely want to make the most of it and I believe we’ll have a shot to win. I really do.”
